In light of the recent incident in Mumbai, the security at The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra has been intensified. Amongst the measures armed guards from Agra police have been deployed at the hotel, the strength of security personnel in and around the hotel has been increased and periphery patrolling has been enhanced. The hotel continues to operate normally.

Most visitors to Agra are here for one reason only; to see the Taj Mahal. Where better to stay, then, than Amarvilas, where every room has a spectacular view of the Taj, just six hundred meters away?

This hotel, the latest in the Oberoi group’s series of reconstructed palace hotels, faced a number of challenges; it had to be restrained enough in its elegance so as not to attempt to challenge the Taj Mahal itself, and more prosaically, it was limited to just three stories—the Taj remains the tallest structure in Agra.

In this task it succeeds; Amarvilas is splendid, yet never ostentatious. Even its grand entry hall, topped with a gold and cobalt blue domed ceiling, is merely a frame for the postcard-perfect view of the Taj Mahal, visible through the vast windows. Rooms are the patented Vilas blend of meticulous traditional craftsmanship and attention to detail with the best in modern hospitality design, with the eye drawn, as always, to the view. Some rooms have views of the Taj from private terraces, some from the exquisitely crafted king beds, others even from enormous freestandi... more