Ajay and I got married in 1990. Travel was his first love then, and all this was to later rub onto me. In time, we had two lovely children – Kanav and Vanshika.  Some of our early trips were to places like Samode, Sariska and Ramgarh in Rajasthan. Indians did not travel as freely, and as much as they do today, and most guests alongside us at hotels would be foreigners.

Ajay maintained that streak of travel within him and I soon got caught into the vortex. We experienced different types of accommodation. Having stayed from cute and quaint, one-room B&Bs in the interior of Scotland & Wales, to the very up-market, private game park, Mala Mala, in South Africa, we started noticing the different aspects of what made a hotel memorable.

It was the attention to small details that impressed us and at some point, we started thinking – “what would we do if we had a hotel of our own?”

Land acquisition of the 235 acres of Karma Lakelands today, was started by my father Shri Iqbal Chand Khurana in 1989. He handed over the reigns of his property to my brother Ashwani who went on further to develop it into an eco-responsible project. In 2016, he asked me if I was interested in stepping into the Hospitality industry by converting a set of unused row houses into a Boutique Hotel. I made the quick decision to take up the challenge!

Heena, an interior designer, worked well to use the limited space available in a skillful manner to provide spaciousness. With deft use of colours and decor, the feeling imparted to the rooms is one of coziness – quaint and very ‘English’. The uppermost desire in my mind was to not make it into a typical hotel, but a place where guests feel at home. Moving from traditional paintings on the walls, it was decided that we would adorn them with photographs of our travels. 

In the rooms, the attention to detail is visible. Vanshika, our daughter, who was a student of Graphic Design at that time, also got involved with the project. Her personal touches are evident everywhere – the cushions in the rooms, DND signs, message boards, key rings and what-not! Kanav, a graduate of Les Roches School of Hospitality helped with developing SOPs and arranging manpower, and we opened the doors of our boutique hotel – Karma Chalets – to the public in November 2016 with an inventory of 32 rooms!

 The greenery, with the birds and bees is everywhere – a welcome change from the urban, concrete jungle not too far away. The hammocks invite you to relax, slow down, and read a book. A small village-style ‘Mandir’ beckons you to say a prayer of thanks.

In 2018, we added our Cafe & Kraft Kitchen, aptly named, ‘Under the Neem’ to compliment the stay with delectable food. Nimoli, our wellness spa was also added at this juncture. Vanshika had, by then, completed her formal training, and took charge of this project. Chef Ravitej Nath from the Oberoi group, joined the team and brought the ‘farm-to-table’ concept to the Café.

I do hope you will enjoy your stay here with us and our heartfelt hospitality. I wish you and your family the very best of everything that life has to offer. 

We wish you a delightful sojourn!