A decade ago, experiences were luxury territory. Five-star properties offered stargazing sessions and cultural tours. Mid-market hotels offered clean rooms and breakfast.
That line has disappeared. For most Indians now, it’s not just about where they’re going. It’s about what they expect when they get there.
Take stargazing. National Geographic says six out of ten travelers globally are planning trips specifically for stargazing in 2026. Hotels in Ladakh and Rajasthan are adding astronomy decks. Properties in Jim Corbett are hiring local guides for night sky tours. And this isn’t luxury tourism. This is regular Indians asking their three-star hotel for exactly these experiences.
Or take food trail tourism. According to the Godrej Food Trends Report 2026, the traditional, generic hotel breakfast buffet is being replaced by a cultural ritual focusing on hyper-local, “pincode-specific” ingredients and ancestral recipes. The shift prioritises authentic, storytelling-driven dining that anchors guests to their destination. Global menus are giving way to Varanasi’s malaiyo, Vrindavan’s kachori jalebi, or Srinagar’s bakerkhani.
You can see hotels responding to this in different ways. Sarovar, for instance, is taking it forward with Culinary Carvaan, a travelling chef-led series across select properties that brings India’s hyperlocal cuisines, from the Wazwan to Chettinad, into hotel dining as lived stories rather than just menu items.
And this is the larger point. No matter the ADR, the expectation from customers for such experiences has been “for-everyone-ized”.
Which is why we also started building these experience partnerships a few years ago. Our Jim Corbett property offers stargazing sessions. Our Vrindavan hotel helps guests navigate local temple visits. Different destinations, different experiences, but the same insight.
I feel this shift is permanent. The guest has moved from passive to participatory. The room is just the base camp now. The experience is the destination.
The man in the cartoon has got it spot on. “Room is fine. What about local immersions?”
What do you think?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jatin Khanna is an ccomplished leader in Hospitality management with more than 2 decades of extensive experience in managing hotel operations and operational excellence.
