Converting or refurbing a heritage property is as much a labour of love as it is a business proposition. So how do you maintain the historic feel without neglecting the mod-cons?
With all their charm and history, heritage properties can hold a valuable premium over newer hotels. However, not only does this premium come at a cost, but old buildings pose unique challenges. Many have lost their structural drawings over the years and most skilled labour has little or no experience of working with traditional substances like lime.
Retrofitting utility systems in old buildings usually requires innovation and non-standard designs, and this plays havoc with project timelines. Most importantly, restoration needs to be done by people who appreciate the history and culture of the place, and understand the need to balance old-world charm with the best in modern conveniences.
So what should a propsective investor know before he goes into the restructuring and remodeling of these old sites?
In most cases the building itself needs support to stand, and the crumbling walls need steel re-enforcements. Says Arindam Kunar, general manager, Taj West End: “We have tried to not make any major changes, although we have indeed strengthened the structure of all our building blocks.”
The Taj West End, as it is now known, first opened its doors in the year 1887, and was taken over by the Taj Group in the 1970s.
Aman Nath and Francis Wacziarg bought a dilapidated 15th century fort, Neemrana, in Rajasthan, for Rs7 lakhs, and five years later it opened as a heritage hotel with 12 rooms. Today they manage 20 properties, six owned by them and the rest are leased.
“They wanted to save heritage buildings by making them viable and self-sustaining. The scale of the restoration of Neemrana Fort-Palace led us quite naturally into hospitality,” says Kulbhushan Bhatt, general manager, Neemrana Resort.
More recently, Ravi Shankar, managing director, Anantara Hotels and Resorts, took over the early 19th century Chandra Mahal haveli, in Bharatpur, and is converting it with all the trappings of luxury. Anantara is also working on another old haveli on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi, trying to keep its beautiful elevation and air of sanctity intact.
Says Sandeep Subhash, who worked on Chandra Mahal haveli, as well as the Neemrana site: “My primary idea, as an architect, is to maintain the original heritage character of the place. If the original structure of the place is not good, support is required for making it strong enough for modernising it, or making it usable at all.”
There are, however, some issues that need instant resolution. “Termite treatment is necessary in most places, and most old buildings have seepage, hence there is moisture retention in walls. That has to be remedied before we can do anything else with the wall,” says Subhash.
Kunar agrees: “While doing the extensive renovation, we have addressed some incessant problems that come up in any old building – like leakages and seepage largely due to the lime construction.
We have replaced all water pipelines, as well as electrical fittings and fixtures. One interesting thing though, is that we have recreated the electrical fittings of yore while replacing them. In most cases, if we want to retain the walls, we keep the wooden reapers intact and utilise them to make the wiring lines.”
Similar uses are made for the cable lines, as internet and other connectivity is very easy nowadays.
As an architect, Subhash maintains that bathrooms and plumbing need to be new, since structurally, most old Indian homes did not have a concept of attached bathrooms. “The fact is that bathrooms in India date back about 150 years, from the colonial times.
We do have some fittings that can be used; there are almost always places for water drainage, but for plumbing shafts, we have to study the building well to see where we can accommodate the shafts.” Agrees Shankar: “The biggest challenge we face with heritage buildings is that of a lack of plumbing conveniences; most walls cannot be dug into for pipes and wires.”
Subhash further clarifies: “Air conditioning ducts actually require the most work. In many cases we cannot drill holes for these in walls, and then high-tech drills and cutting machines need to be used.
In one palace I was redoing, we had to use tube well technology; drilling from under the courtyard to get the air conditioning tube in, and the shaft ran just under the floor of the courtyard. I had to use a core cutting machine to get it in.”
Subhash also insists on not damaging anything original, simply to make way for a modern convenience. “If I have a good plaster, frescoed wall, like the one I did in a Shekhawati palace, I’d not want to spoil the frescos.
There, I’d rather have external wiring, on wooden strips, old style. If the walls are so damaged that they need to be rebuilt, done up or re-plastered, I can still manage to use concealed wiring.”
The 300 year old Fort Jadhavgadh, atop a hillock 22-kilometres from Pune city, has now been restored by the Kamat Hotels group. In its restructuring, it has used the base elements for a modern functionality.
The exterior facade of the fort has been untouched, with advantages of the structure used to their optimum, such as an existing, natural rain harvesting facility transformed into a swimming pool.
The dungeons of yore have been transformed into wine cellars, which ensure the best temperatures. “The concretisation was done on the barren land to make space for the hotel facilities, and also to ensure heat, light, and power facilities can be provided,” says Sanjib Mukherjee, general manager, Fort Jadhavgadh.
No piece of art comes free, and, while restoration has its rewards, it can be an expensive process. The Kamat group invested Rs52 crores for Jadhavgadh’s restoration.
Shankar shares his estimate: “For an old place, I would put the investment at about Rs3,500-4,500 per square foot of restored area. Sometimes, special equipment may be required, like a special drill or cutting machine, and that will hike the cost. Some old palaces can go as high as Rs5,500 per square foot.
This is about 40% higher than an ordinary hotel cost. But then, of course, the rooms there come at a premium, whereas mine will be placed at about Rs8,000-9,000. Even if we need to add the swimming pool, it will be a workable cost, say about Rs7-7.5 crores for a 15-17 room place.”
Kunar works on the relativity theory – investment is directly proportionate to style. “Investment is relative to the style, elegance and the positioning of the hotel that one wants to achieve.
At the Taj, financial resources are never a problem. While there is no compromise on the structural and basic layout of the heritage building, the interiors are lavish, creative and contemporary.
We thus retain the old world charm of the hotel and yet, create rooms and public areas which are the best and most technologically advanced.
Elements like 42-inch plasma TV, wi-fi and wired internet connection, surround sound music system, steam rooms in the bathroom, marlocks, elsafe, imported fan coil units and double glazing of windows to reduce noise levels, rain showers, high-end plumbing and bath fittings, are standard in all our rooms.”
Neemrana was a first-of-its-kind initiative. The group took less than half the usual time to recover the initial investment, and have a policy of re-investing what is earned.
“Our growth hasn’t burdened us,” says Bhatt. “Now, we have some 200 properties on file and are constantly being asked to come and see their ruins; people know now that we can turn their liabilities into assets. Finally, the government (both centre and some state levels), have woken up to the endless value of heritage. Neemrana had set the ball rolling, and it’s nowhere near stopping.”
