Rs 1.6 lakh presidential suites in demand, luxury check-ins for shaadi season boost hotel revenue

noormahal palace

This wedding season, palace hotels, private villas, and plush Presidential Suites priced at Rs 1.6 lakh a night are filling up fast.

For hotels, this premium wedding wanderlust is becoming a major revenue booster.

Wedding wallets open wide

At Noormahal Palace in Karnal, the Presidential Suite is in high demand. "It costs Rs 1.6 lakh for a 2-night stay in the Presidential Suite, exclusive of all taxes," Col Manbeer Choudhary, CMD, Noormahal Group, told Moneycontrol.

They typically see group sizes ranging from 800-1,500 guests.

"Indian guests are booking a range of rooms, from our elegantly appointed deluxe rooms to our opulent suites, with room rates starting from Rs 40,000," he added.

Travellers are showing a greater willingness to spend for quality and convenience, said Karan Agarwal, Director, Cox & Kings.

• On an average, they are spending Rs 12,000 - Rs 20,000 per night for well-rated 4-star properties.
• Rs 25,000 - Rs 45,000 per night for luxury hotels during high-demand wedding dates.
• In Tier-II destinations, boutique and heritage hotels are also commanding higher rates due to heavy demand and limited supply, Agarwal added.
• Premium hotels (5-star and boutique properties) are seeing per-room rates ranging between Rs 15,000 and Rs 40,000 per night during wedding-heavy dates, Abhishek Daga, Co-founder of Thrillophilia, noted.
• For ultra-premium and palace properties, like heritage hotels in Rajasthan, and private villas, Indians are willing to pay Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh per night.
• Hotel prices rose by 16–40 percent during November–December 2025, compared to the normal demand period of July–October 2025, according to the latest analysis by Sciative Solutions, an Agentic AI-powered pricing solutions platform.

Premium wedding destinations, like Mumbai, Goa, Udaipur, Jaipur and Alibaug, recorded average price of Rs 13,933, marking over a 16.4 percent surge over normal months, noted Vijeta Soni, Co-Founder & CEO, Sciative Solutions.

Two dates stood out as the most volatile pricing periods based on muhurat clusters and holiday-weekend alignment.

• November 21 recorded over 90 percent surge in room rates, driven by three consecutive high-demand muhurat days.
• December 19 is also seeing a significant uptick, linked to the Christmas–New Year long-weekend effect.

Stay surge, revenue boost

Hotels across major wedding destinations are seeing a 12-18 percent rise in booking volume, compared to last year, noted Cox & Kings' Agarwal. Tier-II cities, with heritage properties and resort-style venues, are seeing the strongest spike, as they have become popular for mid-budget destination weddings.

Destination weddings are 10 percent of overall weddings, said Parthip Thyagarajan, Co-founder and CEO of WeddingSutra.com. High net worth individuals contribute the most to destination weddings, he added.

Wedding-related room bookings remain one of the fastest-growing segments for Zuper Hotels & Resorts.

"Over the last three years, wedding groups and associated events have contributed roughly 18–22 percent of our total room nights, with some properties seeing an uplift of over 30 percent during peak season. We are already tracking a 15–20 percent increase in inquiries and confirmed bookings for 2025, compared to the same period last year and 2024. We expect more conversions for the next season, based on the ongoing queries," said Akaal Manchanda, Founder & Director, Zuper Hotels & Resorts.

Given the current trends, Manchanda expects the wedding segment to contribute an additional 8–10 percent to overall revenue in 2026.

At The Clarks Hotel & Resorts, its Chief Operating Officer (COO) Rahul Deb Banerjee expects the contribution of the wedding segment to inch closer to 30 percent of their revenues in select properties. Currently, wedding-related stays contribute nearly 12-15 percent to overall business.

"Families are booking much earlier and often opting for exclusive buyouts for multi-day celebrations, which further boosts ancillary revenues from events and F&B," Banerjee said.

Noormahal Palace is currently fully booked for wedding-related room reservations through March. This surge in bookings has significantly boosted our revenue. We anticipate an even higher contribution from the wedding segment to our overall revenues this year, with an expected increase of around 20-25 percent," Choudhary said.

He noted that the recent addition of 50 rooms to their inventory has enabled them to accommodate higher group volumes and cater to increased demand.

Weddings continue to be one of the strongest demand drivers for Radisson Hotel Group. Nikhil Sharma, its Managing Director and COO, South Asia, said that they are seeing a steady flow of wedding-related room bookings.

"Room rates for wedding blocks have also firmed up in line with the broader portfolio’s Average Daily Rate (ADR) increase of 10-12 percent for November-December, helping us drive improved topline performance during this peak period," he said.

Rise in interest from foreign nationals

This year, Radisson is also witnessing a notable rise in interest from foreign nationals travelling to India, specifically to experience the vibrancy of Indian weddings and immerse themselves in the cultural festivities.

With India’s wedding industry expected to generate Rs 5-6 lakh crore in business, it’s no surprise that hospitality markets are booming, said Daga. "In several destinations, hotels anticipate 20-25 percent higher revenues than last year, thanks to stronger booking volumes and higher room and venue pricing."

He added that many hotels are reporting some of their highest occupancy levels in recent seasons. "Tariffs, especially in premium properties, are up by nearly 10 percent, matching peak holiday pricing."

Destinations in demand

Daman, Lonavala, Aurangabad, Silvassa, Bhubaneswar and certain leisure-driven tier-II hubs have emerged as the preferred choice this wedding season. "Our strongest demand comes from these destinations," said Dr Vikram Kamat, Chairperson and Managing Director, VITS KAMATS Group.

He is also seeing a rising traction in spiritual and heritage destinations where guests combine the wedding with short leisure trips.

The highest demand continues to come from destinations offering natural beauty and strong connectivity, said the Clarks's Banerjee.  "Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand are among the most sought-after locations for wedding-driven stays within our portfolio," he said.

Manchanda highlighted how saying the vows in the middle of the water, venues/celebrations themed around love-life scenarios are driving demand for wedding- related hotel bookings.

"While one property may operate as a private island-style retreat with limited inventory and a concise, intimate scope, ideal for curated celebrations with a smaller guest count, another may be an expansive 126-room riverside resort with multiple venues and elevated experiences, making it ‘the destination’ for an ideal big-fat Indian wedding," he said.