Let Life be Beautiful Like Summer Flowers

Speaking of the UK, people will be fascinated by the castle, wine, or life in Downton Abbey; when it comes to India, people will be curious about the Taj Mahal, curry, and the religious world where many faiths coexist.

In the magnificent Gothic architecture of Windsor Castle, the touching love of Shah Jahan and Taj of the Mughal dynasty continues to be told; in the exquisite and varied English afternoon tea, the spices from the East give a new taste; at the social gathering of the highranking gentlemen and nobles, the dance of the Hindu god Shiva breeds the energy of the rebirth.

The cultural blend between Britain and India is destined to be a collision from the soul.

New Owner of a Centuryold Building

In a diverse city like London, people from different countries and religions gather here to pursue their ideals in a classical cultural atmosphere, making it one of the largest financial centers in the world.The past fog city has broken through the obstacles by interweaving with other countries‘ cultures, and it has become more brilliant than ever.

”Let life be beautiful like summer flowers, and death like autumn leaves.” The wonderful poems from Tagore‘s ”Stray Birds” have shaken the hearts of many people, giving the impetuous world a quiet power. As an Indian poet, Tagore celebrates his own culture and allows this mysterious Buddhist country from the ancient East to infect the world with its charm.

Today, the LaLit Hotel from India is stationed in London to add spark to the old city.

Founded in 1988 in New Delhi, India, LaLit Hotel Group is the leader in the Indian hospitality industry today. During its many years of operation, LaLit Hotel Group has 12 hotels throughout India and made its first overseas step in early 2017 to build The LaLit in London.

This new hotel is located in the heart of London, just a few hundred metres from the London Bridge Rail Station and is easily accessible. The hotel‘s historic architecture is Victorian and is listed as a Grade II historic building by the British government. The original designer, also the founder of the grand central criminal court building on Old Bailey Street, Edward Mountford, designed this building for a grammar school, and Lawrence Durrell who wrote the famous novel ”Alexander Quartet”, spent his youth here. The LaLit Hotel Group has refurbished the site for £50 million and has hired a design team led by the wellknown British construction company EPR Architects to create this fivestar hotel that blends the Eastern and local culture.

South Asia Cultural Experience Hall

As a boutique hotel with only 70 rooms, the details of the hotel can best reflect the superiority of the hotel. Each of the five different room types has a different layout and design, especially, the top floor rooms are ten meters high, being spacious and bright. There is a cute elephant on the bed in the room called ” Elphie ” , which is the mascot of the LaLit, which symbolizes the inclusiveness and diversity of the hotel and celebrates the essence of oriental culture. The elegant and light colours of the rooms give the large spaces a sense of movement, and the multiangle decorative lighting makes the interior environment of the old buildings richlylayered. A series of silk fabrics such as curtains and headboards in the room are handwoven in Indian style, and the floor heating under the handmade wooden floor ensures the warmth of the guests during the cold night. The antifog square mirror of the bathroom is covered with countless shells with a colorful luster.

Because the hotel was formerly a school, the rooms are named after classrooms and grades, and the Victorian arched lattice windows allow the distant buildings and other landmarks, such as Shard, to become landscapes hanging on the wall.

Amazing Journey of Tastes

The uniqueness of The LaLit London is also reflected in the dining environment. The Hall, once used for the school, was meticulously transformed into the ”Baluchi” restaurant, and the 17meterhigh vault shows the grandeur of today. With the noble dark blue wall as the base of the restaurant, all the furniture is handmade in India. Each of the cobalt blue Hyderabad chandeliers, weighing half a ton, gives a soft glow above the restaurant, eliminating the tension from the empty space.

For chefs from South Asia, only the best dishes can be paired with The LaLit. The ”Baluchi” restaurant offers cuisines from Kashmir, Bangladesh, and different Indian states. Chef Arup Dasgupta has traveled around the world to practice his skills and 

is now able to offer guests the taste they have never experienced before in London. The dishes with exotic scenery will make the taste buds explode. The Keralastyle lobster soup ”Suroor e Shorba”, and the ”Gilafi Pheasant Ki Seekh” with broiled chicken breasts and chicken liver paste and fenugreek are all classic choices. Similarly, the fusion of British local and oriental flavors is amazing. The use of Gucchi mushrooms at the foot of the Himalayas, with Exmoor caviar from Cornwall,England, and beef cultured in the Welsh mountains is the best interpretation of the EastWest food culture of the ”Baluchi” restaurant.

If the joy of the day is not enough for the guests to experience the fullness of The LaLit, why not sit at the bar after the night falls. The Lalit‘s ”Teacher‘s Room” offers a wide selection of cocktails and nonalcoholic beverages, and the ceiling made with a mosaic of shells is most glamorous; the Tudorstyle ”Headmaster‘s Room” can accommodate up to 30 guests, and the exquisite stone fireplace in the winter would radiate warmth, with the fire illuminating the cup of champagne or brandy.

The South Asian civilization in the Asian subcontinent and the island culture in the British Isles of Europe meet in London, and a new exploration awaits.