Luxury Hotels

Taj Hari Mahal
5, Residency Road
Tel: 2439700; Fax: 2614452/51

It’s 6 acres of luxury. Built like a medieval palace of Marwar with sun-drenched courtyards lavished by rich and fragrant foliage and picturesque jharokhas, intricately carved arches and wide terraces with uninterrupted view of the magnificent Mehrangarh fort, grand chandeliered halls and luxuriously furnished apartments, the hotel promises a memorable stay. The two acres of meticulously manicured lawns and greens and an abundance of refreshing fountains take you into a world that is starkly different from the arid landscape of the desert.

The hotel’s facilities cater to guests of every age and interest, from the tiny tots with their own Kiddies Corner fitted with large-sized TV and a big supply of cartoon movies, to a corporate executive concluding a lucrative deal in the seclusion of the private dining room of the authentic Chinese restaurant or under the bright, coloured-glass ceiling of The Bar.

• Two restaurants, café, lobby lounge, bars, pastry shop, conference halls, business centre, shopping arcade, health spa, fitness centre, swimming pool, beauty salon, tour & travel desk.

Fortune Ummed jodhpur
Jodhpur-Jaipur Highway
Tel: 283430 - 39; Fax: 283244

Now a Fortune business hotel on the eastern outskirts of town, its 20 acres expanse exudes the vastness of the Thar desert without its barren mold.

Designed by the famous architect Hafeez Contractor, the hotel looks more like a large palace. A beautifully painted dome with an octagonal base dominates the large lobby. Beyond lies the big courtyard around which the rectangular building stands. All the rooms and suites, placed on the two floors of the longer sides of this rectangle, open on to the vast greens of either the inner courtyard or surrounding lawns. The large theme corner suites feature Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Udaipur, and provide two balconies for enjoying the cool evenings. Even the superior rooms are large-sized with parquet flooring.

• Three restaurants, lawns, library with internet services, kids club, swimming pool, health club, shopping arcade, car rental, beauty parlour, banquet hall, tennis court, volley ball court, playground, horse and camel safaris.

Heritage Hotels

The Umaid Bhawan Palace
Umaid Bhawan Palace
Tel: 2510101; Fax: 2510100

One of the important landmarks of the city, Umaid Bhawan Palace is now an Aman hotel. The domed Art Deco Palace blends the architectural influences of the east and the west. The domed hall, featuring a sweeping marble staircase, soars up a dizzying 60 mt. Built between 1928 and 1943, the hotel crowns a large hill overlooking the city and the Mehrangarh Fort and provides comprehensive facilities for a visitor, including a subterranean swimming pool.

• Restuarants, currency exchange, travel counter, TV lounge, indoor swimming pool, shopping arcade, travel desk, palace museum, library, billiards, tennis, squash, conference facilities.

Welcomheritage Bal Samand Palace
Mandore Road
Tel: 2572321-27; Fax: 2571240

An erstwhile garden retreat of Jodhpur rulers at the northern edge of the city will almost qualify for a nature preserve, with numerous peacocks dancing amongst its wooded expanse and surprise encounters with partridge and bunny rabbit. Once you turn off the busy Mandore Gardens Road even the summer temperatures turn cool in the thick foliage of abundant fruit and ficus trees. The reception cottage appears like a welcome desk of a game sanctuary beyond which you almost expect suddenly to come across a tiger crossing the jungle track!

All the garden rooms are strung in a long row beside the reception, each opening on to the forest. The suites are placed in the palace complex at the far end beside the large manmade lake, abutting the barrage. The suites provide an elevated view of the forested expanse.

• Multicuisine coffee shop, lakeview restaurant, lakeside bar, Ayoma ayurvedic health spa, swimming pool, horse carriage buggy riding, boating, nature walks, conference facilities, credit card, money exchange, croquet.

Ajit Bhavan
Circuit House Road
Tel: 2510410, 2511410, 2510610; Fax: 2510674

The city palace of the younger brother of Maharaja Umaid Singh of Jodhpur and built in 1927 is also the first heritage hotel of India. Standing in verdant 4.5 acres, the hotel has some very unique features in its guest accommodation, like Ashvina cottage that is built around a living tree, its large trunk forming the centre-piece.

The cottages have a different theme and are furnished accordingly, like in the warrior’s cottage you will find the armour of a cavalry soldier and saddle or in the farmer’s a hoe and wicker basket! The hotel has abundant arboreal cover that even shades the cottages and tents.

The main palace complex still retains most of the original furniture, adornments and trophies. The bar accessed from the lobby, displays large portraits of the royal family. Even the later additions have conformed to the original style. The swimming pool built on a high platform stands against a wall of crudely dressed stones and arches reminiscent of ancient forts of India.
A very popular feature of the hotel is its cultural show and dinner organised around the central garden and swimming pool area every evening.

• Restaurant, bar, swimming pool, barbecue, travel counter, gala dinners with folk dances, village jeep safari, health club, money exchange.

Karni Bhawan
Defence Lab Road, Ratnada
Tel: 2512101-2; Fax: 2512105

• Dining room, swimming pool, village complex.

Best Western Ranbanka
Circuit House Road
Tel: 2512801-2, 2510162; Telefax: 2510162 

Earlier a part of the larger Ajit Bhawan, Ranbanka again spells regal comforts. The magnificent sandstone palace stands amidst large lawns and gardens along a major thoroughfare of the city. The tastefully furnished rooms still retain the original colonial furniture and Persian rugs. The large-sized suites facing the front garden have wooden floor in the sleeping chamber and white marble floor in the sitting area. On the other hand the spacious deluxe rooms face the rear lawns and also have wooden floors.

The northern end of the hotel is occupied by a large lawn. The open-air swimming pool occupies a section of the lawn. This is the hotel’s most popular venue for dining and entertainment.

• Restaurants, bar, banquet hall, business centre, folk/classical music and dance; horse & desert safari, herbal massage, shopping arcade, currency echange.