In a landmark move that is set to reimagine one of India’s oldest travel traditions in a contemporary world, ‘Tamara Leisure Experiences’ announces the launch of ‘Rae by Tamara’, country’s first faith-intelligent hospitality brand.
At a time when more than 50 percent of India’s domestic travel is pilgrimage journeys, the new venture is centered more understanding the needs of the devotees and the various rituals and its timings Rae by Tamara sets the foundation for a category-defining, experience-led spiritual hospitality ecosystem with the first phase all set to open across 6 major destinations.
‘Raé by Tamara’ will debut its first phase by rebranding owned properties in Guruvayoor and Kumbakonam, as well as our upcoming property in Velankanni. Further ‘Tamara Leisure has asset light properties coming up in Tirupati, Palani, and Tiruvannamalai. While Guruvayoor is set to open doors to pilgrims in the month of July, followed by Kumbakonam by August 2026, Velankanni, Tirupati and Tiruvannamalai will welcome guests in FY27.
Speaking exclusively with ‘Kitchen Herald’, Samir MC, CEO of ‘Tamara Leisure Experiences’ said that Rae by Tamara is all set to be a new benchmark in the hospitality sector. “Rae by Tamara is the first faith-intelligent hospitality sector plant in India. India is quite big in domestic travel. In-fact in 2025 there were around 280 crore domestic tourism visits around the country. Out of this, around 55 percent of the travel has happened in the faith sector which includes all faiths. Here there are multiple types of travelers from all generations. The one gap which we could see when we were evaluating it, we understood that there is a clear gap. Either the customer could get through the traditional Dharamshala as they say is very clean, dependable and comfortable. Now there is the advent of international brands of hotels in most temple towns which have their own standards and protocols. However, those standards are not meeting the purpose of the trip. This is exactly where we are tapping in”, said Samir MC to Kitchen Herald during the launch of their new brand in Thiruvananthapuram.
He further stated that currently majority of the hotels have a fixed menu which caters to all visitors with non-vegetarian and vegetarian cooked in same premises. “Today there is no customized food for pilgrims in hotels adjacent to the shrines. The Rae by Tamara is a concept that is conceptualized only looking at the interests of the devotees. Our analyze indicate that a large number of tourists are ready to take up spiritual tourism, especially those above the age of 50”, he said to Kitchen Herald.
“Here there are 10 different brand hallmarks which will be codified in every single hotel which will ensure that every single traveler who comes here goes through the purpose they came for. For example, our hotel will have kitchens that are designed what the shrine demands for. As an example, if it’s a temple town, it will be a Satwik certified kitchen, similarly if it’s an Islamic religious place it will be a halal-certified kitchen. Similarly, we will be operating strictly in line with the shifts required for the shrine. For example, there is an early morning ‘Nirmalyam’ at Guruvayoor and hence we will ensure that hot water is available for the devotees at that time. Similarly, a majority of the devotees are elderly citizens and hence we will ensure vegetarian food and juices will be made available in the early morning hours”, he said.
Every Rae by Tamara hotel will have a Rae Mithra – a guide who explains to the guest about the pilgrimage center and its history and significance. The Rae Mitra will explain everything required about the shrine to the devotees. At its core, Raé by Tamara is built on the brands larger philosophy of balancing Responsible hospitality and memorable experiences with a clear premise that hospitality in a pilgrimage context must be unobtrusive and deeply aware. The brand, with its name derived from ‘Raé’ meaning a ray of light, radiance and grace is the oldest, most universal metaphor for sacred spanning every religion and belonging to all of them.
