Bureaucratic workarounds
As a species, we are smitten with wanderlust. Springing out of Africa, Homo sapiens spread their tentacles far and wide. No wonder, therefore, that a 'foreign' trip is a dream come true for a large number of Indian middle-class young couples. The unbearable heat of the Indian warm weather and the summer vacations of the children provide a conducive environment for planning the getaway. The enticing advertisements of various travel agencies, vying with each other, make it easier for the customers.
Watching neighbours, friends and relatives going off to salubrious climes only adds fuel to fire. The response is graded and well calibrated. First come the sundry hill stations, particularly those of Uttar Pradesh (now Uttarakhand) and Himachal Pradesh; then Kashmir and ultimately the foreign stations, the more distant and exotic (Fiji, Peru) the better. 'Oh, to be in England, when the summer is here,' is the motto.
The excitement begins with the very idea of making the trip. It rises in a crescendo by the time the person is seated in the aeroplane. Thereafter, it is all smooth flying. The hassles of booking the ticket, getting the passport, visa and foreign exchange are all forgotten as the plane takes off. On return, the episodes of the 'trip', some real and others imaginary, are narrated to relatives and friends with great elan and are heard with great admiration by most and green envy by a few others.
If, however, the person is a government servant on an official trip abroad, he doesn't have to bother much except to make sure of his passport and the boarding pass. But there is a catch. If the accommodation at the destination is provided by the Indian Embassy, the daily allowance (per diem) disbursed to the government servant there is reduced to 25%. On a usually short trip of a couple of days in the 1970s-1980s, it came to a measly 15-20 dollars per day even in big cities such as Washington, London and Geneva. It was not enough to buy any worthwhile gifts for the eagerly awaiting family and friends back home, after taking care of the daily needs of the place visited. If the government servant had a good friend in the embassy, he could inveigle him into giving him a bottle of Scotch at a price somewhat lower than in the duty-free shops. However, most of the time, he carried back some knick-knacks including dinky cars and chocolates, not to speak of undergarments bought at a departmental store sale. On some other occasions, as one of the travel agency's advertisement shows, they distributed the complimentary items given to them by the airlines during the flight.
Claiming the full daily allowance and arranging accommodation in a hotel by oneself was not a viable alternative. The embassies were able to arrange the hotel accommodation at the cheaper rate because of their contacts in the local hospitality industry. Some ingenious members of the civil services found a clever way out. They would locate a long-forgotten relative or friend at the place of their visit and park themselves at his place, and claim the total daily allowance. This considerably increased the kitty for substantial purchases. In some cases, they would even cajole an officer in the embassy to allow them to stay with him or her for the short visit. But there had to be a quid pro quo. In the good old days, they carried a tin of panmasala, which was quite in favour then, as there was nothing much else that they could have carried from India to please the reluctant host.
But panmasala could go this far, but no further. As its ill effects on human health came to light, in due course it was replaced by snacks and savouries. For the more sophisticated gentry, it was replaced by Indian handicrafts.
In due course the unwilling hosts of the foreign service type got wise to it and found a way to get around it. They persuaded the External Affairs Ministry to make it mandatory for government servants on a foreign trip to stay in the accommodation arranged by the embassy for reasons of 'security'. Subsequently, to keep the visiting fellow happy too, the residual daily allowance, after making provision for accommodation, was also considerably increased.
vkagnihotri25@gmail.com
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Over the next two to three years, the plan is to double the portfolio by entering micromarkets in north, central, and south India, said cofounder Udit Kumar. Local Culture Focus 'We're not trying to standardise; we're trying to personalise, and we are looking to grow meaningfully while preserving our identity,' he said. Kumar said each Brij property is designed to evoke its surroundings—whether a mud-carved cottages at a former hunting lodge in Rajasthan or a 200-year-old Maratha palace in Varanasi. 'We're also deeply focused on curated local experiences—like aarti, forest walks with naturalists, cooking with local grandmothers, or participating in local traditions that aren't on any travel brochure.' Today's travellers are looking for more than just a place to stay, seeking experiences and stories that resonate long after their visit, said Vibhas Prasad, director of Leisure Hotels Group . While Leisure Hotels Group has tie-ups with chains such as Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) for its owned assets, it is also expanding in the boutique space organically through management contracts in locations such as Ranthambore. 'We are on the cusp of opening a boutique resort in Jaipur and are also actively exploring new opportunities across Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh,' Prasad added. Espire Hospitality , which owns Six Senses Fort Barwara, and runs mid-market resort chain Country Inn Hotels and Resorts, launched its boutique experiential brand Zana Luxury Resorts three years ago. "We have four Zana properties in Udaipur, Ranthambore, Rishikesh and Corbett currently and are planning six more Zana properties by the end of 2026 in locations such as Dubai, Nepal, Udaipur, Varanasi and North Goa,' said Akhil Arora, MD and CEo of the chain. 'We may double the number to 12 also considering the interest for the brand,' he said, adding the focus is on offering a distinct 'European look' and extending 'highly personalised service' to guests. Listing Ahead Meanwhile, boutique hospitality chain Larisa Hotels & Resorts is aiming to go public, director Randhir Narayan told ET in May. Its brands include Larisa Resorts, AM Hotel Kollection and 8fold by Larisa. The chain also does third-party hotel property management through its AM Hotel Kollection brand. 'The business is profitable, cash flow is there, and every month, we are trying to bring to the market a rebranded or a conversion hotel from our portfolio,' Narayan had said then. 'The plan is to (launch the) IPO and our timeframe is as soon as possible. We are hopeful that sometime this year it should come to fruition.' Competition has been intensifying in the boutique experiential segment after top hotels chains ventured into the space to capture changing consumer preferences since the pandemic. IHCL unveiled the SeleQtions brand, while Radisson rolled out Radisson Individuals, aimed at incorporating smaller independent hotels in its portfolio. ITC Hotels says its Storii brand is a collection of 'handpicked boutique' properties. "IHCL is very active in the boutique segment currently. Boutique brands work in offbeat locations and leisure oriented conventional markets and are characterised by limited inventory and personalised service," said Nandivardhan Jain, founder and chief executive of Noesis Capital Advisors. This March, IHCL said it will launch Claridges Collection, a curated set of boutique luxury hotels, across metros and key leisure destinations in the country with the aim to reach over 20 hotels by 2030. 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