Lalitha Mahal Palace to be under JLR management soon

The crowing glory of the hospitality sector in the city, the Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel, is all set to be handed over to the Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR), an initiative of the state government to promote tourism, especially eco-tourism. JLR closely functions with the Forest department and owns and runs several hotels and resorts in forests.

As the Union government has decided against the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) running hotels outside New Delhi, it has decided to return Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel to the state government. Recently, the state government has issued orders to entrust the management of the hotel to JLR.

As per the agreement entered by the ITDC with the state government, the hotel will be handed over to JLR before March 31. It has to be recalled that there was news that the hotel would be entrusted to private persons, supposedly to those related to the District in-charge Minister, earlier.

Lalitha Mahal Palace, which was inaugurated by the then maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar in 1921, had been leased to the ITDC by the state government. It was run as a five-star heritage hotel since 1974.

A living example of the culture and heritage of the erstwhile princely state of Mysuru, it was used by the Wadiyar kings of the Yadu dynasty to accommodate the royal guests and also for personal use. Important guests have been the Viceroys, Presidents and Prime Ministers of India and beyond.

Designed and planned by E W Fritchley, an architect from the Bombay Presidency, it was constructed by contractor B Munivenkatappa at a cost of Rs 13 lakh on 47 acres of land. The palace, in Renaissance style, reflects English manor houses and Italian Palazzos. The white palace is on an elevated plain, at the foot of the Chamundi Hill, set in terraced and landscaped gardens.

It is a two-storey composition of twin ionic columns, a projecting porch on the ground floor, spherical domes with lanterns and the central dome which dominates the elevation. It has immaculately polished venation marble floors, expensive carpets, ornate rosewood furniture and balustrade staircase.

The central hall is adorned with lifesize portraits of kings, lithographs portraying Tipu Sultan's skirmishes with the British, decorative motifs on the walls and ceiling, Belgian glass dome, carved wood shutters, wall panels and myriad touches of regal embellishment.

The accommodation consists of 54 stately suites and rooms. There are 30 deluxe rooms, three heritage rooms, six heritage classic rooms, two executive suites, two heritage classic suites, two standard rooms and five turret rooms. It includes a swimming pool, billiards room, tennis court, chess, jogging track and health club. The erstwhile ballroom was recreated as a gourmet restaurant.

General Manager of the hotel Joseph Mathias said, the procedure of handing over the property to the state government would be completed before March 31 and the officials of JLR have already visited for informal talks.

He said, all care has been taken to keep the heritage building in a good shape. "Recently, the ITDC engineers from New Delhi have reinforced the seven domes at a cost of around Rs 8 lakh," he said.