Summit Hotels & Resorts Reimagines Its Portfolio Around Spiritual, Off‑beat and Premium Travel

When you think of hospitality in the Eastern Himalayas, the name Summit Hotels & Resorts usually springs to mind. After 18 years of building hotels across the foothills, the chain is now flipping the script. Instead of asking ‘where can we open a property?’, it’s asking ‘why are people traveling?’ and shaping its growth around three very different motivations.

First up is the Mandir Collection. This isn’t just another hotel brand; it’s a nod to India’s deep‑rooted pilgrim culture. The debut property, Summit Salasar – The Mandir Collection, will open in the holy town of Salasar, Rajasthan. Imagine comfortable rooms, Satvik (pure‑vegetarian) dining, wellness corners and spaces designed for community prayer or meditation. The plan? Replicate the formula in other major pilgrimage spots, turning spiritual journeys into seamless hospitality experiences.

Then there’s the Offbeat Collection, a name that feels like a whisper of adventure. Summit has long been good at spotting places that tourists haven’t yet discovered – think hidden valleys before they become Instagram hotspots. This new vertical bundles together resorts like Summit Enigma Resort & Spa in Lamahatta, Summit Sherpa Mountain Hotel & Spa in Deolo, Kalimpong, Summit Bougainvillea Tea Resort in Kurseong and Summit Tashi Ghang Heritage Resort in Pelling. The next target? Samthar – still a name most travelers haven’t heard, but a gem the company hopes to put on the map.

Finally, the Signature Collection rolls out the red carpet for luxury travelers who want the high‑end experience to echo the character of the place they’re visiting. Here we find Summit Norbu Ghang in Gangtok and Rungkhung Village Resort in Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh – both projects that marry upscale amenities with the rugged charm of the Northeast.

“India’s next big hospitality opportunities won’t just pop up in already‑busy cities,” says Sumit Mitruka, CEO of Summit Hotels & Resorts. “We see a sweet spot where changing travel motivations meet destinations that are still maturing. The Mandir Collection taps faith‑driven trips, Offbeat lets us get there before the crowds, and Signature offers a curated luxury narrative. It’s about being early and staying relevant as demand deepens.”

In short, Summit is betting on the why, not just the where. By aligning its portfolio with spiritual seekers, curiosity‑driven explorers and luxury connoisseurs, the chain hopes to stay ahead of the curve – and perhaps rewrite the playbook for hospitality growth in India’s northeast and beyond.