The resort partnership marks the start of a broader expansion as wellness takes a larger role in Ananta’s hospitality strategy
ELE|NA is expanding its Indian operations through a partnership with Ananta Hotels & Resorts, with Ananta Spa & Resort in Ajabgarh serving as the first property under the agreement. The wellness company will take responsibility for developing and operating the resort’s new sanctuary under its ELE|NA Ayur concept.
The project places wellness more firmly within the overall resort experience rather than treating the spa as a separate amenity. This approach fits the existing positioning of the 30-acre Ajabgarh resort, where accommodation and architecture are already organized around elements of nature and the surrounding landscape.
ELE|NA takes over the wellness operation
Under the partnership, ELE|NA will oversee the concept, treatment program, staff training and daily operation of the wellness facilities. The company, which has developed spa and wellness operations in the Maldives and India, is using Ajabgarh as the starting point for a wider collaboration with Ananta.
The new two-storey facility will have nine treatment rooms as well as areas for meditation and movement. Hydrothermal facilities, hot-and-cold therapies and dedicated spaces for relaxation and sound-based treatments will broaden the offer beyond conventional massage and beauty services.
Programs will cover massage and bodywork, skincare, movement, breathing practices, sleep, nutrition and water- and sound-based experiences.
Rajasthan landscape becomes part of the experience
The resort’s location in the Aravalli hills is central to the concept. Instead of confining wellness activities to treatment rooms, the program will extend into the surrounding landscape through guided walks, forest bathing, outdoor meditation and other nature-based activities.
Regional influences will also appear in selected treatments and rituals, while yoga, relaxation practices and creative activities will form part of a changing program for guests. This builds on Ananta Ajabgarh’s existing emphasis on holistic wellness and its setting near the Aravallis.
“Few settings give you as much to work with as Ajabgarh: the forest, the hills, the dark skies,” said Heidi Grimwood, Senior Vice President of ELE|NA. “Our task is simply to open the door to all of it and to hold the sanctuary to a standard guests will travel for.”
Wellness extends beyond spa treatments
A four-week activity cycle is planned around the themes of Earth, Water, Fire and Air. Alongside physical and mental wellbeing, the program will incorporate creative and environmental activities.
Nature walks, pottery, sound sessions, stargazing and tree planting are among the experiences planned. The approach reflects a broader development in resort wellness in which activities, surroundings, nutrition and relaxation are combined into the guest stay rather than offered exclusively through individual spa treatments.
Ajabgarh already provides an appropriate setting for such a model. The resort comprises 135 villas across approximately 30 acres, with accommodation concepts inspired by natural elements.
Partnership planned to extend to further resorts
For Ananta, the cooperation also represents a longer-term investment in wellness hospitality. Ajabgarh is intended to be the first of several properties developed with ELE|NA.
“Ajabgarh was built around the land it stands on,” said Mukund Goyal, Chairman of Ananta Hotels & Resorts. “The villas are grouped by element, most of the thirty acres is left as landscape and the fort on the ridge has been there far longer than we have. A wellness sanctuary belongs in a setting like this.”
The wider partnership gives ELE|NA an opportunity to expand its footprint in India while allowing Ananta to develop wellness as a more substantial component of its resort portfolio. At Ajabgarh, the result is a model in which accommodation, landscape and wellness programming are intended to function as parts of the same travel experience.
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