Rajasthan luxury hotel, Narlai, India
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
The most challenging environmental issues facing luxury hotels in Rajasthan is the lack of water and relatively excessive use of energy for AC, swimming pool and other gadgets.
At Narlai, investigations into solar power and solar water heating are underway, indeed the sister hotel in Jodhpur is now enjoying hot water only produced through solar energy.
Traditional rain water harvesting is the most sensible supply. Along with an ancient Stepwell, Narlai is engineering further wells which will provide a stock of water for the entire season. Failing this, the next option is to source water from extremely isolated lakes so that there is no price to pay for the local community.
Suppliers - local local local, in terms of transport the hotel always sources from as local as possible and we make use of the constant stream of vehicles running between the two major cities of Jodhpur and Udaipur.
All waste is either reused or recycled. Food waste is fed to our wild boar rescue enclosure. All recyclables, as is common practice in India, are sold on to traders. Some furniture, ornaments are all sourced from antique dealers in Jodhpur.
The family own some wilderness land roughly 1km from the hotel which acts as a wildlife sanctuary. With such proximity to the Kumbhalgarh Reserve, leopards and hyenas are some of the frequently spotted mammals, along with some rare and beautiful birds.
The historic buildings are by design effective in extreme heat and cold with 50cm thick walls. Plenty of little windows act as AC in the heat and when closed with curtains, do not allow the warm air to escape during the winter.
Community
Rawla Narlai is the palace of Narlai village, we have a long history of service to the community and it is a legacy that we will continue, mutually beneficial to all involved. The Maharaja and his family visit at least once a month, where all villagers are welcomed into the property temple and according to traditional ceremonies, discuss politics and village issues. The Maharaja himself visits family homes of those who are coming into marriage, a new member of the family or if one has had recently passed away. Along with this constant support to the community from the Maharaja himself, one of his cousins lives in the property and is always available for assistance within the village.
Our policy is to employ and train as many local staff as possible who take great pride and loyalty in working for the Royal family. All fresh fruits and vegetables are purchased in the village, along with provisions as much as is possible. Our international menus are created according to ingredients in season locally.
Joint government and hotel projects have been completed such as cleaning and improving roads, sanitation and waste. From donations from guests and generous funds from the family, an ambulance has been purchased for use in the village along with an incubator which has been a life saver to some new borns.
Narlai is now focusing on education and how we can take things forward for the schools within Narlai. Pride and patriotism are encouraged through the hotel village walks, where guests are advised to not take money or any donation, rather treat villagers as equals and accept their attitude of hosts to foreign guests in their country.
Guests are advised to only walk in the village with a local staff member from the property to ensure heckling does not become a regular activity. The village remains to be as authentic as any other, only one shop in town has changed it's stock according to foreign guests - a shoe maker! Among other initiatives, the managers offer an English school for community
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