Mysuru: The Fernhills Palace, Ooty, has been adjudged the winner in the Best Suit category by the Outlook Traveller magazine.

Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, the owner of the hotel, speaking to Star of Mysore about the Boutique Award 2017 said, “I am delighted that we have been recognised for the award. This came as a very pleasant surprise to me, as a Deepavali gift, as we had never applied for the award nor was there any competition in this regard.”

She said that when she spoke to Outlook Traveller, they told her that the jury had come incognito to the hotel, stayed there, made all observations and then adjudged it under the Best Suite category.

“I am proud to tell that my husband late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar and I had worked very hard to do up the hotel. We had not borrowed any money and were able to build it up slowly from our own finances. It is very difficult to run a hotel in Ooty as the weather conditions are very harsh and the business is seasonal,” said Pramoda Devi Wadiyar.

The award was presented in Haridwar on Oct.23. “I could not personally go to receive the award as it was at such  short notice. Hence, I had sent my representative in Delhi to receive it,” she said.