Modern building with red brick walls, large windows, and a central water feature with a tree, overlooking a garden and the ocean under a blue sky.

August 6, 2026

Words: Peter Webster

Photography: Harshan Thomson

Exhale In The Taj Puri Resort & Spa

On 5 oceanside acres along the Bay of Bengal, the 96-key property unfolds as a series of open, cross-ventilated spaces shaped equally by the region’s coastal landscape and artisanal heritage. The arrival lobby sets the tone: a shaded, airy volume animated by sea breezes, leading into public zones where carved local stone, hand-worked metal, and fine woodwork appear not as embellishment but as integral architecture.

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Across the common areas, plastered surfaces register shifting daylight, as flooring cast in situ from recycled marble waste introduces a subtly mottled sheen underfoot. The three restaurants and lounge bar are softened by colors and textures drawn from the locale’s natural and cultural palette, grounding contemporary forms in vernacular traditions. Guest rooms—all oriented toward the bay—continue the dialogue, framing the horizon while layering invitingly tactile, quietly expressive materials. The result is a sensory environment that feels both authentically rooted and freshly imagined, where climate, craft, and shoreline rhythms work in concert.

Taj Puri Resort & Spa, India by HBA International, Hospitality Giants #1

  • Modern building with red brick walls, large windows, and a central water feature with a tree, overlooking a garden and the ocean under a blue sky.
  • A person walks down a curved hallway with wooden floors; the foreground shows a vertical art installation made of stacked red and white discs.
  • Two white massage beds with rolled towels are positioned in a modern, softly-lit spa room with curved walls, wooden floors, and tall arc floor lamps.
  • Person walking on a glass-walled corridor in a modern brick building, with green plants in the foreground and other buildings visible in the background.
  • Modern living room with a curved sofa, round coffee table, black chair, built-in shelves, large windows with a garden and ocean view, and a woven ceiling light fixture.
  • Modern hotel room with a double bed, wooden accents, mosaic tile floor, coral bench, two nightstands, wall art, and a ceiling fan.

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