The Oberoi Hotels & Resorts Rajgarh Palace in Khajuraho opened this year and it’s already on TIME’s World’s Greatest Places 2026 list.
A 350-year-old palace of the Bundela dynasty, meticulously restored across a 76-acre estate with a natural lake at its heart. It has 65 rooms and suites and private pool villas overlooking ancient Sal forests and the Vindhyachal mountains.
Guests glide across the palace lake by boat to reach the spa, tented treatment suites perched at the water’s edge, surrounded by forested hills and complete silence. It’s the kind of detail that reminds you why hospitality, done properly, is an art form.
But what strikes me most is the bigger picture. India is quietly, and then not so quietly, becoming one of the world’s most compelling luxury destinations. The Leela, The Oberoi, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, all either opening or expanding with serious intent. The properties are extraordinary, the hospitality philosophy is world-class and the cultural depth is unmatched. This isn’t emerging market positioning anymore, this is India taking its place at the very top of global luxury travel.
