A new chapter in luxury hospitality unfolds as Taj and Amavi bring together the worlds of resort living, second-home ownership and branded real estate in Lonavala.
For more than a century, Taj has built its name around the art of hospitality — grand palaces, landmark city hotels, resorts, safaris and residences that have come to define luxury in India and beyond. Now, Taj, one of India’s most recognisable luxury hospitality brands is taking that legacy into a new category: luxury branded villa ownership.
At an event in Mumbai on August 28, 2026, Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) announced its partnership with Amavi, India’s only hospitality-backed real estate brand, to bring this new vision of luxury living to the Western Ghats.
The name of this new address? Taj Mount Kusur Resort & Villas, Lonavala.
Spread across a 34-acre estate, the development brings together 32 branded villas and a 100-key Taj resort, creating an integrated luxury ecosystem that seeks to combine the privacy and permanence of a second home with the service, amenities and assurance of a hospitality brand.
For Taj, the move represents more than an addition to its portfolio. It signals the evolution of luxury hospitality towards a consumer increasingly seeking space, nature, privacy and ownership — without giving up the convenience and service of a five-star hospitality brand.
Mr. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, IHCL, said, “For over a century, Taj has defined luxury hospitality through its grand palaces, landmark city hotels, safaris and residences. Recognised as the World’s Strongest Luxury Hotel Brand and India’s Strongest Brand, Taj continues to strengthen its position at the forefront of the luxury hospitality sector. The launch of Taj Mount Kusur Resort & Villas marks our entry into the branded villa segment, broadening our portfolio to address evolving consumer preferences while bringing the trust, service excellence and legacy of the brand to a new category of luxury real estate.”
The architecture takes its cues from the contemporary barn aesthetic, with expansive glass façades and generous verandahs designed to create a natural connection between the villas and their surroundings. But it is perhaps the landscape-led planning that gives the development its distinctive character.
At its heart will be a two-acre Wabi-Sabi Central Park, inspired by the Japanese philosophy of finding beauty in simplicity, imperfection and harmony with nature. The landscape will incorporate a Miyawaki forest, nature trails, zen gardens and stargazing decks, alongside golf putting greens, a fitness lawn and multi-purpose sports courts.
The development will also feature Club Amavi, bringing together wellness and recreation facilities, banquet spaces and dining venues within the larger resort ecosystem.
For prospective homeowners, the proposition goes beyond acquiring a second home. The branded villas will be sold as part of the resort inventory through a lease-back programme, while residents will have access to Taj hospitality services including concierge assistance, housekeeping, maintenance and the resort’s leisure and wellness facilities.
In effect, the model seeks to remove one of the biggest inconveniences associated with second-home ownership: having a beautiful property that becomes another responsibility to manage.
Mr. Apurv Kumar, Managing Director, Clarks Group of Hotels and Founder, Amavi, described the philosophy behind the development: “Second homes are bought to create more time — time with family, time in nature and time for oneself. Yet too often, they become another responsibility. At Amavi, our purpose is to change that. Taj Mount Kusur Resort and Villas brings together the privacy and permanence of a home with the care and service of Taj hospitality.”
That proposition is particularly relevant to Lonavala, one of Maharashtra’s most established leisure and second-home destinations. Located between Mumbai and Pune, the hill station has long drawn weekend travellers and second-home seekers with its valleys, lakes, waterfalls and proximity to two of India’s major metropolitan centres.
The Taj-Amavi development, however, places that familiar second-home proposition into a distinctly new category — branded luxury real estate backed by hospitality.
Mr. Sachin Agrawal and Mr. Bajrang Bararia, Founders, Amavi, said the project has been conceived around the growing demand for residential experiences that combine design, nature and hospitality, with low-density planning, integrated amenities and professionally managed services.
The partnership also reflects a wider shift in luxury consumption. For today’s affluent traveller and second-home buyer, luxury is increasingly less about sheer scale and more about time, privacy, experience and ease. A professionally managed villa within a luxury hospitality environment offers precisely that intersection.
And this is where the Taj name becomes particularly significant.
For more than a century, Taj has built its reputation around creating places that carry a sense of occasion — from landmark city hotels and grand palaces to resorts, safaris and residences. With Taj Mount Kusur Resort & Villas, that hospitality legacy is being extended from staying in a Taj to owning a home within its hospitality ecosystem.
For Lonavala, it adds another dimension to an already evolving luxury landscape. For Amavi, it brings the credibility and service architecture of a global luxury hospitality name into its real-estate proposition. And for Taj, it opens the door to a category where hospitality, ownership and lifestyle increasingly converge.
Taj Mount Kusur Resort & Villas may therefore be more than a new address in Lonavala. It could mark the beginning of a new chapter in how India’s luxury consumer defines the second home.
About the Project
Taj Mount Kusur Resort and Villas is being developed across a 34-acre estate in Lonavala, Maharashtra, with 32 branded villas and a 100-key Taj resort. The integrated development includes landscaped open spaces, Wabi-Sabi Central Park, wellness and recreation facilities, dining and banquet venues, nature trails and other lifestyle amenities. The villas will be offered through a lease-back programme and integrated into the resort inventory, with homeowners receiving access to select Taj hospitality and resort services.
