Imperial Hotel, New Delhi to get a makeover

22 Nov 2023 CW Team

The Imperial, New Delhi, located at the heart of India?s bustling capital and a destination in its own right, is reinventing itself. To be sure, revamping a regular hotel would mean renovation. But the exercise at The Imperial doesn't fit that description.

?We don?t do that: We don?t do that at a historical hotel,? said Louis Sailer, senior executive vice president at The Imperial, New Delhi, and an expert in turning around global luxury hospitality brands.

?Our furniture is 90 years old. It is solid teak wood. This is refurbishment. When you stay with us, you know you?re in India. When guests come back in, they calm down. Guests cancel half a day?s sight-seeing just so that they can spend more time at the hotel,? said Sailer, who was named the senior executive vice president at the property last year.

Launched in 1936 as the first hotel of New Delhi and boasting a guest list spanning the who's who of politics and Hollywood, The Imperial, on the Janpath, is undergoing an ambitious ?refurbishment?.

Sailer has turned around global luxury hospitality brands and operations in Germany, Japan, Singapore, China, London, California and the Caribbean besides India. He spoke exclusively to ET.

"The Imperial is not just a place. It's a piece of history, with 85 Maharajas and Maharanis having stood at our Imperial lawn, that served as a meeting ground for Mahatma Gandhi. Our brand message is simple: While in India, please visit the Taj Mahal and stay at The Imperial,? he said. ?We have done so many changes in accommodation, food and beverage areas, grounds, and wellness areas, as well as our service philosophies. Tangible and intangible. Some you?ll see and some you?ll feel," he added.

Infrastructure Urban

11 Mar 2026

India Expands Semiconductor Training To 500 Institutions

Under the Chips to Startups programme of the India Semiconductor Mission, the Union minister responsible for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and IT reported notable progress in talent development. He indicated that over the past four years substantial steps have been taken towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. World-class EDA tools have been deployed in 315 academic institutions across the country to provide students with practical exposure to chip design. These EDA tools are supported by leading global firms and are accessible t..

Delhi Institutions Support India Semiconductor Mission

The Government of India has prioritised talent development through training, upskilling and workforce development under the Chips to Startups initiative of the India Semiconductor Mission, with officials noting progress in four years towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. Electronic design automation tools provided by Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, Renesas, Ansys and AMD have been deployed in 315 academic institutions, enabling students to gain practical chip design experience. Chips have been fabricated and tested at the Semiconductor Laboratory, Mohali, a..

NHA Announces Winners Of NHCX Hackathon At IIT Hyderabad

The National Health Authority (NHA) has concluded the NHCX Hackathon under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to stimulate innovation around the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX). The winning teams presented their solutions at the NHCX Innovation Meet held at IIT Hyderabad during a two-day event in March 2026 that also served as the hackathon grand finale. The hackathon itself ran from 22 to 28 February 2026 and aimed to accelerate paperless, transparent claims processing across India. The event was organised with a range of ecosystem partners, including the Insurance Regulatory a..