India, Sept. 27 -- A five-star room, a fancy breakfast and someone opening the car door used to tick many of the boxes for luxury travel. Today, Indian travellers seem to be asking a more practical question: what am I actually getting from this stay? The answer is increasingly about time, privacy, personalisation, food, wellness and a genuine connection with the place.

Santosh Shetty, General Manager, Taj Palace, Lucknow, says the shift is quite clear. "Today, luxury is less about simply having access to a five-star address and more about how a stay makes a guest feel."

That change is showing up across different kinds of luxury hotels, from city properties to nature retreats. At Taj Palace, Lucknow, the destination itself becomes part o...