Indian hospitality has once again earned international acclaim. The World’s 50 Best Hotels has released its extended ranking for positions 51 to 100, and two luxury properties from Rajasthan have secured places on the prestigious list. Leading the Indian presence is The Johri in Jaipur, a carefully restored 19th-century haveli that ranks at number 94. Completing the recognition is The Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur, which appears at number 98.
This extended list forms part of the broader World’s 50 Best Hotels programme, which evaluates properties on design, guest experience, cultural authenticity, service excellence and overall sense of place. The full top-50 ranking is scheduled for announcement later, yet the 51-100 segment already highlights a diverse range of outstanding hotels across continents. Asia features strongly, and India’s two entries both come from Rajasthan, underscoring the state’s enduring strength in luxury hospitality rooted in heritage.
The Johri: Heritage Reimagined in the Heart of Jaipur
Located in the bustling Johri Bazaar, Jaipur’s historic jewellers’ market, The Johri occupies a building once known as Lal Haveli. Constructed in the 19th century, the haveli carries significant historical weight. It served as an important centre during the pre-independence period and the Indian Freedom Movement. Today the structure has been thoughtfully transformed into an intimate boutique hotel that preserves its architectural character while offering refined contemporary comforts.
The property is deliberately small in scale. It features a limited number of suites, each named after a gemstone and designed with a corresponding colour palette and aesthetic. Interiors combine antique furniture, local textiles, hand-painted elements and craftsmanship that reflects Rajasthan’s artistic traditions. Guests experience the rhythm of the old city just beyond the walls while remaining in a calm, carefully curated environment. An inner courtyard and dining spaces focused on refined Indian vegetarian cuisine further define the atmosphere.
The Johri has already gathered notable recognition prior to this ranking. It received a Michelin Key for distinctive character, design and hospitality. Its consistent appearance on global lists demonstrates that intimate, heritage-focused properties can compete successfully with larger luxury resorts when they deliver authenticity and excellence.
A stay at The Johri places guests directly inside Jaipur’s living history. The surrounding bazaar, filled with jewellery workshops, textile traders and traditional commerce, becomes part of the experience. At the same time, the hotel itself functions as a quiet retreat where every detail of design and service has been considered with care.
The Oberoi Udaivilas: Grandeur on the Banks of Lake Pichola
Complementing The Johri on the list is The Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur, ranked at 98. This expansive luxury property occupies a substantial lakeside site and is widely regarded as one of India’s premier palace-style resorts. Inspired by Rajasthan’s royal architectural language, it features domes, courtyards, landscaped gardens, fountains and multiple dining venues.
Rooms and suites overlook either the lake or the gardens, offering guests a sense of scale and serenity. The resort includes a spa, swimming pool and extensive grounds that create a self-contained world of refined leisure. Its location on Lake Pichola places it within the classic visual and cultural landscape of Udaipur, often described as the City of Lakes.
The Oberoi Udaivilas represents a different expression of Rajasthani hospitality — one of grandeur, space and polished service. Its inclusion on the extended list affirms the continued international appeal of large-scale luxury properties that successfully blend heritage inspiration with modern standards of comfort and efficiency.
Why These Recognitions Matter
The appearance of two Rajasthan properties on the same global ranking carries broader significance. It reflects the depth of India’s luxury hospitality offering, which ranges from small, highly personalised heritage conversions to expansive palace resorts. Both models succeed when they remain true to place, prioritise guest experience and maintain high standards of design and service.
The World’s 50 Best Hotels programme draws on the votes of an academy of travel professionals, hotel experts and seasoned travellers. Rankings therefore represent collective professional judgement rather than purely commercial or promotional criteria. Inclusion signals that a property has impressed an informed international audience with its overall quality and distinctive character.
For Jaipur and Udaipur, the recognition reinforces their status as leading destinations for cultural and luxury travel. Visitors seeking authentic Rajasthani architecture, craftsmanship and atmosphere now have additional confirmation that both intimate and grand options meet the highest global benchmarks.
The Appeal of Heritage Boutique Stays
The Johri’s ranking is particularly noteworthy because of its scale. In an era when many luxury travellers value individuality and a sense of discovery, small properties with strong narratives and careful design often stand out. A restored 19th-century haveli in the middle of a historic market offers something that large resorts cannot replicate: the feeling of living inside the city’s architectural and social fabric.
Guests at such properties typically appreciate the quieter pace, the attention to local materials and the opportunity to engage more directly with the surrounding neighbourhood. The limited number of suites also supports a higher degree of personalised service. These qualities help explain why The Johri has resonated with both critics and travellers.
Looking Ahead
The extended list serves as a preview of the full World’s 50 Best Hotels ranking still to come. Regardless of final positions, the presence of The Johri and The Oberoi Udaivilas already highlights the strength of Indian luxury hospitality on the world stage. Rajasthan continues to demonstrate that its combination of architectural heritage, craftsmanship, landscape and service tradition remains compelling to a global audience.
For travellers planning journeys to India, these recognitions provide useful orientation. They point toward properties that have been evaluated against international peers and found to deliver exceptional experiences. Whether one prefers the intimate scale of a carefully restored haveli in Jaipur’s old city or the expansive lakeside grandeur of a palace resort in Udaipur, both options now carry the endorsement of one of the hospitality industry’s most closely watched rankings.
In celebrating these two properties, the list also celebrates the broader capacity of Indian hotels to combine history with contemporary excellence. A 19th-century haveli that once played a role in the freedom movement now welcomes international guests seeking beauty, comfort and cultural depth. That transformation itself forms part of the story that continues to earn global admiration.
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