EP Perspective March 2017

INTERNATIONAL: VIVAANA CULTURE HOTEL
PRESERVING THE PAST
EP speaks to Shiven Khanna on how he and his family
meticulously restored a 19th century Haveli in India and
turned it into the Vivaana Culture Hotel.
Restoring antiques, artwork and buildings runs in the Khanna
blood. Shiven and his farther opened the Vivaana Culture Hotel four
years ago following a long restoration process. Their story is one of
passion, reward, hope and preserving beauty forever.
“My mother and father, Atul and Devna, are an entrepreneurial
couple and together we found a haveli in Mandawa, Rajasthan. A
haveli is a mansion in India. My father said on his 50th birthday he
wanted to do something different and due to his love of restoration, so
we decided to transform the beautiful property into a hotel.”
“When we purchased the haveli we also wanted the one next door to
ensure the hotel had enough rooms and space. However the owner of
this second haveli said we could not see inside until we have purchased
the property. We were under the assumption the inside would need
much restoration and would be in a poor condition. However, to
our surprise and delight once we had purchased the property we
discovered it actually contained the best painted frescos and some
were so beautiful we decided to use the spaces as public areas and not
turn them into bedrooms.”
Shiven recalls how they had to install water and electricity with the
whole restoration taking quite a long time. The experience was all
very new to the family because none of them had a hotel background.
However, they tackled it head on and the Vivaana Culture Hotel has now
been open for four years and is doing well. The Khanna’s have gone on
to purchase other properties in Delhi and are in the process of restoring
a smaller 1850s mansion with the aim of providing a glimpse of how life
was back then. As with Vivaana they are restoring and maintaining the
character of the buildings but with the modern necessities the modern
traveller craves. This has become their family’s passion and why they
undertook and continue to restore these grand charming properties.
“We want guest to see the unique Mandawa district and use us as a
window into the culture and heritage of the surroundings. At Vivaana
we focus on many public areas for our guests and include a gallery
walk through within the haveli.”
“We have embraced the community around us and now the person
who looked after the property during the restoration shows our guests
his home and sells drinks when they visit. We feel this experience
of viewing local homes and culture is very important. We also work
closely with a local farm who provide camel tours, guests can see
what’s around the area this way and our community feel we are
supporting them by bringing them business.”
Within the haveli are painted frescos which are over a hundred years
old. They show Hindu Gods and Goddesses as well as everyday life.
46 | Perspective | March 2017