Gujarat has heritage hotels like the Nilambag Place at Bhavnagar, the Riverside and Orchard Places at Gondal, the royal Oasis and Residency at Wankaner, the Old Bell Guest House at Sayla, the Vijay Vilas Palace at Adpur-Palitana and The Palace Utelia in Saurashtra, the Balaram Palace resort near Palanpur, Bhavani Villa at Danta and Darbargadh Poshina in North Gujarat, and Rajwant Palace Resort at Rajpipla, Kali Niketan at Chhota Udepur, Nature Lovers Retreat at Jambugodha palace and the Garden Palace of Balasinor.

The Maharaja and Nawabs of India with their flamboyant lifestyles, lavishly furnished palaces and colourful have always attracted the curiosity of people around the world. Gujarat, which once had a concentration of more than 200 princely and petty states, offers an opportunity for travelers to experience "Princely India' while visiting palaces and forts that have been opened to travelers and by staying in heritage hotels owned and run by the erstwhile rulers or their descendants. In the 19th century, the rulers who grew rich from agriculture and sea trade commissioned great European architects of the period like Mant, Chisolm, Emerson and Wilkins to build their palaces.