Southeast Asian online hotel management and booking platform RedDoorz has its sights set on IPO – but it has a lot of steps to clear first.
25.07.2024 - 15:23 / lonelyplanet.com
Jul 25, 2024 • 8 min read
The capital of India's largest state, Jaipur (aka the Pink City) is replete with beautiful palaces, majestic forts and idyllic lakes and is surrounded by the lush green mountains of the Aravalli Range. It was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II and is one of the earliest planned cities in modern India (for which it was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in July 2019).
Many of the top attractions are in the Old City, which is hemmed in by historic walls and gates, all splashed pink as are all the buildings inside. But what’s with the pink? In 1876, the ruler Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II had the city painted a delicate pink hue to welcome Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert. Even today, the law requires the Old City’s buildings and walls to be painted pink (although it now seems to lean more terracotta).
Of course, the urban sprawl of Jaipur has extended beyond the Old City, with the modern neighborhoods buzzing with trendy boutiques, cool cafes and bars, and fancy restaurants. These are the top experiences in Jaipur that you can't afford to miss.
The opulent 18th-century City Palace is the perfect place to start your visit to Jaipur. Built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II as part of his new capital city, the palace continues to be the residence of the erstwhile royal family, although several parts of it are open to visitors. A standard ticket will grant you entry to the museum galleries and the palace courtyards, the most attractive of which is Pritam Niwas Chowk with its colorful painted doorways that represent the four seasons.
If you want to peek inside Chandra Mahal, the royal residence and other parts of the palace, you'll need to purchase an additional ticket for exclusive access. Complete your experience with a sumptuous meal at the Baradari Restaurant, which serves both Indian and international fare. The two on-site shops – Palace Atelier and The PDKF Store – are great places to shop for beautifully designed (albeit pricey) souvenirs and accessories.
Detour: The city’s most iconic landmark, Hawa Mahal, stands just around the corner from the palace. This eye-catching red-and-pink sandstone castle was built in 1799 as an extension of the zenana (women’s quarters). It has nearly a thousand latticed windows from where the royal ladies could watch the street proceedings without being seen. At any given time, you will find crowds milling in front of it, but sunrise and sunset are ideal to catch the monument in all its glory. The best view is from across the busy street, particularly from Wind View Cafe on the rooftop of the building opposite.
As you drive from Jaipur towards Amer village (8km/5 miles), the golden-hued Amber Fort looms large over Maota Lake. You will
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Aug 9, 2024 • 7 min read
It was eight in the morning, and the prickly July humidity had already seeped through my skin as I hopped out of the cab in Singapore’s Little India. Greeted by the bustle of vendors setting up, I was transported back to my childhood, to days spent wandering the neighborhood with my grandmother. The aroma of fresh coriander from vibrant spice stalls spurred memories of her tangy coconut prawn curry. The musky fragrance of jasmine adorning colorful flower stalls reminded me of how she’d woven them into my braids. She never would again.
In this episode of the Skift India Travel Podcast, Booking.com’s Country Manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Indonesia, Santosh Kumar, and Skift Asia Editor, Peden Doma Bhutia, dive into the latest trends, insights, and initiatives in the travel industry. They focus on inclusivity and the evolving behaviors of Indian travelers.
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India’s outbound tourism market is expected to reach $55.4 billion by 2034, annual growth of over 11%, according to a new report by Indian commerce body FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry). The market is projected to reach $18.8 billion in 2024.
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Jul 26, 2024 • 5 min read
As the Olympics take over Paris, the hospitality scene is expanding in the city — and beyond — with a handful of new hotel openings worth bookmarking for a visit once the crowds have died down. Le Grand Hôtel Cayré opened in the Seventh Arrondissement earlier this month with 123 rooms, all with handcrafted wooden beds and mustard yellow velvet chairs, some with balconies and views of the Sacre Coeur or Eiffel Tower. In Carry-le-Rouet, a seaside village outside of Marseille, L’Hôtel Bleu’s design follows its name with 44 harbor-view rooms decorated in shades of blue. The property’s restaurant offers three seafood-heavy, Mediterranean-inspired tasting menus, while a private cinema room can be reserved when the weather calls for some indoor time. Further east toward Cannes, in the commune of Mougins, Hôtel Le Mas Candille was recently redesigned by the architect and decorator Hugo Toro, whose hand-painted patterns appear on the curtains and carpets in the 46 rooms. Its Glow House spa has four treatment rooms, each with its own terrace, and a private swimming pool overlooking Provence. In Nice’s old town, Hôtel du Couvent opened last month within a 17th-century convent surrounded by two-and-a-half acres of gardens. The former nuns’ herbal shop has been revived and now offers personalized remedies, some made from herbs grown on the property. There’s also a bathing area with pools of varying temperatures inspired by the nearby Roman baths.
While commercial air service was slowly recovering on Friday after a technology outage caused thousands of flights worldwide to be canceled or delayed, the ripple effect from the disruption left airports crowded with passengers and airlines working to get planes and crews back in position.