The Lalit Suri Hospitality said Thursday it has "very successfully" operated The Lalit Grand Palace hotel in Srinagar without shutting it even during the height of militancy.
This 100-year-old palace was a landmark hotel in Srinagar, and the first five-star hotel to come up in the city, a spokesperson said, denying media reports that it was not a luxury hotel.
The hotel received the Best Heritage Hotel 2009-10 award from the tourism ministry and the Travel Plus award from India Today Group in 2008-09.
The spokesperson said the group bought the palace in 1998 "when militancy was at its peak and many residents were vacating the Kashmir Valley.
"The Palace was abandoned for a decade and was in a dilapidated condition, wherein the group invested substantially to restore (its) beauty...
"Over the years (it) has been operating it even when conditions have been most difficult. (It) was not shut even for a single day during the difficult times," the spokesperson said.
