Put your hands together for this royal palace for their win at the DWP ACE Awards! The Umaid Bhawan Palace is a magnificent piece of Rajasthan’s heritage, and a symbol of new Jodhpur. Perched on Chittar Hill, the highest point in Jodhpur, Umaid Bhawan Palace inspires with exotic views of the historical Blue City, vast sand dunes, and the regal Mehrangarh Fort. We got in touch with Pradeep Kumar Ludhani, the Director of Sales and Marketing at Umaid Bhawan Palace who spoke about the property’s longstanding legacy and how the palace provides an immersive escapade for all its guests where they get to experience true luxury, just like the royals did!
How does it feel to win this prestigious award?
We are delighted to be recognized at the platform which collaborates with luxury wedding planners and rewards excellence in field of luxury events across the globe. We thank our partners, our patrons and all those who made this happen for us.
What motivates you to be so active within this dynamic wedding world?
The recognition we get, basis our service philosophy and more recently, Umaid Bhawan Palace has been rated as the ‘Best Destination Wedding Venue’ in India for 2018-19 by Conde Nast Traveler India and continues to be a favorite destination for milestone events of its patrons. Being recognized by the DWP ACE awards strengthens our position as the DWP Congress is associated with the best of the event and wedding planners across the globe. The Umaid Bhawan Palace has also been rated the ‘Best Hotel’ in the world besides achieving many other awards and accolades in the recent past. We have been incredibly privileged to host many high profile International and Indian weddings along with several extravagant celebrations and with our sense of commitment we look forward to continuing our journey and hosting events which become lifetime memories for our guests.
Tell us about your overall journey and how you have achieved this milestone?
In 1929, the foundation stone of Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur was laid by His Highness Maharaja Umaid Singh and the monument conceived was the last of the great Grand Palaces of India. The Palace was commissioned in 1943. Set amidst 26 acres of verdant gardens, with dancing peacocks and a subterranean Zodiac Pool, the luxury Palace offers 70 breath-taking art deco-style rooms and suites. It is a magnificent piece of Rajasthan’s heritage, a symbol of new Jodhpur and home to the erstwhile Jodhpur Royal family. It is currently the world’s sixth-largest private residence. Umaid Bhawan Palace opened its doors to niche events in 2007 and ever since with events like Liz Hurley and Arun Nayyar’s wedding, Naomi Campbell’s exclusive birthday celebration, there was no looking back. We have been the most favored destination owing to our commitment of delivering an unrivalled experience, not just to provide the highest standards of service and comfort which our esteemed guests have been so accustomed to but also to showcase the true Rajasthani culture and heritage and take you on a voyage through the rich cultural legacy of Marwar.
What do you do specifically to ensure an immersive destination experience for all your clients?
Also known as ‘The Blue City’, Jodhpur is the cultural capital of Rajasthan and has a rich architectural and historical legacy. The exquisiteness of the Jodhpur forts and monuments is sure to enchant one and all. Dotting the city and its landscape are various popular tourist attractions, some of them include; the Mehrangarh Fort, the Jaswant Thada and the Clock Tower market. We weave our experiential journey around the city with the most exclusive experiences of all, by organizing events for our guests at the Mehrangarh Fort, which is 560 years old! We always strive to celebrate all our guests’ celebration with sheer grandeur.
What are some unique attributes of your property that caters towards executing lavish weddings?
The Umaid Bhawan Palace offers you an exclusive access to the Mehrangarh Fort in order to celebrate any special occasion. Towering four hundred feet above Jodhpur on a perpendicular cliff, the imposing red sand stone fort is one of the best-preserved forts in India and the ramparts of the fort offer the most enthralling view of Jodhpur City. The venue lends rustic charm to the entire evening. We have been privy to panache when it comes to organizing International and Indian events, weddings, birthday celebrations and other gaiety celebrations.
All Photographs Courtesy: Umaid Bhawan Palace
