Roop Partap Choudhary is redefining Indian luxury hospitality by blending heritage, culture, and contemporary guest experiences. As the Executive Director of Noor Mahal Palace—India’s first Autograph Collection hotel, and the Founder of the acclaimed Colonel Saab restaurants in London, he has built a reputation for creating destinations that celebrate India’s rich traditions while meeting global standards of luxury. With academic training in hospitality management from Ashland University and a specialisation in Asian tourism from Nanyang Technological University, Choudhary brings both international perspective and deep-rooted authenticity to his work. In this exclusive conversation, he discusses growing up amidst the creation of Noor Mahal, expanding an Indian brand on the global stage, the evolving role of wellness in hospitality, and why the future of luxury lies in meaningful experiences that nourish not only the body but also the mind and emotions.
Q1. You grew up around a hotel that your parents were building from concept to completion. Most kids in that situation either fall in love with the business or quietly resent it. Which was it for you?
Answer:
I think it started with curiosity before it became passion. As a child, I did not fully understand the scale of what my parents were building, but I could see the emotion, discipline, and sacrifices behind it. Watching Noor Mahal slowly come to life gave me a deep respect for hospitality, not just as a business, but as something capable of creating memory, emotion, and connection.
I also grew up around art, architecture, craftsmanship, and storytelling. My mother paid incredible attention to detail, while my father brought vision and discipline into everything he built. That balance shaped my perspective. Over time, what began as observation eventually became something I felt responsible to carry forward.
Q2. Noor Mahal Delhi NCR Karnal is positioned as luxury heritage hospitality. But wellness tourism is a different beast entirely. Do you see Noor Mahal moving in that direction, or does heritage and wellness feel like an uncomfortable combination for you?
Answer:
I actually think heritage and wellness complement each other beautifully. Wellness today is not only about treatments or technology, it is also about slowing down emotionally and mentally reconnecting with your surroundings.
Heritage spaces naturally create that feeling. The architecture, the scale, the craftsmanship, the sense of calm, all of these contribute to emotional well being. At Noor Mahal, wellness is something we see evolving in a more immersive and culturally rooted way rather than something clinical or disconnected from the environment.
As India’s first Autograph Collection hotel, we also have the opportunity to shape experiences that combine global luxury standards with emotional and cultural depth.
Q3. Colonel Saab in London isn’t just a restaurant. It’s essentially a statement about Indian identity in one of the world’s most competitive food cities. What did it take emotionally to put that out there?
Answer:
It was deeply personal because Colonel Saab carries my family’s story within it. The concept was inspired by my parents’ travels across India during my father’s years in the Army, so opening it in London meant presenting a part of our identity to the world.
The London food scene is incredibly competitive and very different from India. Guests there are exposed to cuisines and concepts from across the world every single day, so expectations are extremely high. You are not just catering to an Indian audience, you are catering to a truly global audience that values authenticity, originality, design, storytelling, and consistency all at once.
There is vulnerability in doing that because you are putting something deeply personal into a market that is constantly evolving and highly critical. But I believed authenticity would always connect more strongly than trends.
What also helped was that Colonel Saab was never conceived as just a restaurant. It was designed almost like an immersive cultural experience shaped through Indian art, artefacts, travel, cuisine, and storytelling. We wanted people to experience India emotionally, not just gastronomically.
Q4. You hold a master’s in hospitality from Ashland and a specialisation in Asian tourism patterns from Nanyang. That’s a considered academic path. Was there a moment during those years where you thought, “Maybe this isn’t for me?”
Answer:
There were definitely moments of reflection. When you are exposed to global hospitality ecosystems and different cultures, you naturally begin questioning your own direction and identity.
But those experiences ultimately reinforced my belief in what we were building back home. They made me realise that Indian hospitality, when presented authentically and thoughtfully, has the ability to stand confidently on a global stage.
It also helped me understand that luxury today is moving towards experiences with meaning, cultural connection, and individuality, which is exactly what both Noor Mahal and Colonel Saab represent.
Q5. Health technology is reshaping how luxury hotels operate globally. Sleep tracking, biometric spas, personalised nutrition menus. What’s actually happening at Noor Mahal on that front?
Answer:
We are approaching technology in a balanced and thoughtful way. For us, luxury should never feel mechanical or overly transactional. Technology should quietly enhance comfort and personalisation while preserving warmth and human interaction.
At Noor Mahal, the focus is on intuitive experiences, understanding guest preferences better, creating more seamless stays, and evolving wellness offerings in a more meaningful way. At the same time, I strongly believe that art, architecture, ambience, and emotional connection are equally important to well being. Sometimes the environment itself can become therapeutic.
Q6. The men who come to Noor Mahal for destination weddings or MICE events are often eating rich food, sitting through long days, drinking at night. As a hotelier who thinks about guest experience, do you ever think about what that does to them physically? Should hospitality own that conversation?
Answer:
Absolutely. Hospitality has traditionally focused on indulgence, but today there is also a growing responsibility to support balance and well being.
People still want to celebrate and enjoy themselves, and they should, but hotels now have an opportunity to create more mindful experiences alongside that. Whether through wellness offerings, healthier dining options, recovery focused experiences, or simply creating environments where guests can slow down mentally, hospitality can definitely contribute positively to that conversation.
I think the future of luxury will increasingly be about how a guest feels after an experience, not just during it.
Q7. You mentioned Malala Yousafzai visited Colonel Saab. That’s a very different kind of press moment than a food review. How do you navigate who the restaurant becomes in the public eye versus what you intended it to be?
Answer:
Moments like those go beyond hospitality and become cultural moments in their own way. Over the years, welcoming personalities such as Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Jennifer Coolidge, Sundar Pichai, Shashi Tharoor, and cricketers like Deepak Chahar and Tilak Varma has been incredibly special because it reflects how culture, storytelling, and hospitality can connect with people across very different worlds.
But the core intention behind Colonel Saab has always remained the same. It was never conceived as just a restaurant, but as an immersive cultural experience shaped through Indian art, travel, heritage, cuisine, and storytelling.
Public perception will naturally evolve over time, especially when a space begins attracting global personalities and conversations beyond food. But it is important to stay anchored to the original purpose and emotional authenticity of the brand.
That same philosophy also shapes Noor Mahal, especially now as India’s first Autograph Collection hotel, where individuality, storytelling, and cultural depth are central to the guest experience.
Q8. You’re expanding Colonel Saab. Trafalgar Square is a second location. But some restaurateurs will quietly admit that the second location is where the magic starts to thin out. What’s your honest fear about scaling?
Answer:
The biggest fear is losing emotional authenticity. The first space always carries a certain soul because it is built with instinct, emotion, and very personal involvement.
When you scale, the challenge is not just operational consistency, but preserving individuality and emotional depth. I never want Colonel Saab to become formula driven. Every location should still feel curated, intentional, and connected to storytelling.
The same philosophy applies to Noor Mahal as well. Growth should never come at the cost of character.
Q9. There’s a version of Indian hospitality that’s warm, chaotic, and deeply human. And there’s the luxury hotel version that’s polished and a little cold. Which side do you feel you’re actually on?
Answer:
I think the future lies somewhere in between. Indian hospitality is naturally emotional, expressive, and deeply human, and that warmth should never be lost.
At the same time, luxury hospitality today requires refinement, consistency, and global standards. The real challenge is creating experiences that feel polished without losing soul or personality.
That balance is something I care deeply about at both Noor Mahal and Colonel Saab.
Q10. You were named in Travel India Awards’ 30 Under 30. But recognition that comes early carries a particular pressure. Did it help you, or did it set a pace that was hard to sustain?
Answer:
Recognition is encouraging, but it also brings expectation. It pushes you to stay consistent, evolve constantly, and think more long term.
I see it less as pressure and more as responsibility. Awards are motivating, but the real work begins after recognition. What matters most is continuing to build something meaningful and lasting.
Q11. The menu at Colonel Saab draws from your parents’ travels across India. An army officer and his wife. That’s an unusual menu for a London restaurant. How much of that story do you carry into the room every day, and how much of it is now just branding?
Answer:
The story is very real to me because I grew up around it. These are journeys, memories, and experiences that shaped our family long before they became part of a restaurant concept.
Colonel Saab was built almost like a narrative space where food, art, travel, and culture come together. Of course every brand eventually develops its own identity, but the emotional foundation of the restaurant is genuine. That authenticity is what gives it depth beyond just food.
Q12. Men’s health in the context of hospitality is almost never discussed. Stress, overwork, poor sleep, and disrupted eating at events. Your guests are often high performing men who are running on empty. Do you see an opportunity there?
Answer:
Definitely. Modern lifestyles are becoming increasingly demanding, especially for professionals balancing work, travel, and constant social commitments.
Hospitality can absolutely play a meaningful role in helping guests recover and recharge. It does not have to feel restrictive or clinical. Even subtle changes in wellness experiences, food, recovery spaces, sleep focused offerings, and ambience can positively impact how guests feel physically and mentally.
I think luxury hospitality is gradually moving towards experiences that restore energy, not just consume it.
Q13. If your father, Colonel Manbeer Sandhu, walked into Colonel Saab in London today and ordered a meal, what would you most want him to say about it? And what would you be afraid he’d say?
Answer:
I would want him to feel that the story has been carried forward with honesty and respect, that the emotion behind it still feels intact.
More than success, I would want him to feel proud that the values, warmth, and experiences that inspired Colonel Saab and Noor Mahal continue to remain authentic even as they evolve globally.
What I might worry about is whether it still feels personal enough to him, because ultimately this journey began with his experiences and my mother’s vision. That emotional connection matters more to me than anything else.
