The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to invite private players for the repair, restoration and management of Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel. A long-awaited decision, it raises hopes that this grand heritage structure may finally receive the care it deserves.

Many Mysureans feared that by the time our Government finally decides to completely lease or restore Lalitha Mahal Palace, it will no longer be worthy of restoration and instead may need reconstruction.

This fear is not unfounded, considering what has happened to a couple of heritage structures in Mysuru after the Government waited too long — they collapsed.

In 2012, the 130-year-old Lansdowne Building collapsed. In 2016, a part of the 136-year-old Devaraja Market collapsed. In 2022, a portion of the 95-year-old Vani Vilas Market and a part of the 106-year-old Maharani’s College collapsed. We feared Lalitha Mahal Palace was next.

But will this new hope of restoration truly come to fruition? The wait has been on since 2000 when late Union Minister Arun Jaitley, then the Disinvestment Minister, wanted to give up Lalitha Mahal Palace, which came under ITDC (India Tourism Development Corporation). It didn’t happen.

Fifteen years later, in 2015, the then Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma said, “We believe it makes little sense to let these hotels run in perpetual losses.”  Still, ITDC didn’t    give it up.

Two years later, in 2017, the then State Tourism Minister R.V. Deshpande told the Karnataka Legislative Assembly that his Ministry would take back Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel.

 Then the State did get back Lalitha Mahal Palace and Mysureans thought we’d finally have an iconic five-star hotel worthy of a royal heritage city like ours.

But alas, it went to Jungle Lodges and Resorts, a State Government body that manages lodges in the jungles, as its name suggests. It had no experience running a luxury hotel or maintaining a heritage structure.

The Government assured us that it was a temporary arrangement and that a more experienced private hotel company would run it soon after the global tender was floated. It didn’t happen.

Now this Government has finally decided to act but the Government must choose wisely because Lalitha Mahal is no ordinary structure; it could change the fate of our city’s tourism potential.

Lalitha Mahal is not just a building; it’s an irreplaceable part of Mysuru’s identity. As the city’s second-largest royal palace, its revival holds immense potential for tourism and urban branding.

For tourists, staying in a heritage hotel transforms a trip into a journey through time, allowing them to savour the elegance of a bygone era, it’s an ‘immersive’ experience.

This unique blend of history and hospitality elevates a destination’s allure, attracting high-net-worth visitors and cultural enthusiasts.

From Jaipur’s Rambagh Palace Hotel to Hyderabad’s Falaknuma Palace Hotel, cities with well-maintained heritage hotels often enjoy enhanced global visibility.

A fully restored Lalitha Mahal Palace could do the same for Mysuru.

When the Taj Group took over Falaknuma Palace, they spent crores on restoration, transforming it from a crumbling structure into a glittering jewel of Indian heritage. It now serves as both a premier hotel and a symbol of Hyderabad’s rich history. Mysuru deserves no less for Lalitha Mahal Palace.

That is why the Government while calling for a global tender to lease Lalitha Mahal Palace, must strongly consider the company’s history and expertise in restoring heritage properties.

The Government must also pay attention to the company’s financial prowess because it costs a lot of money to restore and renovate a Palace. Just consideration of the financial returns to the Government would be myopic.

When a financially and professionally strong hotel group takes it over, such as Taj, Oberoi or ITC, they will create not only our city’s first proper five-star hotel but also sell our city to high-net-worth tourists. This, while making the hotel itself a tourist attraction. 

For nearly 50 years, Lalitha Mahal Palace has been waiting for its renaissance and if anyone can break the cycle of inaction in restoring Lalitha Mahal Palace, it has to be Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Known for driving projects to completion — be it Mysuru’s concrete roads, new Government Colleges, or a modern District Hospital — he has a track record of taking initiatives to their logical end.

Let’s hope Siddaramaiah and his Government will succeed where others have failed.

Restoring Lalitha Mahal Palace would not only cement his legacy but also revitalise Mysuru’s claim as a royal heritage city.

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