With summer being at its harshest, it’s time to head to the idyllic hill resort of Darjeeling. In today’s times, high-end tourists making a dash to the Darjeeling Hills need no introduction of Cedar Inn on Jalapahar Road in the vicinity of St Paul’s School. A creation of New Delhi-based Yangdu Estates Private Limited, the luxury set-up took shape sometime in 1999. Looking back, it has been in the hospitality industry for 18 years and has emerged as a reputed hotel. In current times, based on ratings on tripadvisor.in, the four-star haunt is the leading luxury hospitality brand in the hill resort.

The hospitality group is a complete service player. Sanjay Nangia, general manager, Cedar Inn said, “Being into the hospitality and accommodation category, our group provides a wide array of luxury accommodations to a broad spectrum of global and domestic tourists.”

The hospitality player has forged tie-ups with online travel groups and works in close association with various travel companies. There is Terrace Garden, a multi-cuisine food outlet and The Bar of Paradise, a fullyequipped bar in the hotel. There is a recreation corner for children and a library as well. So what sets apart the luxury haunt from other high-end hotels in the hill resort? Nangia said, “The building of our hotel has been designed in a way that all our rooms provide grand views of the majestic Kanchenjunga. The quality of food served and the standard of service on offer are our unique selling points and we go the extra mile for our guests. Our hotel is the only luxury property at the highest point in the Darjeeling Hills.”

The hospitality group has some ambitious plans to expand in the eastern Himalayas in the coming years. Nangia said, “We have plans at the back of our mind to spread our presence as the best luxury hospitality player in Darjeeling with a personal touch on the accommodation of each of our valued customers. We are looking at options to foray into Gangtok in the 2018-19 fiscal. Our market survey is on and we are likely to make our footprints in Chalsa sometime in 2019.”

The hospitality player has been the recipient of a Certificate of Excellence last year. There are meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibition groups — going by the acronym Mice in the tourism industry — zipping into the hotel. Nangia added, “We entice the movement of Mice guests during the off-tourist season since more number of rooms are on offer. We target both Mice and corporate groups for meets and parties during the lean tourist season when the room rates are low with the best of services on offer. We are looking to tap into clients from the hustle and bustle of city life, who can spend some quality time in the greenery of nature. The global tourist footfall in our hotel has been 40 per cent while the domestic tourists count stood around 60 per cent last year. We plan to sustain the same figure in the current year.”