You will never be at a loss to find a decent place to stay during your stay in India.

Hotels in metros and other cities are starred and the deluxe ones are not only fully air-conditioned, but also feature swimming pools, saunas, jacuzzis, health centres, shopping arcardes, and a host of other amenities like Ayurvedic massages and more recently, spas.

The small towns, which are on the tourist map, also boast of good accommodation options. While these places may not be top of the line stuff, they are nevertheless comfortable and not too hard on the pocket. In wildlife sanctuaries, tourists can always find accommodation in the wildlife park's buffer zone. The government-owned forest guesthouses provide basic accommodation but their proximity to the park makes up for the lack of amenities. However, there are starred hotels, too, near wildlife sanctuaries.

In Kerala and Goa, the beach resorts are exclusive and even have their own stretch of beach where you can sunbathe or swim in virtual privacy. These resorts provide incomparable facilities and lip-smacking cuisine. In addition, there are houseboats in Kashmir and Kerala, all with five-star comforts.

Another concept gaining popularity among budget travellers is Home Stays. With the prior approval of the government, families provide paying guest accommodation in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Goa.

Deluxe Hotels

Liberalisation and a spurt in travel have brought several international hotel chains to India, including Country Hospitality with all its brands (Regent, Radisson, Country Inns, TGIF), Marriott, Hilton, Park Plaza, Four Seasons and SHPC, and encouraged the expansion of international brands already in the country, including Sheraton, Holiday Inn, Hyatt, Inter-Continental, Meridien, Quality Inns, Best Western and Kempinski.

The standards of India's own deluxe hotel chains compare with the best in the world. The tariff is generally charged on the European system of 'room rent only'. Of late, the bed and breakfast concept is gaining currency. In any three to five-star hotel, expect to find any or all of these facilities: choice of restaurants, round-the-clock coffee shops and room service, conference services, business centre, health club, swimming pool, beauty salon, shopping complex, travel counter, baby-sitter, safe deposit, currency exchange, rooms with attached baths, cable TV and telephones with direct dial facilities. Centralised reservations are available through travel agents.

Tourist Bungalows - Traveller Lodges
These offer comfortable lodging and boarding in dormitories as well as rooms which have attached baths. Some have a restaurant or a dining hall with a bar. Rooms must be reserved in advance.

Rest House/Dak Bungalows
Introduced during the British period for government officials, tourists can also stay in them under certain conditions. Located near national highways, they are convenient for those travelling by road. For reservations, contact the district/local authorities well in advance.

Railway Retiring Rooms
These are convenient for tourists planning an early morning train departure. You need a rail ticket or an Indrail Pass to book a room.

Unusual Stay Options
Kashmir's lakes have their shikaras (boat houses), while Kerala's backwaters have their rice-boat houses. A wildlife sanctuary of Madhya Pradesh offers tree-houses, and the nature therapy resorts of south India offer indigenous, eco-friendly mud and thatch units.

Others
For information on staying with an Indian family as a paying guest, contact the Indiatourism Offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Goa has various paying-guest stay options.

Indian Youth Hostels offer accommodation to members and non-members; for information, contact:
The Youth Hostels Association of India
5, Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri
New Delhi-110 021
Tel: 26116285; Fax: 26113469.

Accommodation is also available at Salvation Army Hostels, camping sites, Sikh temples and dharamshalas at pilgrim sites.

Heritage Hotels

A concept that has really caught on the world over are the heritage hotels and palace hotels. These heritage hotels are usually havelis or palaces which have been turned into hotels, while some of them are run by hotel chains, others are run by the royal descendants. The rich cultural past of India has bequeathed it a number of feudal estates, called thikanas (small forts or palaces) or havelis, the mansions of erstwhile aristocratic families. The concept of turning thikanas and palaces into hotels was born in Rajasthan; now every little thikana or principality has its own heritage hotel. Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala, Uttaranchal, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh have followed suit.

At a Heritage Hotel, visitors receive a gracious welcome, stay in rooms with a history, enjoy traditional cuisine (toned down to the requirements of international palates) and performances by folk artistes and participate in activities that will offer a glimpse of the heritage of the region.
 
For details, contact:
Heritage Hotels Association
9, Sardar Patel Marg, C Scheme
Jaipur 302 001 India
Tel: 91-141-2381906; Fax: 91-141-2382214.

The Corporate Traveller
Business with Pleasure
With the Indian economy looking up and government restrictions decreasing by the day, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata are assuming importance as major centres of business activity in the country.

The delays and the red tape always associated with Indian business activity is a thing of the past and corporate India has moved towards more western standards of professionalism. So, whether you are greeted by a corporate bigwig with a western handshake or a Namaste with folded hands, remember it is business all the way.

Most hotels and tour operators offer special facilities for corporate travellers, some even specialise in it. Identifying yourself as a corporate traveller while booking at your hotel gets you various advantages: limousine pick-up at the airport, a corporate floor room which will feature two-line phones, fax machines, computer ports, direct dial to over a hundred countries and subscription to international financial newspapers and journals. In deluxe hotels, additional services may include a personal valet, overnight stationery printing, power meals, cellphone rentals, travel assistance, confirming appointments, delivering flowers and a special business lounge. Business centres usually offer boardrooms, office rooms, fax, e-mail, Internet and PCs and secretarial, translation and interpretation services. Car hire companies and hotel travel desks provide chauffeur-driven limousines.

All metros offer elaborate conferencing facilities at hotels and at specialised convention centres. Hotels are adept at organising theme banquets for a product launch, or smaller cocktails. Important conference centres are New Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Kovalam, Chennai, Bangalore, Agra, Goa and Bhubaneswar, where post-convention tours offer exciting possibilities.

Telecommunication within the country has improved significantly in the last few years and even remote villages are now connected. E-mail and internet services are available in most hotels, as well as cyber cafes and fax and STD/ISD booths all over the country. Look out for bright yellow boards displaying: STD/ISD/FAX. AT&T call collect services are available only at some places. Calling cards have also been introduced in India.

GUIDES
At all important tourist centres, you can contact the Indiatourism of India tourist offices for trained English-speaking guides who charge fixed rates. Some cities also have guides who speak French, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian or Japanese.