Delhi's The Imperial has added another line to its credentials: the hotel's in-house spa was named Best Hotel Spa in India at the 12th Annual World Spa Awards, putting a 1930s-era landmark firmly on the wellness map for 2026.
What sets The Imperial Spa apart is its architecture. The space layers Moroccan arches and detailing over Mughal and Indian design touches, with light and craft used deliberately to create a calm, almost meditative feel. It is an unusual aesthetic for an Indian hotel spa, and clearly part of why the judges took notice.
The facilities are substantial rather than token. There are ten treatment rooms, hydrotherapy areas, and dedicated couples' suites. The treatment menu leans on both worlds: traditional Ayurvedic rituals built around bespoke oils sit alongside contemporary therapies, all delivered by trained therapists. Senior Executive Vice President Louis Sailer called the win a celebration of the team's commitment to excellence, thanking both Indian and international guests.
The wellness offering stretches beyond the treatment rooms. Resident guests get access to the hotel's iconic colonnaded pool, and there is a Yoga Sanctum — a dedicated space for private sessions with yoga masters, plus workshops and retreats. Separate men's and women's salons round out the facilities, giving city visitors a proper escape without leaving the hotel.
Why it matters for travellers: Delhi is often treated as a transit point on an India itinerary — a night or two either side of a flight, squeezed between Agra and Rajasthan. The Imperial, on Janpath just off Connaught Place, makes a strong case for slowing down. If you are ending a long trip or battling jet lag at the start of one, a hotel spa of this calibre turns a stopover into a genuine recovery day. The award also signals where India's luxury wellness scene is heading: heritage hotels investing heavily in spa programming rather than treating it as an amenity.
Wellness-focused travellers comparing India's big-name hotel spas — the Oberois, the Tajs, Ananda in the Himalayas — now have a fresh 2026 data point to weigh. Note that the pool and some facilities are reserved for resident guests, so if the full experience is the point, book a room rather than a day pass. The Imperial itself is worth the stay regardless: a heritage property with colonial-era art and one of Delhi's best-regarded restaurants, The Spice Route, on site.
For anyone building a wellness-forward India trip, pairing a stay here with an Ayurvedic retreat elsewhere in the country would give you both the urban luxury take and the traditional destination version of the same tradition. — Breaking Travel News
