Sujan Jawai is located in the middle of the wilderness, surrounded by a private forest.
Sujan Jawai in Rajasthan has been named one of the world's top 50 hotels. Situated in Rajasthan's Pali, an area popular for leopard sightings, it is the only Indian hotel to make the prestigious list and is ranked 43rd. The hotel received an award from 'The World's 50 Best Hotels' at Guildhall, London.
On receiving the award, the hotel's owner Jaisal Singh told NDTV, “It is a huge honour for us to receive this award. We are delighted and our teams are delighted. We have worked very hard to take Sujan to this level over the last few years. We believe in celebrating the best of India, our culture, our nature and making a positive impact in the areas where we operate. We are very happy that this is now being celebrated and recognised and that it has brought us into the top 50 hotels in the world. We are very happy.”
Jaisal Singh, who founded Sujan Jawai in 2013 with his wife Anjali, said his vision for Sujan was to create a groundbreaking model for conservation tourism that would benefit wildlife and local communities, not just a fancy and luxurious safari camp. Mr Singh, who is himself a passionate wildlife enthusiast and photographer, added that the idea was to combine the best of Indian hospitality with a vision to protect India’s wildlife.
Situated in the middle of the wilderness, surrounded by a private forest, Sujan Jawai takes its name from the seasonal Jawai River that flows through the landscape where the hotel is located. The hotel offers luxurious stays in opulent tents and also offers experiences such as exploring the wildlife and rich biodiversity of the area, accompanied by skilled naturalists, field guides and trackers. Guests at Sujan Jawai can take excursions to the adjacent Jawai Leopard Sanctuary and the Jawai Dam, which is home to several migratory birds and crocodiles.
What really sets Sujan Jawai apart is the genuine effort the group makes to promote sustainable tourism and support local communities in the area. The owners of the hotel also run a property in Ranthambore. Proceeds from both properties go towards helping local communities who in turn play a vital role in the conservation of native wildlife and natural habitats.
Sujan Jawai also runs a mobile medical service for primary health care. They have adopted 10 schools in the area to improve education for 5,000 children. The hoteliers run wildlife restoration programs, focusing on bringing back wilderness to agricultural areas so that biodiversity can flourish.
The “World's 50 Best Hotels” are chosen based on feedback from anonymous voters around the world. The voters include travel journalists, hoteliers and experienced travel specialists. A total of 600 voters compiled the list of “World's 50 Best Hotels”.
Other hotels on the list include Capella Bangkok, which takes first place, Cheval Blanc in Paris, Raffles Singapore, Aman Tokyo, The Lana in Dubai and le Bristol in Paris.
