Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The Leela, known for its premier luxury hospitality, exclusivity, and personalized services, has been honoured as Luxury Hotel Brand of the Year at the 18th edition of the Ultimate Luxury Travel Related Awards (ULTRAs), held in London on 7th November 2024. Furthermore, The Leela Palace New Delhi was also recognized as the “Best Hotel in the Middle East/India”. The Leela stands as the only institutionally owned and managed pure-play luxury hospitality company in India. Since its inception in 1986 by the Late Captain C.P. Krishnan Nair, The Leela has been dedicated to offering luxury experiences that blend traditional Indian hospitality with contemporary sophistication.

The Leela, received the accolade at the elegant awards ceremony, which took place at The State Apartments and The Orangery, Kensington Palace.

Recognising the best of the best in global travel, the ULTRAs (Ultimate Luxury Travel Related Awards) is an eagerly anticipated annual event for the luxury travel industry, organised by Nick Perry, Chairman of multi-media brand Ultratravel, with whom Global Hotel Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands and operator of award-winning loyalty programme GHA DISCOVERY has a long-standing joint venture – Ultratravel Collection.

The Leela has always placed importance on understanding the evolving needs of luxury travellers, crafting authentic and relevant experiences grounded in its philosophy of "Atithi Devo Bhava"—Guest is God. Embodying True Indian Luxury, The Leela offers a journey through India’s rich heritage, allowing guests to seamlessly travel between timeless traditions and contemporary sophistication. Each experience is infused with an aesthetic that celebrates India’s art, cuisine, and culture, presenting the world with a taste of India’s illustrious legacy reimagined for the modern luxury traveller.

Hosted at London’s historic royal residence, The State Apartments and The Orangery at Kensington Palace, this year’s ULTRAs featured 18 categories, honouring leading names in travel as voted for by millions of GHA DISCOVERY members. The awards reflected a growing global appreciation for excellence across a wide range of luxury travel experiences.

The awards were presented by well-known UK TV presenters Natalie Pinkham and Gethin Jones, with a raft of celebrities in attendance including HRH Princess Eugenie, Dame Kelly Holmes, the Double Olympic Champion, Charlotte Hawkins, one of the anchors on Good Morning Britain and Australian and British author Kathy Lette.

For more information visit Global Hotel Alliance, the Ultratravel Collection, Ultratravel, and GHA DISCOVERY