When the Taj Mahal was built, it was widely recognized as a marvel in architecture not only for its aesthetic brilliance and exclusivity, but also for the fact that it was built in an era when elementary resources like land, labour, capital, materials, technology and even skills & expertise were hard to come by. Given that today, these resources are available not exactly a dime a dozen but with far less effort, a good-looking building might not always evoke more than a few words of appreciation. So what is it that architecture needs to incorporate within its foundation, to stand out today?

Ask ITC. The Royal Gardenia in Bangalore is the first green luxury hotel in the city, and among the few in the country, that delivers the best in 'Responsible Luxury' and giving back more to the environment. As per a self-description, the ethos of ITC Royal Gardenia is "Forward to Green, Back to Nature". 'Forward to Green' highlights the practice of eco-friendly measures such as Energy Efficiency, Zero Solid Waste management, Green Banqueting and more. ‘Back to Nature’ is indicative of how the hotel is one with Mother Nature.

Among several other ‘green’ aspects of the hotel, there is an Atrium Lobby that is illuminated by natural lighting and cooled by none other than one of the strongest forces of Nature – the Wind! With its vertical hanging gardens, the Atrium Lobby leads to the Central Court. Here, amidst verdant gardens and recycled water fountains stands the gracious multi-column Lotus Pavilion, inspired by Tipu Sultan's palace at Srirangapatna – adding to the hotel, a touch of Indian heritage for absorption by the globe trotter.

Royal Gardenia offers 292 large and well equipped rooms, including 13 suites and the largest presidential suite in India. The room interiors manifest different layers of life forms offered by nature, and each floor follows this theme using pleasing colours, motifs and textures. Through these unique offerings, ITC Royal Gardenia tenders a memorable experience of responsible indulgence to its guests, complementing a city known for it's lush gardens and verdant foliage, albeit in the recent past.

Images Courtesy: ITC WelcomeGroup Website