The Pataudi Palace is a grand ancestral property owned by Bollywood actor, Saif Ali Khan. Also known as Ibrahim Kothi, The Pataudi Palace was built by the last ruling Nawab of Pataudi, Iftikhar Ali Khan for his begum. He wanted his wife to live in a grand house as she was the Begum of Bhopal and had a royal upbringing. That’s why in 1972, the 8th Nawab of Pataudi asked Robert Tor Russell to design the Pataudi Palace as colonial-era mansions of Imperial Delhi.
What is The Cost of Pataudi Palace?
Well, we do not know the exact amount of this palace. What we do know is that Saif Ali Khan paid a whopping Rs 800 crores to get back his ancestral property. His father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi had leased the royal palace to Francis Wacziarg and Aman Nath. They are the owners of the Neemrana Hotels network of “non-hotel hotels”. They operated the Pataudi Palace as a hotel from 2005 to 2014. Later, they offered Saif Ali Khan a deal to pay a certain amount to pay off the lease and get back his property.
In an interview with a media house, Saif Ali Khan had once said, “When my father died, the palace was rented to Neemrana Hotels. Aman (Nath) and Francis (Wacziarg) used to run (the hotel). Francis passed away. He’d said that if I wanted (the palace) back, I could let him know. I said that I want it back. They held a conference, and said, okay, you have to give us lots of money.” He further said, ” It was a fair financial arrangement, and contrary to reports, I did not have to buy it back because I already owned it.”
Can You Book a Room in Pataudi Palace?
The palace was open to tourists from 2005 to 2014 and you could have booked a room here during that time. But now, it is no longer a heritage hotel and you cannot stay here.