The LaLiT Mangar: A Perfect Antidote to the City Blues

A getaway at The LaLiT Mangar can be a perfect antidote to the city blues. It immerses you in the sea of quietness, almost urging you to think, reflect, contemplate. And unwind, as you spend moments in the lap of nature — the rolling Aravallis hill range, clear air, open sky. The elegant and luxe property derives its name from the Mangar village in Faridabad where it is located. It underwent a complete overhaul in the midst of the pandemic. Initially, it was offering rooms to vacationers until people started calling to book the entire property for two-three days of weddings and nightovers for birthdays, anniversaries and corporate retreats. 

The LaLiT Mangar, spread over an area of about 677 acres, has a contemporary yet classy look. It is frequented by travellers from Delhi NCR and other parts of India for staycations. Overlooking the remnants of the Aravalli Mountains, with the Mangar village sprawling down the hill, the hotel is surrounded by dense forest, which lends it a quiet and peaceful ambiance. Its premises is lined with moderate-size plumeria trees of almost all colours on both sides. It adds beauty and the green quotient to the property. The full-grown plumeria trees are in shades of pink, red, maroon, peach, yellow and white. Mornings here are balmy in the winter sun. The sunsets and the nights are breathtaking, with a full view of the sky studded with the stars and the moon.  

Since the outbreak of the pandemic and the lockdowns, many companies have been encouraging their employees to work from home, but there are times when people want to move out and meet people in person. Besides and leisure travellers, the year 2021 saw a lot of business travellers flocking to the hotel for in-person conferences and meetings after working remotely for months. The initial paranoia has been replaced by caution and confidence: most people who are travelling are already vaccinated. Corporates also do a lot of team-building activities here — trekking, group lunches, etc. They mostly book the property for overnight stays, but these days they have also started organizing day-long trips — starting with breakfast, having informal meetings and wrapping up after the special evening tea. Mostly these corporate meetings are casual, but there are also others that take place in a more setup. 

 

Most of those who come to The LaLiT Mangar visit the property to experience the “sound of silence” and to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, says Rahul Dhar, General Manager of the LaLiT Mangar, over coffee after we check in a little before noon. The period between October to March spells good business time for the hotel and post-Covid, it has only gotten better, says Dhar.  A beautiful location to organize private parties, especially during winters, the hotel has been a huge favourite with those planning weddings. “Our market visibility and feedback has been excellent. Everybody has been appreciating our work. Whoever has done a wedding here has gone back with good memories and that has transpired into more business by word-of-mouth publicity,” says Dhar. 

A wedding in a luxury, experiential hotel, away from the rush and traffic snarls of the city, is a dream come true for many couples and their families. When you see the Aravallis in the backdrop of a wedding in a Delhi-NCR hotel, it's an unbelievable sight at first. Most guests have been posting photos and videos of the property on Instagram and that has further generated a lot of curiosity among people about the hotel and its location, says says Dhar. When it is booked for weddings, it is decked up according to different tastes and aesthetics of the guests. The decor is festive and fancy according to the clients’ needs and preferences. “There are several vendors empanelled with us and their work has been hugely appreciated,” says Dhar. 

 

The quest of the team at the LaLiT Mangar is to “create experience” and so they try to curate individual need-based experience for their clients. Sometimes, rather than offering a package, they ask their guests about their needs and preferences and accordingly curate and create an exclusive package around it. “Creating a personalised experience — whether for weddings, corporates or individuals — is always beneficial and goes a long way in satisfying the guests’ needs,” says Dhar.      

 

                                                                 

One more segment that has worked really well for the hotel is the bikers and the cyclists. People have taken to cycling during the lockdown. The entire stretch from the main highway to the hotel is about 4.5 km; it's a beautiful green zone with a smooth road that suits the bikers and the cyclists. There are days when about 80-100 bikers and cyclists just ride in for breakfast and short breaks, making the hotel one of their pit stops. At other times, even smaller groups just drop in for breakfasts — a group of 15-20 bikers, who drive high-end bikes, like Harley-Davidson, drop by for short rejuvenating breaks.

The rooms at The LaLiT Mangar, spread over 458 sqft, are divided into three segments — the Garden View, the Terrace View and the Valley View. What differentiates the rooms is the view: the Garden View rooms have a small sit-out area while Valley View and Terrace View rooms are at an elevation and have a balcony overlooking the terrace and the valley, respectively. Star-gazing and pottery-making are some of the in-house activities for the guests.

There are two presidential suites where one has a bigger garden space than the other. Both are high-end with a small entrance area, a garden view, bath-cum-dressing area, bedroom on one end, a separate living-cum-dining area on the other end, a kitchen that leads to a servant's bed, plus bath area. You can rent out a suite room to party with a small group of friends on weekends. 

Working at the LaLiT Mangar has been both an experience and a challenge for Dhar. “Earlier, I had been with a business hotel in Mumbai, which was always bustling. Moving to a resort property is something I wanted to experience and I’m glad I made this shift; it’s working well for me,” he said. The best part of the property is that even when the occupancy is full, there is still a lot of space for the 60-70 odd guests to move around, maintaining social distancing. While here, you can visit the Bani Temple via the forest and lake or trek to the village tribal museum, a treasure trove of jewelleries and other artefacts. The capture rate at its Alfresco restaurant for lunches and dinners is 100 per cent because there is no place to venture out to for meals. 

The place has its own microclimate. Winters are a bit colder than other parts of Delhi and, therefore, August to March is a good time to plan staycations here. For its outdoor events in the evenings during extreme winters, the hotel has traditional braziers and heaters arranged for space-heating. You can ring in the New Year here at Rs 12,500 (for two) on December 31, 2021 and January 1, 2022.