As World Tourism Day approaches on September 27, luxury travel is moving beyond the traditional hotel stay. Travellers are increasingly looking for distinctive gastronomy, wellness, privacy, culture and experiences that give them a reason to choose one destination over another.
Across Ventive Hospitality’s portfolio in India and the Maldives, this shift can be seen through properties that offer very different ways to experience a destination — from dining beneath the Indian Ocean to discovering Pune beyond the conventional business itinerary.
- Conrad Maldives Rangali Island
For travellers who want to make gastronomy the highlight of their holiday
Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is home to Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, the world’s first all-glass underwater restaurant, located five metres below the Indian Ocean. The restaurant has also been recognised among the world’s top dining experiences, ranking in the top 1% globally in Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best 2025.
The culinary offering gets another draw this year with the Michelin Master Series 2026, bringing three international Michelin-starred chefs to the resort from October 19 to December 7. Guests can experience chef-led tasting menus, beachfront dinners and interactive culinary experiences.
Why go: For travellers who plan their holidays around food and want an underwater restaurant and Michelin-led dining in the same trip.
- Anantara Veli Maldives Resort
For travellers who want to combine an island holiday with Michelin-starred gastronomy
Anantara Veli is bringing global culinary talent to the Maldives through its Around the World Michelin Star Guest Chef Series 2026. Running from August to November, the programme brings four chefs from different culinary traditions to the resort for interactive cooking classes and curated dinners.
Set on a private island in the South Malé Atoll, Anantara Veli is an adults-only resort designed around a more intimate, laid-back interpretation of the Maldives, with overwater and garden accommodation, direct access to the lagoon and a strong focus on wellness, dining and island experiences. Guests can also access the facilities and experiences at sister resort Anantara Dhigu, creating a broader resort experience across the two islands.
The Michelin series adds another dimension to the stay, allowing guests to engage directly with the chefs through cooking demonstrations, while wines are specially selected by Master Sommelier Kamal Malik of MMI Maldives. The programme also reflects the resort’s focus on sustainable gastronomy and the use of the Maldives’ natural bounty.
Why go: For travellers who want a more relaxed adults-only island escape with wellness, lagoon experiences and a four-month international culinary journey.
- The Ritz-Carlton, Pune
For travellers discovering Pune beyond the business trip
Pune is increasingly evolving from a business destination into a city with its own food, lifestyle and leisure appeal. The Ritz-Carlton, Pune offers a luxury base for travellers looking to explore that evolution.
The property is also home to a strong dining portfolio, including Ukiyo, its Japanese-inspired restaurant, which has built significant recognition within India’s dining and hospitality landscape. Ukiyo at The Ritz-Carlton, Pune was ranked #50 on the Condé Nast Traveller Top Restaurant Awards 2024 list of India’s Top 50 Restaurants. It is also featured on the World’s Top 50 Best Discovery list, was recognised as Best Specialty Cuisine at the Travel + Leisure Delicious Dining Awards 2026, and was ranked No. 3 among the Top 25 Restaurants in Hotels at the Hospitality Horizon Top 50 Restaurant Awards 2025.
The property is also home to Aasmana, its rooftop dining destination, adding another draw for travellers exploring Pune’s evolving food and lifestyle scene. TUkiyo continues to build on its Japanese culinary identity through its chapter-based experiences, while Three Kitchens’ Hyper Local – Savour Series celebrates local producers, seasonal ingredients and the unique flavours of India’s regions. The F&B programming also brings global cocktail culture to the city through exclusive bar takeovers and guest shifts by acclaimed international names, including Tres Monos from Argentina, Zuma Hong Kong and The Connaught, London, bringing together distinct global bar experiences under one roof.
For business travellers, the property also lends itself naturally to the growing bleisure trend — extending a work trip into a leisure experience.
Why go: For travellers who want to turn a business visit to Pune into a luxury city break centred around food, lifestyle and the city’s evolving identity.
- JW Marriott Hotel Pune
For travellers looking for a luxury city stay with a strong culinary address
JW Marriott Hotel Pune offers a fresh perspective on urban luxury, seamlessly combining large-scale hospitality with a distinguished food and beverage portfolio designed as a standalone destination for global travellers and local epicures alike. At the heart of the guest journey is an award-winning culinary landscape anchored by two signature dining venues. Tao-Fu celebrates the rich culinary heritage of China through timeless, generational recipes curated by Master Chef Fu Lei, offering a refined, versatile setting complete with an inviting al fresco area, handcrafted zodiac cocktails, and a contemporary aesthetic that earned it a spot among Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best (Fine Dining – India, 2025).
Complementing this is Alto Vino, an elegant Italian sanctuary where Chef Huber crafts authentic regional classics paired with fine international wines and premium spirits, a masterclass in artisanal gastronomy recently awarded Best Sunday Brunch – Premium Dining at the Times Food and Nightlife Awards 2026.
Why go: For an elevated city getaway where every dining experience is a destination in itself, making your epicurean journey just as compelling and essential as the sightseeing.
- Aloft Bengaluru Outer Ring Road
For travellers combining business with Bengaluru’s tech and social scene
Located in Bengaluru’s Marathahalli-Sarjapur tech corridor, Aloft Bengaluru Outer Ring Road puts travellers close to major technology hubs including RMZ Ecoworld, Ecospace, Embassy Tech Village and Prestige Tech Park.
But the property is designed to go beyond the traditional business hotel. Its tech-savvy design, social spaces, rooftop lounge, pool, fitness centre and dining options make it suited to travellers looking to combine a work trip with leisure and social experiences.
The property also has Echo, its cocktails and tapas bar, which has been highlighted by Marriott as an award-winning bar, giving business travellers a natural way to transition from work to Bengaluru’s social scene.
Why go: For travellers turning a Bengaluru business trip into a more social, experience-led city stay.
- Hilton Goa Resort
For travellers looking to experience a slower side of Goa
Goa is often associated with beaches, nightlife and short getaways, but the destination also lends itself to slower, resort-led holidays.
Hilton Goa Resort offers travellers an opportunity to use the resort as a base for a more relaxed Goa itinerary — one that prioritises downtime, leisure and discovering the destination at an unhurried pace.
As part of Ventive’s wider India portfolio, the property also adds a leisure-destination dimension to its presence beyond its strong Pune footprint. Ventive currently lists Hilton Goa Resort among its operational India hotels.
Why go: For repeat Goa travellers looking to move away from the conventional party-and-beach itinerary.
From dining five metres beneath the Indian Ocean and meeting Michelin-starred chefs to private-island escapes and culinary-led city breaks, luxury travel is increasingly being built around what travellers can experience rather than simply where they can stay.
Across its India and Maldives portfolio, Ventive Hospitality reflects this shift through properties that offer very different reasons to travel — whether that is gastronomy, privacy, wellness, leisure or discovering a destination from a new perspective.
This World Tourism Day, the luxury hotel is no longer simply the place you stay. It can be the reason you travel in the first place.
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