Luxury Hotels Atlas / The Maison / The Leela Palaces

The Leela Palaces hotels

Palace architecture frames Indian hospitality guided by the principle that the guest is God.

The Leela brings Indian hospitality, regional design, and a sense of occasion to palaces, city hotels, and resorts. Founded by Captain C. P. Krishnan Nair in 1986 and named for his wife, the collection draws on atithi devo bhava, the Sanskrit principle that “the guest is God.”

13 The Leela Palaces hotels in 1 country on the Luxury Hotels Atlas (6 not open yet), each placed on the six LHA Tiers.

• Owned by Schloss Bangalore (Brookfield)
• Worldwide: 13 properties with 3,544 keys across 11 Indian cities — comprising five owned, seven managed, and one franchised hotel, with a 10-property pipeline that will expand the portfolio to 23 properties and over 5,000 keys within three years, including the brand's first international venture in Dubai
• On the atlas: 6 Grand Luxury, 3 High Luxury, 4 Core Luxury

History

Captain Krishnan Nair entered hospitality after a career in the military and textiles. His ambition brought Indian palace references into hotels equipped for contemporary travel. That combination of regional design and attentive hosting became a continuous thread as The Leela developed beyond its first property.

Timeline

• 1922 — Capt. C. P. Krishnan Nair born in Kannur, Kerala.
• 1981 — Hotel Leelaventure Limited incorporated; land acquired near Sahar Village, Mumbai, adjacent to the newly opened Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
• 1986 — The Leela Mumbai opens, India's first luxury hotel at an international airport, founded on 11 acres by Capt. Nair at age 65 after decades in the garment export industry.
• 1991 — The Leela Goa opens on 75 acres at Mobor Beach, Cavelossim, South Goa, a 152-key resort drawing on Portuguese heritage and the Arabian Sea coastline.
• 2001 — The Leela Palace Bengaluru opens with 357 rooms; the design evokes the Mysore Palace and 13th-century Vijayanagara empire, set within seven acres of gardens; marks the group's entry into the modern palace-hotel format.
• 2008 — Marketing alliance signed with Swiss luxury chain Kempinski Hotels, branding select properties as "Leela Kempinski"; The Leela joins Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
• 2009 — The Leela Palace Udaipur opens on the banks of Lake Pichola, 88 keys, intimate and lakefront; The Leela Ambience Gurgaon opens as the group's first managed (non-owned) property.
• April 2011 — The Leela Palace New Delhi opens in the Diplomatic Enclave, the group's flagship, designed by Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart & Stewart (Atlanta); interiors by KNA USA; cost ₹1,700 crore (~₹6.53 crore per key), making it one of the most expensive hotels ever built in India at the time
• 2013 — The Leela Palace Chennai opens on Adyar Seaface, 326 keys, Chettinad-inspired design on 4.8 acres overlooking the Bay of Bengal.
• October 2013 — Kempinski alliance ends after approximately five years; properties rebrand to standalone "The Leela" identity
• 2015 — The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel Delhi (East Delhi, 480 rooms) brought under management, the group's second managed property.
• January 2019 — Brookfield Asset Management, JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Company, and bidding competitors emerge as the company faces severe debt obligations; ITC Group mounted a legal challenge to the process
• September 2019 — The legal challenge was dismissed; path cleared for Brookfield
• October 2019 — Brookfield acquisition closes, Schloss Bangalore acquires The Leela's flagship hotel properties and operations (New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Udaipur) for INR 3,950 crore; marks Brookfield's entry into India's hospitality market
• 2020 — The Leela named #1 World's Best Hotel Brand by Travel + Leisure USA readers, the first time an Indian hotel group reaches the top spot.
• 2021 — Three properties open simultaneously: The Leela Palace Jaipur (200 keys), The Leela Gandhinagar (318 keys, adjacent to GIFT City), and The Leela Bhartiya City Bengaluru (281 keys); Capt. C. P. Krishnan Nair passes away at age 92 (August 2021).
• 2021 — #1 World's Best Hotel Brand again, Travel + Leisure USA, for the second consecutive year.
• October 2022 — The Leela Goa rebadges → The St. Regis Goa Resort under Marriott International / Ceres Hotels; the 152-key property was sold to a separate owner and converted on October 6, 2022
• 2023 & 2024 — Ranked #3 World's Best Hotel Brand, Travel + Leisure USA, for two consecutive years.
• November 2024 — The Leela Hyderabad opens, 156 keys in Banjara Hills; The Leela's entry into Hyderabad, India's technology capital
• May–June 2025 — Schloss Bangalore completes ₹35,000 million capital raise, India's largest-ever hospitality capital raise, oversubscribed 4.7x; post-raise net debt reduced 91% to ₹2,275 million (0.3× LTM EBITDA); CRISIL upgrades credit rating to AA (Stable)
• 2025 — Best Hotel Group in India for the sixth consecutive year, Travel + Leisure India & South Asia Best Awards.

The houses to know

1. The Leela Palace New Delhi, New Delhi, India — The hotel brings the brand’s palace style to New Delhi’s Diplomatic Enclave.
2. The Leela Palace Chennai, Chennai, India — The 326-room palace-style hotel occupies 4.8 acres at Adyar Seaface, with the Bay of Bengal behind it.
3. The Leela Palace Jaipur, Jaipur, India — The 200-room hotel brings Rajputana palace architecture to the edge of Jaipur.
4. The Leela Palace Udaipur, Udaipur, India — The 88-room palace-style hotel stands on the banks of Lake Pichola.
5. The Leela Palace Bengaluru, Bengaluru, India — The Bengaluru hotel brings the Leela palace tradition to an urban stay.
6. The Leela Kovalam, A Raviz Hotel, Kovalam, India — The 188-room resort stands on a promontory above Kovalam Beach and the Arabian Sea.
7. The Leela Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India — The brand's newest city entry, 156 keys in Banjara Hills, drawing on the Deccan Plateau's rich princely legacy.

Newest openings

• The Leela Hyderabad — Hyderabad, India — opened November 28, 2024 — 156-key urban hotel set on 2.5 acres in Banjara Hills, the city's storied affluent neighbourhood; design and culinary programming draw on Deccan Plateau heritage and the legacy of the Nizam courts; marks The Leela's entry into Hyderabad, one of India's fastest-growing tech and business hubs; restaurants span hyperlocal Deccan cuisine, progressive Asian, and Continental dining.

Opening next

• The Leela Palace Agra — Agra, India — expected ~2026 — confirmed; 99 keys, every room offering direct views of the Taj Mahal; restaurant and conferencing facilities planned; located within driving distance of New Delhi on the Golden Triangle circuit.
• The Leela Palace BKC (Mumbai) — Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai, India — expected ~2027 — confirmed; 250 rooms; The Leela won the MMRDA land bid (April 2025) for this mixed-use development; represents the brand's return to a full palace-format property in its founding city.
• The Leela Ayodhya — Ayodhya, India — expected ~2026–2027 — confirmed; 100 keys on five acres on the banks of the Sarayu River, within proximity of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple; spiritually oriented programming including sunrise rituals and sacred explorations.
• The Leela Ranthambore — Ranthambore, Rajasthan, India — expected ~2027 — announced; luxury wildlife retreat adjacent to Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, leveraging the state's three national parks and 26 sanctuaries.

Every The Leela Palaces hotel on the atlas

India

• The Leela Kovalam, A Raviz Hotel — Kovalam · Grand Luxury
• The Leela Palace Bengaluru — Bengaluru · Grand Luxury
• The Leela Palace Chennai — Chennai · Grand Luxury
• The Leela Palace Jaipur — Jaipur · Grand Luxury
• The Leela Palace New Delhi — New Delhi · Grand Luxury
• The Leela Palace Udaipur — Udaipur · Grand Luxury
• The Leela Hyderabad — Hyderabad · High Luxury
• The Leela Palace Agra — Agra · High Luxury · Opening soon
• The Leela Palace BKC, Mumbai — Mumbai · High Luxury · Opening soon
• The Leela Ayodhya — Ayodhya · Core Luxury · Opening soon
• The Leela Jaisalmer, A Luxury Desert Resort and Spa — Jaisalmer · Core Luxury · Opening soon
• The Leela Ranthambore — Ranthambore · Core Luxury · Opening soon
• The Leela Srinagar — Srinagar · Core Luxury · Opening soon

Open The Maison in the atlas for The Leela Palaces's full dossier, with prices and maps.

Every house in The Maison

How the six LHA Tiers work