Shimla Welcomes Cloud 7 Hotel The Forest as Kerten Hospitality Accelerates India Expansion With 1,000-Key Ambition

Kerten Hospitality has opened Cloud 7 Hotel The Forest Shimla in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, on 26 October 2026, bringing its Cloud 7 lifestyle hospitality concept to one of northern India’s established mountain tourism destinations as the international hotel group advances plans to build a 1,000-key portfolio in India. The opening extends the group’s experience-led model into the Himalayas, combining accommodation, food and beverage, wellness, local culture and community-focused experiences while giving Kerten Hospitality another platform for expanding its Cloud 7, hosme and The House Hotel brands across the country. Kerten Hospitality’s official India portfolio identifies Cloud 7 Hotel The Forest Shimla as its lodging project in the country and places the hotel on historic Prospect Hill.

Shimla Becomes a Strategic Step in Kerten Hospitality’s India Growth

The Shimla opening carries significance beyond the launch of a single hotel. India has been identified by Kerten Hospitality as an important growth market, with the company working towards an initial target of 1,000 keys across several of its accommodation brands. Cloud 7 Hotel The Forest Shimla therefore provides a foothold from which the company can develop its locally rooted hospitality strategy. The group is pursuing projects that connect accommodation with the culture, food, design and communities of individual destinations rather than treating hotels as standalone properties.

That approach is particularly relevant in Shimla, where mountain scenery, colonial-era heritage, leisure travel and the wider tourism appeal of Himachal Pradesh support year-round demand from domestic and international visitors. Kerten Hospitality’s broader international development activity is already substantial, with its official careers platform describing a pipeline of more than 55 lodging projects representing over 4,500 keys.

Himalayan Views Anchor the New Cloud 7 Hotel Experience

Cloud 7 Hotel The Forest Shimla has been positioned as a premium lifestyle resort surrounded by the forests and hills of the Himalayan region. The property is opening with suites and rooms designed around panoramic mountain views. Its development will continue in phases, adding a wider range of leisure and wellness facilities. Planned additions include dedicated wellbeing suites, a destination spa, a swimming pool and gym, as well as two private cottages and nine additional luxury suites.

This phased strategy is intended to broaden the hotel’s appeal beyond conventional mountain accommodation. Wellness travellers, couples, leisure groups and guests seeking longer Himalayan stays are among the markets that could benefit from a more integrated resort proposition. Kerten Hospitality’s official description of the Shimla property similarly emphasises its Himalayan setting, pine forests and mountain views.

Cloud 7 Brings Experience-Led Hospitality Into Himachal Pradesh

The Shimla property also reflects the wider identity of the Cloud 7 brand. Kerten Hospitality describes Cloud 7 as a lifestyle concept built around independent travellers and experience seekers, combining contemporary design, technology, local art and opportunities for social connection. Local culture is intended to play an important role in how individual Cloud 7 properties are developed.

In Shimla, that philosophy is being translated through Himachali influences across design, food, craftsmanship and guest programming. The hotel intends to connect visitors with regional communities and traditions while bringing accommodation, wellness, dining, leisure and social spaces into one destination. That structure increasingly reflects a wider change across lifestyle hospitality, where hotels are competing not only through guestrooms but through experiences capable of encouraging guests to remain within a property for dining, entertainment, wellness and cultural activities.

Observatory Bar Puts Himalayan Landscape at the Centre

A major component of the hotel is The Observatory Bar, a rooftop cocktail and whisky lounge conceived around its mountain setting. The venue uses low lounge seating, walnut furniture and copper detailing, while a nautical telescope forms a central feature. Guests will be able to use the setting to view distant Himalayan peaks during daylight and the night sky after sunset.

Its beverage programme will incorporate Himalayan botanicals and locally sourced ingredients, extending the property’s regional identity into its food-and-drink operation. Outdoor terraces with mountain views will complement the rooftop experience, alongside meeting and event facilities, seasonal programmes, cultural activities and wellness offerings. The combination gives Cloud 7 Hotel The Forest Shimla an opportunity to serve both staying guests and local visitors, expanding the hotel’s role beyond accommodation.

Cloudfall Sessions Add a Daily Sunset Experience

The property is also introducing Cloudfall Sessions, a daily sunset programme designed around the changing Himalayan landscape. The experience combines a curated soundtrack with a signature cocktail, featured whisky, premium canapés and a structured sunset service.

Such programming forms part of the hotel’s wider effort to create identifiable experiences associated specifically with the property and destination. For the travel trade, this type of experiential component can also give hotels additional products to package alongside rooms, wellness stays, celebrations, events and leisure itineraries.

Local Produce Shapes the Hotel’s Food and Beverage Strategy

Food and beverage will form another major pillar of the Shimla resort. Kerten Hospitality’s culinary programme is being curated by Michelin-starred chef Jaume Puigdengolas, with menus planned around produce sourced from regional farmers and suppliers.

The hotel intends to offer sharing plates and seasonal menus that reinterpret mountain cuisine while changing throughout the year according to available ingredients. The strategy connects the restaurant operation with Himachal Pradesh’s agricultural landscape and gives regional sourcing a visible role in the guest experience.

Shimla Artists and Craftspeople Gain a New Hospitality Platform

Local art and craftsmanship will also be integrated into the property. Cloud 7 Hotel The Forest Shimla plans to work with artists and craftspeople from Shimla and other parts of Himachal Pradesh on commissioned artworks, photography, ceramics, handcrafted pieces and rotating exhibitions.

Partnerships are also planned with farmers, Himalayan ingredient suppliers, tourism organisations and cultural groups. Participation in seasonal festivals and community events is intended to strengthen connections between the property and its surrounding destination. For Himachal Pradesh’s visitor economy, such collaboration can help move tourism spending beyond accommodation and towards producers, artists, craftspeople and other local businesses connected with the hospitality supply chain.

Kerten Hospitality Targets a Larger Indian Footprint

The opening comes as Kerten Hospitality expands a model focused on building properties around local identity rather than replicating identical concepts from market to market. Alongside Cloud 7, the company operates hospitality brands including The House Hotel and hosme. Its official material describes hosme as a contemporary design hotel concept centred on accessible hospitality, community interaction, cultural exchange and sustainable practices.

With Cloud 7 Hotel The Forest Shimla now placing the group in one of India’s best-known Himalayan destinations, Kerten Hospitality has established an important foundation for its wider India development programme. The combination of mountain accommodation, wellness expansion, destination dining, local sourcing, cultural programming and regional partnerships positions the Shimla property as more than another hotel opening. It represents Kerten Hospitality’s broader attempt to build a portfolio of experience-led destinations as it works towards its initial 1,000-key ambition across India.