The best city hotels in India

What is it: Settled into a colonial building in the historical heart of Colaba, Abode Bombay occupies the former residence of industrialist David Sassoon, and it wears its heritage well. 

Why we love it: The 25 rooms are a love letter to old Bombay: handmade art-deco tile floors, restored vintage furniture, organic linen, and double-height windows with views over the neighbourhood below. Step up to a Suite and there's a freestanding bathtub and walk-in rain shower. Go Basic and you get original teak floors and genuine colonial Bombay charm at a fraction of the price. Materials are sourced exclusively within India. 

The in-house shop sells handwoven scarves and tribal jewellery sourced directly from local craftspeople, and a visually impaired massage team trained by the hotel will treat you in your room. Breakfast runs till midday at the Abode Room with coffee from in-house specialty café Subko.

Price: Starting at ₹6,000 per night, including breakfast. 

Getting there: Taxis from the airport cost around ₹800 and take up to 90 minutes depending on traffic. Use the prepaid counters in Arrivals.

Address: First Floor, MB Marg, near Regal Cinema, Apollo Bandar, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

What is it: Full-blown grandeur on seven and a half acres of manicured gardens and lotus-strewn lagoons.

Why we love it: Even though it’s inspired by the architectural splendour of the Vijayanagara Empire and the Royal Palace of Mysore, this is in the middle of the city, just minutes from MG Road and Cubbon Park. The 357 rooms and suites are palatial in every sense with high ceilings and rich fabrics.

The guiding principle, Atithi Devo Bhava (the guest is god), shows from the moment you arrive. The spa is luxurious, the dining spans multiple restaurants, and the Maharaja Ballroom, a whopping 11,000 sq ft with its own Lotus Courtyard, is the kind of room that makes you want to invent a reason to throw a party. For a city that moves as fast as Bengaluru, The Leela offers something increasingly rare: stillness and a sense of occasion.

Price: Starting at ₹30,000 per night

Getting there: The hotel is around 40km from Kempegowda International Airport – an hour by taxi, more during nasty traffic hours.

Address: 23, HAL Old Airport Rd, HAL 2nd Stage, Kodihalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560008

What is it: The embodiment of Lucknow slowness and the Nawabi tradition of tehzeeb, this is a beautifully restored 1936 art deco mansion

Why we love it: Saraca sits in an oasis of manicured lawns and tranquil courtyards, close enough to Hazratganj and Aminabad to feel genuinely central, yet serene enough to make the city's pace feel like someone else's problem. The rooms and suites blend classic architectural bones with plush contemporary furnishings.

The local food alone is worth the trip to Lucknow alone, as you may have heard – it extends to this hotel, believe it or not. Awadhi royalty gets its due at Azrak, Italian makes a confident appearance at 1936 Ristorante, and there's a rooftop lounge for when you want Lucknow's skyline with your sundowner.  From Sufi evenings and perfumery sessions to private dining experiences and curated heritage city tours, there’s more than enough to fill your days and your nights.

Price: Starting at ₹9,600 per night.  

Getting there: Lucknow International Airport is around 16km away, a straightforward 30-minute drive into the city.

Address: 19, Mall Avenue, Saraca Estate, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh 226001

What is it: You enter through a concept store with coffee table books, hand-poured candles, and fresh flowers nodding to the nearby Dadar Flower Market and that tells you everything about what The Kin is going for. 

Why we love it: Launched by siblings – restaurateur Imrun Sethi and product designer Guneet Singh – this 15-room boutique hotel in Prabhadevi is the distillation of a lifetime of good taste. Porthole windows, terrazzo floors, vintage-meets-lucite furniture, rotary-style phones by the bedside: every detail was chosen by the product designer behind it. It is maximalist in feel, minimal in footprint.

The common thread running through it all is warmth. The siblings grew up watching their parents host with grace, and The Kin is their attempt to bottle that feeling for strangers. 

Meals come from Terttulia, Imrun's modern European bistro on the ground floor. And there's a rooftop gym for the machine-averse.

Price: Starting at ₹14,160 per night

Getting there: Around 10km from the airport – expect a 30-minute drive, longer if you hit Mumbai traffic.

Address: Sea Face, off Old Cadel Road, Dadar West, Shivaji Park, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400028

What is it: The 150-year-old former ancestral home of renowned architect I.M. Kadri.

Why we love it: The intricately carved wooden pillars, expansive courtyards with fountains, and lush gardens are just a few things that let you fully disconnect here. The Heritage Suite stretches to nearly 600 sq ft of vintage decor and traditional architectural detail but it’s not necessarily trying too hard: every corner feels like it’s absorbed a great deal of living.

Dinner at Dalan, the hotel's intimate 16-cover restaurant, is a lesson in restraint done right. A concise menu of Indian, Continental, and local Gujarati dishes, prepared with ingredients from nearby markets, is served beneath walls lined with photographs of freedom fighters. There are bigger heritage hotels in Gujarat but few are this assured about themselves. 

Price: Starting at ₹6,000 per night

Getting there: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport is around 10.5km away, a straightforward drive into the city.

Address: 1785, Saiyad Wadu, MB Kadri Road, Raikhad II, Opposite Gaikwad Haveli, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380001

What is it: A property built in 1890 by General Obaidullah Khan and perched on Shamla Hills above the Upper Lake.

Why we love it: The architecture is a heady confluence of British Colonial, Italian Renaissance, and classical Greek influences spread across five acres of greenery with expansive verandahs, period furniture, and vintage photographs. Bhopal’s history and heritage comes through in the design. Rooms and suites are elegantly appointed without being fussy, and the views over the lake are the sort to sit over with a cup of tea.

The kitchen is award-winning (!) with the Indian food a firm favourite among residents and visitors alike. Heritage walks and storytelling sessions centred on the remarkable legacy of the Begums of Bhopal add a layer of cultural depth that most heritage hotels gesture at but rarely deliver.

Price: Starting at ₹8,500 per night. 

Getting there: Raja Bhoj Airport is around 12km from the hotel, a 25-minute drive.

Address: 157, Shamla Hills, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh - 462002

What is it: On Connaught Road in Pune's Camp quarter, the newest entry into Pune’s hospitality landscape is Wellesley Hotel. It occupies two buildings: a late-1930s Art Deco structure and a 1964 modernist extension. 

Why we love it: The 24 rooms range from classic doubles to five individually imagined suites, with a design language throughout that is tactile and considered. The aged brass lines make the black granite pop against terrazzo floors, and lime plaster ceilings. The bedspreads have been developed with Pune-based fashion label Ka-Sha, inspired by nomadic quilting traditions. Four lobby columns clad in matte zellige tiles, etched by artists… simply chic.

What sets Wellesley Hotel apart, though, is what happens beyond your regular stay. Artist residencies, film screenings, movement sessions, and pop-ups by emerging brands mean this hotel is genuinely producing culture rather than just hosting it. Anaaj Bistro serves seasonal vegetarian food rooted in Indian culinary philosophy, interpreted with global technique. There's a co-working studio, a wellness space, a private salon, and a general store stocking design-led everyday objects. 

Price: Starting at ₹7,800 per night. 

Getting there: Pune Airport is around 7km from the hotel, a 30-minute drive depending on traffic.

Address: 12A Connaught Road, near Sadhu Vaswani Circle/Chowk, Agarkar Nagar, Pune, Maharashtra - 411001

What is it: In a city that defaults to scale and spectacle, The Manor makes a confident case for restraint. 

Why we love it: Tucked into Friends Colony behind nearly an acre of secluded garden, this 14-room boutique hotel was built in the 1950s. Terrazzo floors, natural fabrics, rich wood and stone, all overseen by architects Shirley Fujikawa and Vinay Kapoor during a full renovation in 2018. Don’t expect an elevator or a very grand lobby.

The main restaurant ventures into Japanese-Indian fusion with genuine curiosity, Camillo's Italian café spills out onto the lawn, and Monique, a French patisserie with a Parisian sensibility turns out seasonally focused pastries that some Delhiites make the trip for in their own right. Fourteen rooms, three restaurants, one very good garden: exactly enough.

Price: Starting at ₹17,000 per night. 

Getting there: Indira Gandhi International Airport is around 18km away, 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic.

Address: 77, Mathura Rd, Friends Colony West, New Delhi, Delhi 110065

What is it: One of Kolkata’s most well-known hotels towering over a skyline at the edge of the business district.

Why we love it: The architecture draws from the aristocratic Bengal home, with the Tree of Life motif threading through rooms and corridors while the art archive includes two major works by painter Sanjay Bhattacharya depicting the Hooghly and Victoria Memorial. The 456 rooms, suites, and 82 serviced apartments are expansive and elegantly appointed, with a hushed quality that feels less corporate than the address might suggest.

Six signature restaurants span local, national, and global cuisines. The Grand Market Pavilion evokes Kolkata's historic bazaar culture, Darjeeling Lounge pays homage to the city's tea obsession, and The Brass Room channels its love of music and good living. The sustainability credentials are also impressive: 100% water recycling, zero single-use plastic, and locally sourced produce.

Price: Starting at ₹11,000 per night. 

Getting there: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is around 20km away, 45 minutes to an hour by taxi.

Address: 1 JBS Haldane Avenue, Tangra, Kolkata, West Bengal 700046, India

What is it: The Glenburn Penthouse is an entirely different proposition to the ITC. This is old Calcutta distilled into a discreet, elegant residence near Park Street.

Why we love it: Nine suites with antique four-poster beds, bespoke 'Hindoostan' wallpaper designed in Paris, and a Tea Verandah overlooking the Victoria Memorial had me sold at the get-go. Then there’s the rooftop infinity pool with panoramic city views, of course, and the suites dressed in celadon green, yellow, and white with hand-embroidered Glenburn tea-print linen.

The kitchen moves fluently between colonial, Bengali, Anglo-Indian, and street food-inspired dishes. The Glenburn Café handles lighter moments. But the real secret weapon is guide Nayana Gangooly who has three decades of experience in the Indian textile industry, is the founding member of the city's wine club, a participant in Kolkata's jazz movement, and leader of bespoke city tours that take guests well beyond the well-trodden paths.

Price: Suites start at ₹26,500 per night. 

Getting there: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is around 20km away, 45 minutes to an hour by taxi.

Address: Kanak Towers, 7A, Russel St, Park Street area, Kolkata, West Bengal 700071

What is it: Originally built by the Wadiyar dynasty as a guest house for the Maharaja's elite British visitors, this grand property has since welcomed Bollywood celebrities and heads of state.

Why we love it: The 30 suites and rooms come with a private balcony and their own glamour each. The dining programme has got… character. Tiger Trail is the city's most popular Indian restaurant, with a catchy tagline 'The Last Word in Indian Food', which would border on arrogance if it wasn’t earned. Shikari handles open-air courtyard barbecue for evenings under the Mysore sky, and Skan'del, the vintage bar, is the sort of room for drinks sipped slowly. Beyond the hotel, the location is hard to argue with: Brindavan Gardens is 20 minutes away, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary and Somanathapura Temple are within easy reach, and Bengaluru is three hours down the road for those combining a city trip with something slower.

Price: Starting at ₹8,000 per night. 

Getting there: Mysore is a 3-hour drive from Bengaluru. The hotel is centrally located, close to Mysore Palace.

Address: 5, Jhansi Rani Lakshmi Bai Rd, Devaraja Mohalla, CFTRI Campus, Lakshmipuram, Mysuru, Karnataka 570005

What is it: In Banjara Hills, Hyderabad's most distinguished neighbourhood, the Park Hyatt is the epitome of residential-style luxury.

Why we love it: The 209 rooms and suites are elegantly understated with original artworks adding finesse. The 41 fully-serviced, pet-friendly apartments make it the rare city hotel that actually accommodates how people travel now. 

Wine lovers, take note. Tre-Forni, the Italian restaurant, brings Northern Italy to Hyderabad with wood-fired pizzas, rustic pastas, and a list of over 1,000 bottles. Rika does modern Asian by day and transforms into something livelier after dark. The Living Room handles afternoon tea and coffees with gallery-like calm. Five restaurants in total, each with a distinct identity, in a city that’s become one of India's most exciting places to eat.

Price: Starting at ₹13,100 per night. 

Getting there: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is 35km away, around 45 minutes to an hour by taxi.

Address: Road No. 2, Sri Nagar Colony, Kamalapuri Colony, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 500034

What is it: Named for the canopy of rain trees shading a residential street in Alwarpet, The Raintree has been a trusted fixture in Chennai's hospitality landscape since 2005. 

Why we love it: It is rooted in the city's culture in ways that newer arrivals rarely manage. Designed by Jeffrey A Wilkes with an interior language of curated art, and local textiles, the 108 rooms and suites offer what the hotel calls ‘unspoken luxury’.

Colony, the all-day restaurant, draws on Indian culinary heritage with a nod to the British club era; its centrepiece an art installation by Chennai artist V. Anamika inspired by the South Indian spice box. Chap Chay does Chinese and Thai with a DIY stir-fry station that's been a city novelty since it opened. Above Sea Level, on the 14th floor, handles sundowners and grills under an open sky. Running through all of it: 100% wind-powered electricity, GreenPro certification, and a water conservation programme.

Price: Starting at ₹10,200 per night. 

Getting there: Chennai International Airport is around 12km away, 30 to 45 minutes by taxi.

Address: 120, St Marys Rd, Austin Nagar, Alwarpet, Chennai, Greater Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600028

What is it: Most airport hotels ask you to overlook their location but Andaz Delhi makes it part of the pitch. Positioned in Aerocity between Delhi and Gurugram, with some rooms offering direct views of aircrafts taking off and landing, it leans into a sense of transit. 

Why we love it: The Purple Lady, a vintage Ambassador car in the hotel's signature colour, greets you at the porch, a playful nod to Delhi's nostalgia. Inside, each of the 401 rooms carries a unique artwork inspired by the city, so no two stays are quite the same. That idea extends to the hotel's '401 Reasons' book, which maps curated city walks developed with India City Walks and makes them bookable through an app, an unusually generous gesture for a hotel that could easily get away with just pointing guests at the concierge.

The art programme is substantial and seriously considered: Rajeev Sethi's atrium installation, the Tea Garden brick artwork tracking Delhi's architectural evolution, and the Memory Cupboard of Delhi by B.M. Kamat. Dining also covers a good range: AnnaMaya for all-day fare, Juniper for gin enthusiasts, and Soul Pantry, a women-led kitchen built around indigenous grains like finger millet, amaranth, and ragi, manage to make mindful eating feel like a pleasure.

Price: Starting at ₹14,400 per night. 

Getting there: Indira Gandhi International Airport is minutes away, the closest hotel on this list to any airport in India.

Address: Asset No. 1, Aerocity, New Delhi, Delhi 110037