crown

Subscribe Now

FOLLOW US

Sign in

Photos: End of the road for Centaur Hotel, the Maharaja’s old haunt

It once boasted one of the city’s best Chinese restaurants, and was one of the capital’s most luxurious hotels, but time (and business) have not been kind to Delhi's Centaur Hotel. Run by a subsidiary of state-owned Air India — it is named after the airline’s old logo, the centaur — and it will close its doors to customers on October 31, and make way for an elevated taxiway to the airport, ending years of its fate in limbo.

Updated on: Aug 02, 2019 12:59 PM IST

Share via

Copy link

1/7

The hotel, built as part of New Delhi’s preparation for the 1982 Asian Games, will be demolished by the end of the year and replaced by an elevated taxiway that will enhance the capacity of the Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) -- the country’s busiest airport. The Centaur’s last act has played out across a decade. (Amal KS / HT Photo)

Updated on Aug 02, 2019 12:59 PM

The hotel, built as part of New Delhi’s preparation for the 1982 Asian Games, will be demolished by the end of the year and replaced by an elevated taxiway that will enhance the capacity of the Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) -- the country’s busiest airport. The Centaur’s last act has played out across a decade. (Amal KS / HT Photo)

2/7

A view of the hotel’s lobby. Its demolition will leave Hotel Corporation of India with just the Lake View Centaur in Srinagar. The Delhi Centaur’s peers in Mumbai, the Airport Centaur and the Juhu Centaur, had better luck. They were both sold as part of the first National Democratic Alliance’s disinvestment drive. The Delhi Centaur wasn’t so lucky. (Amal KS / HT Photo)

Updated on Aug 02, 2019 12:59 PM

A view of the hotel’s lobby. Its demolition will leave Hotel Corporation of India with just the Lake View Centaur in Srinagar. The Delhi Centaur’s peers in Mumbai, the Airport Centaur and the Juhu Centaur, had better luck. They were both sold as part of the first National Democratic Alliance’s disinvestment drive. The Delhi Centaur wasn’t so lucky. (Amal KS / HT Photo)

3/7

Hotel employees remember how posh the Centaur, with its glass lift and huge lobby, was in the 1980s. Of its 376 rooms, only around 100 are now operational. The rest haven’t been refurbished, or even maintained. Apart from the employees, the staff of Air India will also miss the hotel, which was the mandatory halt for crews spending the night in the city. (Amal KS / HT Photo)

Updated on Aug 02, 2019 12:59 PM

Hotel employees remember how posh the Centaur, with its glass lift and huge lobby, was in the 1980s. Of its 376 rooms, only around 100 are now operational. The rest haven’t been refurbished, or even maintained. Apart from the employees, the staff of Air India will also miss the hotel, which was the mandatory halt for crews spending the night in the city. (Amal KS / HT Photo)

4/7

The Centaur hotel may have been a victim of the rapid development Delhi saw in the late 1980s and 1990s. The Shaolin restaurant that used to see long queues has been closed for over 10 years now. The Indian restaurant, Rasoi and the watering hole, among the most important requirements of an airport hotel, Soma Bar, aren’t operational either because the management doesn’t have enough money for maintenance. (Amal KS / HT Photo)

Updated on Aug 02, 2019 12:59 PM

The Centaur hotel may have been a victim of the rapid development Delhi saw in the late 1980s and 1990s. The Shaolin restaurant that used to see long queues has been closed for over 10 years now. The Indian restaurant, Rasoi and the watering hole, among the most important requirements of an airport hotel, Soma Bar, aren’t operational either because the management doesn’t have enough money for maintenance. (Amal KS / HT Photo)

5/7

Although vast parts of the hotel have been closed it still requires ₹40-50 crore for maintenance. “There was always confusion whether to invest money in the hotel or not since there was no clarity when it would be demolished… We did our best to revive it but with lack of money and confusion over the land, it was always a difficult task,” said Pankaj Kumar, CEO of the hotel. (Amal KS / HT Photo)

Updated on Aug 02, 2019 12:59 PM

Although vast parts of the hotel have been closed it still requires ₹40-50 crore for maintenance. “There was always confusion whether to invest money in the hotel or not since there was no clarity when it would be demolished… We did our best to revive it but with lack of money and confusion over the land, it was always a difficult task,” said Pankaj Kumar, CEO of the hotel. (Amal KS / HT Photo)

6/7

The hotel’s main source of revenue are the flight kitchens, which service Air India and cook up 8,000 meals a day. At any point, less than 10% of the rooms are occupied by visitors with the rest occupied by Air India crew. “I remember cooking for over 1,000 guests in a day back then but hardly anyone comes here now,” said Kishan Bahadur, a cook at the hotel since 1982. (Amal KS / HT Photo)

Updated on Aug 02, 2019 12:59 PM

The hotel’s main source of revenue are the flight kitchens, which service Air India and cook up 8,000 meals a day. At any point, less than 10% of the rooms are occupied by visitors with the rest occupied by Air India crew. “I remember cooking for over 1,000 guests in a day back then but hardly anyone comes here now,” said Kishan Bahadur, a cook at the hotel since 1982. (Amal KS / HT Photo)

7/7

And then there’s the staff. Initially numbering over 500, their retirements didn’t come with replacements and the Centaur is now left with about 100 staff, most of whom have less than five years of service left. Since they are permanent staff, they will be offered postings in other cities but the only hospitality business Air India is left with, is a catering unit in Mumbai. (Amal KS / HT Photo)

Updated on Aug 02, 2019 12:59 PM

And then there’s the staff. Initially numbering over 500, their retirements didn’t come with replacements and the Centaur is now left with about 100 staff, most of whom have less than five years of service left. Since they are permanent staff, they will be offered postings in other cities but the only hospitality business Air India is left with, is a catering unit in Mumbai. (Amal KS / HT Photo)

Related Photos

Home/Photos/News/Photos: End Of The Road For Centaur Hotel, The Maharaja’s Old Haunt

© 2026 HindustanTimes