Some say the biggest mistake in hospitality is trying to be something for everyone. Hotel Irada, however, refuses to pick a lane. Set on 66 acres, the 32-key estate outside Pune is at once a wine hotel with longstanding vineyard credentials, a design showcase where retro-chic meets country charm, and a wellness retreat offering yoga therapies and bespoke meal plans. In most cases, trying to be everything can end up meaning very little. But Hotel Irada, owned by hospitality entrepreneur Yash Malhotra and designed by the Kerala-based studio Humming Tree, makes it work while staying true to a very specific vision.

“We’re a contemporary take on what an Indian country estate could be,” says Yash. Formerly Vijay Mallya’s winery, the property still reads architecturally as a French château – neoclassical, sandy-hued, and symmetrical, with a towering clock tower and picturesque courtyard. Inside, however, Humming Tree’s Afnan and Arun have filled the rooms with eclectic layers: Parisian flea-market finds, print-on-print collisions, and mid-century furniture holding it all together.

In the lobby, a wall-to-wall carpet offers a preview of what lies ahead: pool time, padel, wining, and dining. Much like the rug, the property unfolds around how you choose to spend your time. Guests can tour the château’s processing units before guided tastings in the airy, arched wine cellar. Above, the Pool Club’s chequered pool is ringed with sunbeds and outdoor sofas for post-swim lounging, while the red-fenced racquet club hosts padel and pickleball. Nyāsa, the spa, offers Ayurvedic treatments alongside a hot plunge, steam room, and yoga deck. For dining, there’s Rosso, the Italian restaurant whose layout is designed to both host intimate conversations and spark them, as well as the Pool Club’s glass-walled restaurant Lola for easy all-day dishes.

Everything centres on the inner courtyard, set with wrought-iron furniture, forest-green parasols, and wooden games at every table. All the rooms in the main house wrap around it, facing either inward, or out toward the vineyards. Each room here, and in the newly built West Wing – formerly a wine shed, layers texture and pattern with a sophistication that feels warm and intriguing. The most distinctive element, however, is the art: over 150 pieces sourced from Parisian flea markets and galleries between Mumbai and Kerala give the hotel the feel of a well-travelled collector’s home.

More than a design metaphor, collecting is part of Hotel Irada’s origin story. Yash spent years gathering impressions from hotels around the world: details, experiences, and moments that struck him, synthesising all of it into a single statement. That same curatorial impulse extends to bringing together some of the country’s best makers and creatives in the spirit of collaboration over commission. From Jaipur Rugs to a Subko coffee corner to Humming Tree’s interiors, the estate buzzes with collaborators at the top of their craft, each with a distinct point of view.
The result is a property that can tune itself to different rhythms. Some guests immerse themselves in the wellness programmes; others arrive for wine weekends and spend their time touring the processing units. Design enthusiasts can treat the estate like a gallery walk. At Hotel Irada, you can carve your own path – or change course entirely. Wine aficionados might discover sound baths; wellness seekers can end their evenings with a glass of house wine in the courtyard. Whether treated as a quiet escape or an activity-filled stay – from forest walks and mini golf to cocktail masterclasses and pottery workshops – the multitudes coexist because the hotel was built around one simple idea: that a place can hold a clear, specific point of view while still leaving room for everyone. hotelirada.com