Hotel
The Imperial New Delhi
A heritage luxury hotel on Janpath, welcoming guests since 1936, mixing Victorian, Art Deco and Lutyens styles with several restaurants, the 1911 Bar and a spa.
A palace-style luxury hotel in Chanakyapuri's Diplomatic Enclave, inspired by Lutyens' Delhi, with restaurants including Le Cirque, Megu and Jamavar.
Good to know
The Leela Palace is one of the most opulent of Delhi's luxury hotels, a palace-style building in the Diplomatic Enclave of Chanakyapuri, the leafy district of embassies and ambassadors' residences. Its design is meant to echo the grandeur of Lutyens' Delhi, combining that formal, monumental style with contemporary interiors, and the effect is one of polished, unapologetic luxury.
Accommodation ranges across fourteen room and suite categories, from the Grande Deluxe Room to the Grand Presidential Suite, and some suites have their own pool or plunge pool. The hotel is rated five stars, and the scale of its public spaces and the formality of its service are very much in the grand-hotel tradition.
The restaurants make the Leela a dining destination even for non-residents. Le Cirque serves Franco-Italian cuisine, Megu offers modern Japanese food in a dramatic setting, and Jamavar focuses on refined Indian cooking. The Qube is the all-day restaurant with an international menu. The Library Bar is an elegant place for a cocktail, and The Lobby Lounge serves afternoon tea and desserts. Megu's interior, in red and black with a crystal Buddha suspended over a pool of water, is one of the most striking dining rooms in the city.
Note that the hotel sometimes closes its facilities to non-residents for private events, as it did for several days in October 2026, so if you are planning to visit only for a meal, check the website or call first. Hotel guests are unaffected by such closures.
The Leela suits luxury travellers, couples on a special trip and business visitors with meetings in the diplomatic area. Its location is quieter than Connaught Place and convenient for the south and centre of the city: Lodhi Garden, Khan Market and the Qutub Minar are all reachable in a short drive. Rates are at the top end of the city's market, especially in the winter season.
Book directly through the hotel's website or by phone; the reservations address handles larger group bookings. Even if you stay elsewhere, a meal at Jamavar or a drink in the Library Bar gives a taste of the hotel's style.
In the Diplomatic Enclave, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.
It is inspired by the grandeur of Lutyens' Delhi, combined with contemporary styling.
It is a five-star hotel.
Le Cirque, Megu, Jamavar and The Qube, plus The Library Bar and The Lobby Lounge.
Yes, some suites have their own pool or plunge pool.
Fourteen room and suite categories, from Grande Deluxe Rooms to the Grand Presidential Suite.
Yes, except during occasional private events when facilities are closed to non-residents, so check first.
Bookings of ten rooms or more go through [email protected].
The embassies of Chanakyapuri, with Lodhi Garden and Khan Market a short drive away.
Thing to do
Old Delhi's main market street, laid out in 1650 by Jahanara Begum, lined with temples, a gurdwara and a mosque and branching into specialist bazaars and…
Restaurant
Chef Shantanu Mehrotra's modern Indian restaurant at The Lodhi, on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list since 2015, known for inventive tasting menus.
Attraction
Shah Jahan's red sandstone citadel, completed in 1648, with audience halls, palace pavilions, gardens and several museums inside a UNESCO-listed complex in Old Delhi.
Tour operator
A two-hour walk through Old Delhi led by young people who once lived on the city's streets, run by the Salaam Baalak Trust, which has supported…