The Garhwal makeover: how luxury hotels are blending in with slow tourism initiatives

As more tourists, corporate groups and long stay guests make their way Uttarakhand’s hill stations, hotels and locals join hands to promote responsible luxury with slow tourism initiatives

There’s a distinct buzz in the room. At an adjacent table, a mother scolds her son in Kannada for wasting food. At another, a Gujarati family discusses what dish scored higher on their palate, as they try to get a fix on a wedding menu. Across the room, more couples and families enjoy their breakfast as they take in views of Garhwal’s mountains through floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

The spread on offer spans the gamut: from the now pan-India staple of idlis and dosas, and Garhwali dishes made from high-altitude lentils and greens, to western breakfast essentials such as eggs Benedict and waffles. Aptly then, the restaurant’s called Range (at least to the punster in me, though the name refers to the mountains outside). It’s the all-day diner at the new 263-key Hyatt Regency Dehradun.

The hotel comes with a spa that champions the herb tulsi, a rooftop pool and two bars, one of which specialises in malt-based cocktails and the other has a strong gin game. Drinks at both are crafted by Yangdup Lama whose Delhi’s cocktail bar Sidecar was ranked #47 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2022. There is also an Indo-Tibetan restaurant in the works that will go beyond momos and thukpas. “Our aim is to market Dehradun as a destination,” says Harkaran Singh, the hotel’s general manager. “Apart from cities like Delhi, smaller business-centric cities like Ludhiana, Meerut and Saharanpur have people who are well-read, well-travelled and who yearn for luxury experiences in the neighbourhood. We already see them coming here on weekend trips.”

The Hyatt presents the latest chapter in the makeover of the Dehradun-Mussoorie-Rishikesh triangle as a luxe getaway for the affluent Indian traveller. Just in the past three years, two Taj properties and a Roseate have opened in Rishikesh. A Six Senses is set to open near Dehradun later this year. The openings indicate a flurry of activity in a region that till recently has had little by way luxury accommodation.

Apart from the pockets of wealth in nearby areas, a key reason for the hotel boom, according to industry watchers, is the development of new infrastructure and increased air connectivity. The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, for instance, when complete is expected to cut travel time from around six hours to under three. Dehradun’s Jolly Grant airport now has direct flights from cities like Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, which has made the Uttarakhand capital, and in turn the hill stations of Rishikesh and Mussoorie, accessible to a whole new clientele.

For the JW Marriott Walnut Grove Resort & Spa, the first from an international chain to open in Garhwal eight years ago, this clientele comes in the form of corporate groups mixing business and leisure. “We are seeing spouses accompanying corporate visitors, where we arrange leisure activities for the spouse while the other partner works,” says Anoop Pandey, the hotel’s general manager. “Pre-pandemic this mix was a very small fraction of our business. Now we’re seeing that 60% of the corporate groups are adding leisure activities to their itinerary.”

A range of local businesses are taking advantage of this “need” and benefitting from tourism. Been There, Doon That? is a Dehradun-based slow-tourism initiative that conducts experiences and thematic walks, such as one that tours the sites made famous by Ruskin Bond’s books. “The biggest chunk of our travellers comprises high HNI couples who want to give special experiences to their children,” says founder Lokesh Ohri.