The Himalayan Woodcroft hotel opens 41 rooms facing snow-capped Churdhar peak in Himachal Pradesh, India

IHCL, the Indian group behind the Taj brand, announces the opening of the Himalayan Woodcroft: 41 rooms on a hillside facing snow-capped Churdhar peak, in Himachal Pradesh. The hotel joins SeleQtions, the group’s upscale collection, at 12,499 rupees (€119) a night before tax on the official website. It arrives about two years after the date set when it was signed in 2023, and with one room fewer.

41 rooms on six acres of pine and oak

The Himalayan Woodcroft occupies six acres, or about 2.4 hectares, in the Sirmaur hills, beside the Solan-Nahan expressway. The estate is surrounded by pines and banj oaks, a local species, and looks out over the valley and snow-capped Churdhar peak. IHCL’s press release presents the 41 rooms as independent cottages, laid out like a hillside hamlet.

For Bijayan Sinha, Hotel Manager, the property gives guests the chance to discover the natural beauty and tranquillity of Sirmaur. “We look forward to welcoming travellers to this hillside escape”, he adds in the press release.

Stone and cedar, the way the region builds

The hotel adopts the Kathkuni style, a traditional way of building in this mountain region that pairs local stone with deodar, the Himalayan cedar. The same materials appear indoors: wooden walls, textiles with Himachali motifs, meaning specific to the state, and large openings onto the landscape. According to the press release, the windows face the valley and every unit has a private outdoor space.

From 36 to 60 m², up to a terrace jacuzzi

The official website lists three categories. The Superior Room measures 36 m². The Premium Room rises to 54 m², with a bathtub facing the forest. The SeleQtions Suite with Jacuzzi, the largest, reaches 60 m² and puts its jacuzzi on the terrace.

What to do here? Pool, fitness and the Mist bar

The pool follows the curves of the hill and overlooks the valley. A fitness centre completes it: these are the two wellness facilities listed on the hotel’s official page.

For dining, Woodcroft Nest serves Indian, regional and international cuisine all day. The more intimate Mist bar looks towards the valley for the end of the day.

12,499 rupees a night, or €119 before tax

We checked prices on the official website on 6 November 2026, for the night of 7 to 8 November, for two adults, breakfast included and excluding 18% tax. The Superior costs 12,499 rupees (€119), or 14,749 rupees (€141) including tax. The Premium costs 18,499 rupees (€176). The suite was not available on that date.

Members pay 10,624 rupees (€101) for the Superior. The New Beginnings opening offer, 20% off bookings and stays from 22 October 2026 to 31 January 2027, brings it down to 9,999 rupees (€95) for them. The festive season costs far more: on the same day the official calendar showed a minimum of 28,000 rupees (€267) for 24 December. Conversions use 104.86 rupees to €1, the ECB rate of 6 November.

Two years behind the 2023 schedule

The project is not new. The signing press release of 19 October 2023 planned 42 rooms and a 2024 opening, in an existing building, with the developer Dolphin Terra Firma. Nor is the state new to IHCL: at the time the group was announcing five hotels there, this one included.

Gaurav Pokhariyal, Chief Operating Officer, Full-Service Business at IHCL, links the opening to leisure demand in emerging markets, driven by travellers seeking “experiences rooted in destination and local character”. “SeleQtions celebrates hotels with a strong sense of place and individual character”, he says in the press release.

The group is moving forward elsewhere in India: a resort on the shore of Chilika Lake, in Odisha, 35 villas on the edge of the Tadoba tiger reserve and the Taj brand in three airports.