HRH Group of Hotels

HRH Group of Hotels, also known as Historic Resort Hotels Pvt. Ltd., is an Indian hospitality group headquartered in Udaipur, Rajasthan. The group specializes in heritage accommodation created through the adaptive reuse of palaces, royal residences, island structures, hunting lodges, and other historically significant properties associated with the former Mewar and related princely traditions of Rajasthan. Its portfolio is presented as a combination of lodging, historic architecture, destination experiences, and the preservation of royal-era environments for tourism. The origins of the group’s hotel business predate the formal creation of the HRH brand. In 1959, Bhagwat Singh Mewar decided to convert Jag Niwas Palace, located on an island in Lake Pichola at Udaipur, into a luxury hotel. The property opened to guests in 1961 and helped establish Udaipur as a destination for luxury and heritage tourism. The initiative reflected a broader transition in post-independence India, in which former princely households sought new uses for palaces and estates after the abolition of privy purses and princely privileges. Arvind Singh Mewar formally established the HRH Group of Hotels in 1986, approximately fifteen years after those constitutional and financial changes affecting India’s former ruling families. The group subsequently developed a collection of palace and heritage properties in and around Udaipur and elsewhere in Rajasthan. The business model centered on retaining the architectural character and cultural associations of the buildings while operating them as commercial hotels and resorts. This approach distinguishes HRH from conventional hotel chains whose properties are generally purpose-built or standardized across markets. The group’s reported portfolio includes approximately ten hotels and resorts with about 600 rooms across Rajasthan. Named properties include Shiv Niwas Palace and Jagmandir Island Palace in Udaipur; Shikarbadi Hotel and Garden Hotel in Udaipur; Gajner Palace and Karni Bhawan Palace in Bikaner; and Fateh Bagh in Ranakpur. The properties serve different segments within heritage hospitality, ranging from palace accommodation and lake-based destination experiences to resort stays in historic or landscaped settings. HRH Group of Hotels describes itself as the only privately owned chain of heritage hotels and resorts. Its positioning is therefore closely tied to private ownership, royal heritage, architectural conservation, and destination-led hospitality rather than scale-driven international standardization. The group’s appeal rests on the perceived authenticity of its settings, the historical identity of its properties, and access to Rajasthan’s cultural and landscape attractions. Arvind Singh Mewar served as chairman and managing director until his death in 2025. During his tenure, Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar acted as executive director. Following Arvind Singh Mewar’s death, Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar became chairman and managing director. The group remains active, with its known operating footprint concentrated in Rajasthan.

HRH Group of Hotels emerged from the conversion of royal and historic properties in Rajasthan into commercial hospitality venues. Its earliest major precedent was Jag Niwas Palace in Udaipur. In 1959, Bhagwat Singh Mewar decided to transform the palace, situated on an island in Lake Pichola, into a luxury hotel. The property opened in 1961 and became an important part of Udaipur’s development as a destination for palace and heritage tourism. The business context changed significantly after India abolished privy purses and princely privileges in the early 1970s. Former princely families could no longer rely on the financial arrangements associated with their historical status and increasingly had to identify sustainable uses for palaces, estates, and other assets. Against this background, Arvind Singh Mewar established the HRH Group of Hotels in 1986. The organization brought several heritage properties into a group-level hospitality business, initially concentrating on five palaces in and around Udaipur. Rather than replacing historic buildings with standardized hotel construction, the group’s operating concept emphasized adaptive reuse. Palace architecture, royal associations, landscaped grounds, lake settings, and regional identity became part of the guest proposition. Over time, the portfolio expanded beyond Udaipur to include properties in other parts of Rajasthan, including Bikaner and Ranakpur. Its named hotels and resorts represent different forms of heritage accommodation, from palace residences and island destinations to former hunting-related estates and urban heritage hotels. The group is reported to manage ten hotels and resorts totaling approximately 600 rooms across Rajasthan. Its identity is based less on geographic scale than on ownership and authenticity: it presents itself as a privately owned chain of heritage hotels and resorts. This gives the brand a distinctive position within Indian hospitality, where palace hotels are both accommodation businesses and vehicles for maintaining, interpreting, and monetizing historic properties. Arvind Singh Mewar led the organization as chairman and managing director until his death in 2025. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar served as executive director during that period and subsequently assumed the roles of chairman and managing director. The group continues to operate as a Rajasthan-focused heritage hospitality business.

• 2025

  Leadership passes to Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar

  [1]HRH Group of Hotelsen.wikipedia.org

  After Arvind Singh Mewar’s death, Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar became chairman and managing director of the group.

• 1986

  HRH Group of Hotels established

  [1]HRH Group of Hotelsen.wikipedia.org

  Arvind Singh Mewar established HRH Group of Hotels, formalizing a privately owned heritage-hospitality business built around palace conversions.

• 1961

  Jag Niwas Palace opens as a hotel

  [1]HRH Group of Hotelsen.wikipedia.org

  Jag Niwas Palace opened to guests, helping introduce Udaipur’s palace and lake setting to the luxury tourism market.

• 1959

  Decision to convert Jag Niwas Palace

  [1]HRH Group of Hotelsen.wikipedia.org

  Bhagwat Singh Mewar decided to transform Jag Niwas Palace in Udaipur into a luxury hotel, establishing the foundation for the group’s later heritage-hotel model.

Privately owned heritage hospitality focused on palace hotels, historic architecture, royal associations, and culturally distinctive stays in Rajasthan.

• Palace hotel

  Shiv Niwas Palace

  A heritage palace hotel in Udaipur and one of the group’s principal luxury accommodation properties. Its positioning combines historic royal architecture with hotel services and access to Udaipur’s cultural and lake-oriented tourism environment.

• Island palace hotel and destination venue

  Jagmandir Island Palace

  A historic island property in Udaipur associated with Lake Pichola. The offering is built around the destination character of the island, palace architecture, and heritage-oriented hospitality rather than a standardized urban hotel format.

• Palace hotel

  Gajner Palace

  A heritage palace property in the Bikaner area. It extends the group’s palace-hotel model beyond Udaipur and offers accommodation within a historically significant setting associated with Rajasthan’s former royal landscape.

• Heritage hotel

  Shikarbadi Hotel

  A Udaipur heritage accommodation property included in the group’s portfolio. Its identity reflects the use of historic or traditionally associated estates as hospitality destinations, with an emphasis on regional character and a quieter resort-like experience.

• Heritage hotel

  Garden Hotel

  A Udaipur hotel within the HRH portfolio. It forms part of the group’s broader range of heritage accommodation, complementing its palace and island properties with a city-based lodging option tied to the destination’s historical identity.

• Heritage resort

  Fateh Bagh

  A heritage resort in Ranakpur, Rajasthan. The property represents the group’s expansion into destination settings outside the principal Udaipur cluster and links accommodation with the cultural and landscape attractions of the Ranakpur region.

• Palace hotel

  Karni Bhawan Palace

  A palace-style heritage hotel in Bikaner. It contributes to the group’s Rajasthan-wide portfolio by offering accommodation in a historically themed setting rather than a conventional contemporary hotel environment.

• 1986

  Establish a private heritage-hotel groupStrategy

  Background

  The creation of the group followed the post-princely transition in India, when former royal households increasingly developed commercial uses for historic properties.

  Action taken

  Arvind Singh Mewar established HRH Group of Hotels and organized palace properties into a hospitality business.

  Aftermath

  The group developed a portfolio of privately owned heritage hotels and resorts across Rajasthan.

  Source

• 1959

  Convert Jag Niwas Palace into a luxury hotelStrategy

  Background

  Bhagwat Singh Mewar sought to create a commercial use for a royal palace while attracting visitors to Udaipur.

  Action taken

  The palace was adapted for luxury accommodation and opened in 1961.

  Aftermath

  The project became an early foundation for Udaipur’s palace-hotel and heritage-tourism identity.

  Source

1. 1HRH Group of Hotelsen.wikipedia.org