Araya Bagh New Delhi: A new venue for the uber rich to host events

Catering Collective's collaboration with Tarun Tahiliani Design Studio is an evolution of the customised luxury catering and banqueting sectors

By Darielle Britto Forbes India Staff

Published: Jun 6, 2023 09:58:05 AM IST

Updated: Jun 6, 2023 12:24:50 PM IST

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Araya Bagh, launched this February, is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between luxury catering company Catering Collective and Tahiliani Design Studio. Image: Amit Mehra

Competition in the luxury venue and catering markets in India can be fierce, especially when customisation, personalisation, and immersive experiences are the new norm.

Standing out requires staying ahead of the game and taking a fresh and innovative approach to creating unique experiences.

Newly launched luxury venue Araya Bagh New Delhi combines exquisite design with innovative cuisine, and personalised high-end hospitality to create a unique space in a first-of-its-kind collaboration between luxury catering company Catering Collective and Tahiliani Design Studio. The goal was to design an exclusive venue that is adaptable to various sizes and occasions under the umbrella of luxury and bespoke events for clients who want five-star hospitality experiences outside of mainstream hotels. The standalone venue, launched this February, was brought to life with the finest elements from the worlds of fashion, art and catering to offer flexibility, innovation and tailor-made options.

Also read: The increasing grandeur of the great Indian wedding

“Fashion and hospitality are closely intertwined, especially in India, where extravagant weddings take centre stage in the hospitality industry, showcasing the finest fashion,” says Tarun Tahiliani, director of Tahiliani Design Pvt Ltd. “Having experience in both fields, it was an exciting opportunity to merge them.” Araya Bagh New Delhi integrates Tahiliani’s signature styles—Indian with a modern and clean feel—with Catering Collective’s innovative cuisine and world-class hospitality.

“Blue Sea and Pavitra, which are award-winning luxury catering brands by Catering Collective in Mumbai, offer unique culinary experiences that Delhi has not seen before,” says Karan Kapur, executive director, K Hospitality, the parent company of Catering Collective. It offers a variety of cuisine options, while collaborating with other high-end luxury partners, including international chefs. “Being agile and able to deliver the smallest detail, right from the choice of flowers to the display of a dish being served, is what sets the top venues and caterers apart and helps them exceed the expectations of today’s discerning luxury guests.”

The glass-ceiling vestibules are the venue’s standout features, as they provide natural light, increase ceiling height, and allow for sectioning off areas. Image: Amit Mehra

With his experience in ballrooms and wedding décor, Tahiliani used architectural elements to create an immersive atmosphere that would bring together different worlds in a seamless manner. “A well-designed ballroom or space allows people to personalise its look,” says Tahiliani. “Jaali designs were particularly favoured, incorporated in doors, windows, mirrors, and glass, alongside beautiful inlays. The entrance featured simple inlays, and we utilised diverse Indian flooring styles with intricate mosaic patterns, achieving a special ambience without appearing overwhelming.”

Two large, glass-ceiling vestibules are the venue’s standout features, as they provide natural light, increase ceiling height, and allow for sectioning off areas. “I've always admired how black-tie events and weddings abroad reveal different spaces as the evening progresses,” says Tahiliani. “Araya Bagh New Delhi had the potential for such an arrangement, along with a lovely garden and terraces where guests could relax. We also made sure to position the dance floor slightly away to prevent overcrowding and accommodate non-dancers.”

Jaali designs were particularly favoured, incorporated in doors, windows, mirrors, and glass, alongside beautiful inlays. Image: Photo Stories by INSIDEME

Catering Collective’s legacy in the high-end hospitality sector and vision to bring a unique signature space is what attracted Tahiliani to the project: “We saw a great sync in our collective thought to create a space that blends luxury and functionality, adaptable to host events and celebrations of all kinds and sizes.” Catering Collective has executed numerous events for high-end clients, including the Ambani family, Piramal family, actor Shah Rukh Khan and Yash Raj Studios/Chopra Family.

Kapur believes Araya Bagh New Delhi is a natural step forward in the evolution of the luxury catering and banqueting sector in India: “Consumers have been looking for luxurious and unique spaces to host their celebrations, and innovation in the catering sector is shifting customers away from star hotels.” Based on customer feedback and behaviour, Kapur believes signature venues outside of mainstream hotels will gain momentum. “We have already received more enquiries than available dates, which is approximately 600 enquiries and counting,” he adds.

For Nitya Bagri, co-founder, A New Knot, a Mumbai-based event management company that has completed over 100 HNI weddings, a venue, regardless of whether it is a standalone or hotel, must cater to the service level desired and offer three key aspects—food and service, ambience and flexibility. “If a venue is specialising in weddings, they will get all the key aspects ticked, which makes it easy for the family to focus on the personalisation and hospitality to make their function unique,” she says. However, Bagri does believe in fostering more collaborations like this as it will benefit the industry. “Collaborations with the best teams is the only way to deliver the best solutions to clients.”

Also read: I want my clothes to speak to the world that they are from India: Rahul Mishra

Kapur agrees that a collaborative effort of multiple stakeholders with their expertise will add more value to the overall event and present the best holistic experience. “We can see a similar trend picking up in the wedding space as well, with event planners, catering partners, décor partners, alco-bev partners, mixologists, makeup artistes and couturiers coming together to collaborate creatively in the future,” he says.