Hotel Carlton in Lucknow

Hotel Carlton in Lucknow was owned by Shri Nathji’s devotee of 1940’s Shri Ranjeet Singh. He also had a house, Pleasance, at Mussorie, where Shri Nathji cars were often been kept due to lack of adequate garages for keeping the cars. HH Priya Nathji was called for a Commonwealth Scholarship at Lucknow. The interview was to be held at Carlton Hotel there. That’s how Priya Nathji got to meet Shri Ranjit Singh who was pleasantly surprised to meet Shri Nathji’s son. However he did not offer him a room at his hotel saying it was full. Thus Priya Nath booked a room in another hotel close by. The interview went beautifully, but was probably made infructuous  by Ranjit Singh’s helpful gestures in taking to the interviewer and recommending HH Priya Nath afterwards. 

Hotel Carlton is located at Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, near the commercial hub of Hazratganj. It used to be a a luxurious as well as favorable retreat of travelers looking for relaxation. Even now the hotel boasts of being approved by the Government. Facilities like well configured banquett halls, beauty parlor, gift shop and other amenities place it in the bracket of top notch hotels. But it is not well kept and up to date as it used to be in old times. Carlton Hotel, built in 1890 by Lincoln Savoy. The Carlton Hotel is set way back from the main road, behind huge entrance gates, behind which a long curving drive takes you to a 17th century palace, converted sometime in the last century to a hotel. 

One enters a musty lobby, past a moldly stuffed tiger in a glass box, up a sweeping staircase, a dank, dark ballroom where a chandelier swings silently in the gloom , you come to a large verandah that runs the length of the upper floor of the hotel. Opulence is still present here, but it is rapidly fading, the 1920's furniture and brass taps all crumbling away into itself. The Carlton is a museum in itself to another world, where chota pegs and imperialism ran hand in hand....impressive as the architecture is, the Carlton is something of a scary place at night for some as it is dimly lit and too quiet. Uniquely, the restaurant is in the garden, and the food is good. You will enjoy the atmosphere and sitting on the verandah in the cool breeze after nightfall. Rooms are large with a sitting area, bed area, dressing room and big bathroom, for fans of the past a great experience. So a great comfortable place with rich nostalgia. Though Modernity has forgotten the Carlton completely, the basic amenities are good enough.