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Business Standard

Relais & Châteaux adds Jaipur's Sarvato, eyes growth in new states

French luxury hotel association Relais & Châteaux added 52-seater Sarvato restaurant at City Place, Jaipur as its newest member from India. The association which is a collection of individually owned boutique properties often equated to the Michelin star guide of restaurants, presently has seven other properties under its umbrella in the country, underscoring the exclusivity and rigorous criterion required for a property to become part of the elite association. 'We are very picky and have high standards that we want our members to adhere to. I believe that details – like the thickness of paper, the placement of a switch – are what creates emotion in a customer and hence quality,' Laurent Gardinier, president, Relais & Châteaux told Business Standard in an exclusive interaction. Sarvato champions slow cooking and remains open only from September to April every year. The ultra-luxury boutique restaurant has been added after an extensive, year-long survey which the association undertook in India to identify potential additions to the over 70 year old association, which includes only over 600 properties worldwide. 'Luxury is not about serving world cuisine like spaghetti Bolognese and hamburgers to guests, but about being able to create an emotion through an authentic, local experience where they are staying,' he added. Gardinier, who was in India on a two-day trip, said the network is evaluating properties to add to its Indian portfolio. 'There has been a big explosion of the Indian market in terms of a destination, and we also see now that it's a little bit easier to come to India—like the visa process easing considerably, and modernisation in infrastructure. So, we have identified 40 properties in the country that could potentially become part of the network,' he said. According to Gardinier, for a property to qualify, it must have a heritage connection, around 40–50 rooms, be located at a desirable site, and offer a fine gastronomic experience. The Relais & Châteaux designation is a prestigious accolade for independent hoteliers and restaurateurs worldwide. The association has also identified underrepresented states such as Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan as priorities for expansion. With most individual members aged around 45, Relais & Châteaux reported a cumulative sales volume of €3.2 billion in 2024, up 8 per cent from 2023. Of this, 42.1 per cent came from food and beverage activity, nearly matching the 49 per cent generated by hotel rooms. In India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, however, hotel rooms represent a larger share of sales—52 per cent in 2024—while food and beverage accounts for only 33 per cent. It is this gastronomic gap that the association now aims to address. Sarvato becomes the eighth Relais & Châteaux property in India, joining Suján Sher Bagh near Ranthambore National Park, which captures the spirit of a 1920s safari; The Malabar House, an art hotel in Cochin that celebrates Kerala's cultural history as a passage between East and West; and Masque, a Mumbai-based restaurant that blends heritage and innovation, among others. Among destinations gaining traction, 82 per cent of travel activity by Indian, Thai, and Sri Lankan clients is concentrated in Europe—most notably in France (28 per cent), Italy (23 per cent), Switzerland (9 per cent), and the UK (6 per cent).