Religious destinations in India have over 13,100 branded hotel rooms comprising 6 per cent of the total room inventory in the country
Tamara Leisure Experiences (TLE) has forayed into the religious tourism segment with a new hotel brand designed to meet the needs of pilgrims.Hotels under the Rae by Tamara brand will provide faith-conscious dining options like Satvik meals and meditation rooms for guests among other things.The hotel and resorts chain backed by families of Infosys co-founders S D Shibulal and Kris Gopalakrishnan, has nine properties in operation and eight under development.In the first phase existing properties in Guruvayur and Kumbakonam consisting 40-45 keys will be rebranded and opened in July and August. A new 80-key hotel is being developed at Velankanni in Tamil Nadu with an investment of ₹70 crore and will open in 15 months.Pilgrim Behaviour“The Rae by Tamara brand has been designed around the behaviours and needs of pilgrims rather than traditional hotel operating manuals,” said TLE Chief Executive Officer Samir MC.“For example, in many pilgrimage destinations, the most important ritual of the day may begin at four in the morning. That means guests are waking up at three or three-thirty, getting ready and heading to the shrine. Most hotels are simply not designed for that reality. In our hotels we want to ensure that guests have access to hot water, support services and food at the time they actually need them,” he said. Like a wildlife naturalist, the properties will also have individuals well versed with history, architecture and traditions of the shrine.Hospitality ModelAccording to consultancy HVS Anarock, religious destinations in India have over 13,100 branded hotel rooms comprising 6 per cent of the total room inventory in the country. The largest market by number of rooms is Amritsar, Katra, Tirupati, Varanasi and Dwarka. Another 19,760 plus rooms are in construction accounting for 14 per cent of the pipeline, HVS Anarock said. In terms of pipeline the largest markets are Ayodhya, Amritsar, Pushkar, Tirupati and Varanasi.“We are positioning RAE by Tamara as India’s first faith-intelligent hospitality brand. We do anticipate having around 25 properties signed or operational by 2030,” Samir MC said. The company is looking at both ownership and asset light models for development, he said.In FY 2025, TLE posted revenue of Rs 150 crore and a net loss of ₹16.4 crore.“We are witnessing strong interest for experiential and spiritually immersive travel. The convergence of improved connectivity, government-backed pilgrimage circuits, and rising domestic and international demand makes this the ideal moment for developers and hospitality brands to invest in India’s sacred destinations,” said Gaurav Sharma, Managing Director ( Hotels), JLL India.Published on June 4, 2026
