A hotel for a new capital
The new city: New Delhi was designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker after the 1911 Durbar, and inaugurated in 1931.
The missing piece: the new capital had grand government buildings but no hotel to match. The Imperial was built to fill that gap.
- Opened
- 1936
- Opened by
- Lord Willingdon, Viceroy of India
- Named by
- Lady Willingdon, who also gave its lion emblem
- Built by
- S.B.S. Ranjit Singh
- The architect: F.B. Blomfield, an associate of Lutyens, designed it in a mix of Art Deco, Victorian and colonial styles.
- The builder: S.B.S. Ranjit Singh, son of R.B.S. Narain Singh, who had been honoured at the Coronation Durbar of 1911.
- The opening: the Viceroy, Lord Willingdon, opened it in 1936. Lady Willingdon chose the name and its lion emblem.
- Still a family hotel: it remains independently owned, rather than part of a large chain, which gives it a personality of its own.
History in the corridors
The hotel's own history holds that leaders of the independence years met here, among them Nehru, Gandhi, Jinnah and Lord Mountbatten, in the months before Independence and Partition. We tell it as the hotel tells it. Walking the long verandas, it is easy to imagine those conversations.
The art collection: the hotel is known for one of Delhi's largest collections of colonial-era prints, lithographs, maps, paintings and photographs of India.
- What to look for: views of Indian cities and monuments by British artists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, framed along the corridors.
- A museum feel: some of the collection is shown in dedicated gallery spaces. Ask the staff what is on view.
- The restoration: a long restoration from 1996 to 2001 brought the hotel back to its period look.
- The atmosphere: dark wood, polished floors, white colonnades and slow ceiling fans. It feels like the 1930s without being a museum piece.
What staying at The Imperial is like
The drive: a long, palm-lined approach from Janpath that sets the tone the moment you arrive.
The lawns: green, shaded gardens behind the hotel, rare in central Delhi.
- The building: three floors of white colonnades and long verandas around the gardens.
- The rooms: period-style decoration, with high ceilings and colonial furniture. Room styles vary, and we choose carefully.
- The pool: set in the gardens, the place for a jet-lagged afternoon.
- The spa: the hotel has a spa. We book treatments for you, and suggest one on the afternoon you arrive.
- The city outside: unlike the hotels in the south of the city, you can walk out of the gate to Connaught Place.
Choosing your room
For calm: a room facing the gardens, away from the noise of Janpath.
For a celebration: a suite, with space to spread out after a long flight.
- Room styles
- Several, from rooms to large suites
- Our usual ask
- A room facing the gardens
- Avoid if you can
- Rooms over the busiest road side
- Book ahead for
- October to March, and the wedding season
- For families: connecting or nearby rooms, which we request in advance.
- For one night: a room close to the lifts, if you are arriving late or leaving early.
- For light sleepers: we ask for a higher floor and a garden view.
- Our honest view: tell us what matters most, and we will say whether The Imperial or a hotel in the south of the city suits you better.
Dining at The Imperial
Spice Route: the hotel's long-established Asian restaurant, with richly decorated rooms and dishes from across South-East Asia.
1911: named after the year of the Delhi Durbar, for all-day dining and a bar of the same name.
- The Patiala Peg: the hotel's bar, named after the famously generous measure of whisky associated with the Maharajas of Patiala.
- Afternoon tea: a fine way to spend a jet-lagged afternoon on the verandas.
- Book ahead: for dinner at weekends and in the festive season, when Delhi families fill the tables.
- Restaurants change: venues and menus evolve, so we confirm what is open when we book your dinner.
- Old Delhi beyond: for the city's street food, our Old Delhi food walk and Delhi food guide show where we go.
Pool, spa and slow afternoons
The midday rule: sightsee early and late, and spend the hottest hours at the hotel.
The pool: in the gardens, shaded by trees.
- A treatment on arrival: after a long-haul flight, a massage on the first afternoon helps more than a nap.
- A verandah hour: tea, a newspaper and the sound of the garden.
- Walk the collection: on a rainy or hot afternoon, the corridors of old prints are an indoor museum.
Delhi from the Janpath side
Connaught Place, a walk away
- What it is: the white colonnaded circle at the heart of New Delhi, built in the 1930s.
- When: an evening walk, for coffee, books and people-watching.
Jantar Mantar, a short drive
- What it is: the eighteenth-century observatory of Sawai Jai Singh II, founder of Jaipur.
- Why: a preview of the larger observatory you will see in Jaipur.
Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, close by
- What it is: Delhi's best-known Sikh shrine, with a golden dome and a sacred tank.
- Why go: the langar, the free community kitchen that feeds thousands every day. Cover your head and remove your shoes.
Old Delhi and the Red Fort
- What it is: Shah Jahan's walled city, with the Red Fort and the lanes of Chandni Chowk.
- When: early, before the lanes fill. A cycle rickshaw through the bazaars is the classic way.
India Gate and Kartavya Path
- What it is: the war memorial arch and the great ceremonial avenue of Lutyens' Delhi.
- When: at dusk, when Delhi families come out for ice cream.
Humayun's Tomb and Qutub Minar
- What they are: the Mughal garden tomb that inspired the Taj, and the soaring minaret of the Delhi Sultans.
- How: a drive south. Read our guides to Humayun's Tomb and Qutub Minar.
A Delhi day from The Imperial
- More plans: our Delhi itinerary and Delhi in two days have longer versions.
Morning, Shah Jahan's city
Early: the Red Fort, then Chandni Chowk on foot and by cycle rickshaw.
- Mid-morning: the Jama Masjid, with a scarf for the head and shoulders.
- Breakfast in the lanes: parathas or jalebis, with our guide choosing where.
Afternoon, the garden
- Lunch: back at the hotel.
- Rest: the pool, a treatment, or tea on the verandas.
Evening, Lutyens' Delhi
Late afternoon: Humayun's Tomb in the soft light.
- Dusk: a drive down Kartavya Path past India Gate.
- Dinner: at the hotel, or a table we book in the city.
The city The Imperial was built for
Rashtrapati Bhavan: built as the Viceroy's House to Lutyens' design, now the home of the President of India.
The Secretariats: Herbert Baker's twin blocks on either side of Raisina Hill, in red and cream sandstone.
- Kartavya Path: the ceremonial avenue once called Rajpath, renamed in 2022, where the Republic Day parade passes each January.
- India Gate: Lutyens' memorial arch to the soldiers of the Indian Army who died in the First World War.
- Connaught Place: the colonnaded commercial circle of the 1930s, named after the Duke of Connaught, a short walk from the hotel.
- Indian details: look for chhatris, jaalis and Buddhist-style domes. Lutyens folded Indian forms into a classical plan, and you will see their originals in Rajasthan.
- Why it matters here: The Imperial was the hotel of this new city. Seeing Lutyens' Delhi first makes the hotel's story come alive.
Your first evening after a long flight
At the airport: our representative meets you at arrivals, with the car close by.
At the hotel: a quiet check-in and straight to your room, with the paperwork handled ahead.
- First hour: a shower, a pot of tea and the curtains open onto the garden.
- Late afternoon: a short walk on the lawns or around Connaught Place to reset your body clock.
- Early dinner: something light at the hotel, then bed by ten.
- Next morning: Old Delhi at dawn, when jet lag wakes you early anyway. It is the one time jet lag helps.
What most visitors miss
The early-morning garden: birdsong, gardeners at work and the city barely audible.
The prints by the lifts: some of the finest pieces of the collection hang in quiet corners, not just the main corridors.
- The bar's history: ask about the story behind the Patiala peg. Every bartender tells it a little differently.
- Janpath market: the stalls just outside sell textiles and trinkets. Bargain gently, and buy only what you love.
- Bangla Sahib at dawn: the tank, the prayers and the kitchen starting up for the day's langar.
Shopping from Janpath
Central Cottage Industries Emporium: the government crafts store on Janpath, with fixed prices and textiles, carpets and crafts from every state.
The state emporia: a row of state-run craft shops on Baba Kharak Singh Marg, each selling the work of its own region.
- Khan Market: a short drive south, for books, design shops and cafes.
- Dilli Haat: an open-air crafts market where artisans from across India sell from small stalls.
- Our rule: we never take you to commission shops. Our shopping guide explains why, and where we buy ourselves.
When to stay at The Imperial
October and November: warm days and clear evenings. Air quality can dip in November, so we plan more indoor time if needed.
December and January: cool, sometimes foggy mornings. Flights and drives can be delayed, so we keep a buffer.
- Best months
- October to March
- Foggy mornings
- December and January
- Hottest
- April to June
- Monsoon
- July to September
- Busiest
- The winter wedding and festive season
- February and March: lovely, with spring flowers in the city's gardens.
- April to June: very hot. The pool and the garden become the reason to stay here.
- The monsoon: green and humid, with sudden heavy rain. Plan sights early.
- Month by month: our guide to the best time to visit Delhi has more.
Who will love The Imperial, and who won't
History lovers: a hotel that opened with the new capital, with its past on every wall.
Old Delhi enthusiasts: the shortest drive of any grand hotel to the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk.
- Art lovers: the corridors are a gallery of colonial-era India.
- Walkers: Connaught Place and central New Delhi are on foot.
- Couples: a garden, a historic bar and a sense of occasion.
- You may not love it if: you want a quiet residential setting, a contemporary design or the shortest drive to the airport.
- Alternatives: for calm, The Oberoi, New Delhi. For grandeur, The Leela Palace, New Delhi. Our Delhi hotels guide compares them.
How The Imperial fits our journeys
The Royal Rajputana: our fifteen-night Royal Rajputana can start here before the drive to Jaipur.
The classic Golden Triangle: on our Golden Triangle, it suits guests who want Old Delhi at its best.
- Delhi, Jaipur and Agra in luxury: the five-night version can begin with two nights here.
- Break the road: on the way to Jaipur, a night at Neemrana Fort-Palace turns the drive into an arrival.
- Our role: we meet you at the airport, handle the transfer and brief you over tea on the first evening.
Getting to The Imperial
From the airport: about forty minutes late at night, longer in the day. We meet you at arrivals.
By train: New Delhi station is a short drive, for the fast trains to Jaipur and Agra.
- Airport
- Indira Gandhi International, about 40 minutes at night
- Daytime traffic
- Can double the drive
- Metro
- Rajiv Chowk and Janpath stations nearby
- To Jaipur
- Four to five hours by road
- To Jaipur: four to five hours by road, or a little over four by fast train.
- To Agra: about three to four hours by road on the expressway, or by fast train.
- Flights: our airports and flights guide explains how we time arrivals.
What we tell friends before they stay
Ask for a garden-facing room: it makes the biggest difference to your night.
Book dinner ahead: the restaurants are busy with Delhi families, especially at weekends.
- Dry days: on some national holidays, alcohol is not served. Our dry days guide explains.
- Dress for Old Delhi: cover shoulders and knees for mosques and temples, and bring a scarf.
- Keep an eye on the air: in November and December, check air quality and carry a mask if you are sensitive.
- Use the hotel car or ours: for evenings out, rather than hailing a taxi on Janpath.
- Ignore the touts: on Janpath, men may offer tours or claim a shop is closed. Smile, say no and walk on.
- Carry small notes: for rickshaws and tips in Old Delhi, where card payments are less reliable.