HBI Staff | Hyderabad 
In recognition of their extraordinary journey and efforts to address the sustainability solution challenge, The Sarai at Toria near Khajuraho and Panna in Madhya Pradesh as well as The Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge in Nepal were conferred with ‘A Hero’s Journey’ Award at the first edition of the RARE India Conscious Travel Awards. The awards ceremony was held at The Claridges New Delhi as part of The RARE Showcase 2023, the flagship annual event of RARE India.
Chanoud Garh in Pali district of Rajasthan was awarded the ‘Best RARE Hotel 2023’. Mr Bhupendra Singh, owner of Premkunj in Udaipur, was voted as the ‘Best RARE Hotelier 2023’ while The Lodge at Wah in Palampur received the award for the ‘Best RARE Destination Story 2023’ due to their efforts of putting the Kangra region in Himachal Pradesh on the tourist map. The awardees for these three categories were selected based on voting by some of the best travel agents and travel designers across India.
The RARE Conscious Travel Awards have been instituted to shine a spotlight on the extraordinary efforts of hotels and experiences in new locations that embody sustainability, authenticity and responsible travel, and serve as inspirations for the future of travel. These awards celebrate trailblazers who go above and beyond, weaving together unforgettable experiences with a deep commitment to preserving cultures, supporting local communities and protecting the environment. It’s not just about luxury; it’s about being gentle and leaving a positive footprint in the places we visit.
Regarding the newly instituted RARE Conscious Travel Awards, Shoba Rudra, Founder, RARE India, said, “RARE India is a community of hoteliers and experience curators who choose to be a part of the ‘solution’ to what is happening with the planet. It has been a long standing dream to constantly honour the hard work that goes with the tough route they continue to take despite pricing and operational challenges. While we call out their work every day in our interactions with the industry, an award is a celebration and endorses all the choices they make to tread the path towards running a sustainable hospitality business. While the best for 2023 are a one-time voting, A Hero’s Journey is an award conferred upon our hoteliers taking into consideration their external audits, their strong narratives, their engagement with the fraternity and singular focus towards best practices. Travel Corporation of India and brands Sita and Distant Frontiers built a comprehensive report on Sustainable Tourism in 2020 and hence were chosen as collaborators for the award given to The Sarai at Toria. TOFTigers, our collaborators for the second award given to Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge in Nepal, have been setting a solid benchmark for eco-tourism and sustainability standards since 2006.”
The first ‘A Hero’s Journey’ Award of the evening was given by RARE India, in collaboration with Travel Corporation of India and brands Sita and Distant Frontiers, to Joanna Van Gruisen & Dr. Raghu Chundawat, owners of The Sarai at Toria, for their journey towards building a planet sensitive and community inclusive hospitality business. Ever since they started operations in 2010, Raghu and Joanna have been setting the blueprint of what a responsible business in hospitality would look like. Right from their location on the Ken to the design and earth-friendly architecture of their 8-room boutique hotel, they have placed planet before people. They are one of the first RARE Community partners to strongly work against pet-bottled water by serving only RO water. Community engagement and inclusivity, treading softly on the environment, adopting renewable energy, continuing to do business in winters to avoid air-conditioners and resorting to traditional methods for heating are some of their notable efforts because of which they are the well-deserved recipients of ‘A Hero’s Journey’ Award.
While accepting the award, Joanna Van Gruisen said, “For Raghu and I, this is a most special award as we feel particularly proud to be recognized by our peers in the industry, many of whom also excel in responsible tourism. It was a surprise award and we really thank RARE who have encouraged and supported all sustainable practices over the last 20 years – true pioneers and it is most rewarding to be part of this community.”
Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge was the recipient of the second ‘A Hero’s Journey’ award, presented by RARE India in collaboration with TOFTigers, for their operational best practices and journey towards building a planet sensitive and community inclusive hospitality business. Established in 1998, Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge has set very high standards in sustainable hospitality and community-inclusive tourism. Located away from the crowded lakeside hotels of Pokhara, this nature-based mountain lodge operates under Marcus Cotton and Lisa Choegyal’s vision, drive and passion. The Lodge has committed to the UNWTO / UNEP Global Tourism Plastics Initiative and works towards ending all unnecessary plastics in the hotel. Right from community engagement by supporting various initiatives such as women’s groups, local schools and wildlife and biodiversity organisations to ensuring a light footprint to the experiences offered, the Lodge constantly endeavours to find ways to better their current practices.
“The team at Tiger Mountain are thrilled with this prestigious award. It was a complete surprise and joy for us all as our season draws to its close. This is the perfect start to our 25th Anniversary celebrations that culminate on 2nd October this year. The award is a fine tribute to the dedication and commitment of all the staff, led by the senior team of Ishwar, Jhalak, Dol Raj and Lalu, who have carried the burden as they trudged this journey – they are the true heroes of our journey. Our thanks to RARE and TOFT for sponsoring this prize – an organisation close to our hearts and in sync with our vision for conscious luxury travel.” said Marcus Cotton, Mentor & Managing Director, Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge.
On Chanoud Garh being voted by the travel agents as the ‘Best RARE Hotel 2023’, Jairaj Singh, owner of Chanoud Garh, said, “It’s wonderful to be recognized for all your hard work and efforts and the whole team at Chanoud Garh is truly grateful for this. Properties like ours are all about heart and soul. For RARE to provide us this platform and the travel agencies believing in us makes all the hard work worth its while. We will continue to strive and to bring out the best for your guests by creating more stories and everlasting experiences.”
Premkunj’s owner Bhupendra Singh was overwhelmed at being voted as the ‘Best RARE Hotelier 2023’. He said, “This citation is extra special since it is based on votes from members of the travel fraternity. It is a much needed shot in the arm for a new hotelier. A special word of thanks to Shoba Mohan & Team RARE India for conceptualising and successfully instituting the Conscious Travel Awards 2023. Congratulations to the team and to all the winners.”
Expressing her happiness on receiving the ‘Best RARE Destination Story 2023’ Award, Upasana Todi Prakash, owner of The Lodge at Wah, said, “This recognition gives us so much encouragement to continue creating unique experiences within lesser known destinations, and to showcase the region as a whole. Thank you to all our partners and peers for the continued love and support!”
