In the spring of 1880, a stone-mason named Velayudham left Madurai with twelve men, four bullock carts, and a sealed envelope of instructions written in a clerk's hand on behalf of His Highness Sri Brahadamba Das Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman. They were to build a summer house, on the eastern edge of Kodaikanal Lake, on a parcel of land that the British had granted the princely state of Pudukkottai a decade earlier as part of a treaty about elephants.

The walk took eleven days. The teak — twenty-two tonnes of it, milled in Munnar — followed by a different route, four weeks behind. The masonry began on the second of June. By the end of October the residence was roofed, glazed, and sealed against the first of the winter mists.

The royal family

The Tondaiman line is older than the residence by some five hundred years. The princely state of Pudukkottai sits in present-day Tamil Nadu — its court was famous, in the late nineteenth century, for the discipline of its administration and the openness of its rulers to British negotiation. The state acceded to the Indian Union in 1948.

His Highness used the Kodaikanal residence as the royal family's hot-weather retreat from Pudukkottai's plains. His son inherited it, and his son after that. The house has not, in five generations, been sold; it has changed hands only by inheritance. The current steward is Princess Radha Niranjini Tondaiman.

“Restore, do not renew.”

The brief given to the heritage architect, 2018

The architecture

The residence is colonial-Indian in plan and South-Indian in detail. The principal block is two stories of dressed stone, white-painted, with peaked tile roofs and pillared verandahs running its full length. The interior teak — ceilings, doors, mantels, the staircase — is original. So are most of the brass fixtures. The windows are deliberate: each lake-facing room is sized so the proportion of window-to-wall opens the view to the water without losing the room's intimacy.

In 2018 the Owner — Princess Radha Niranjini Tondaiman — began a restoration, working with a heritage architect from Chennai. The brief: restore, do not renew. Where the original could be repaired, it was repaired. Where it had to be replaced — half-perished window panes, a section of teak floor — the replacement matched the original exactly. The building today is closer in form to its 1880 commission than it has been at any point in the previous sixty years.

What the residence is not

It is not a museum. The library is read from. The kitchen feeds the royal family. The gardens are maintained by a four-person team who have known each other for twenty years. The objects on the walls — the antlers in the principal drawing room, the silver in the hall cabinet — are royal family possessions, not props.

It is not a chain palace hotel. There is no logo of any other brand on any surface of the property. There is no co-ownership. There is no plan to franchise.

It is, simply, a house that the royal family has decided to share.

Princess Radha Niranjini Tondaiman

Steward of the Tredis Heritage

Every guest who arrives at our gate is owed three things, by us, every day. They are not goals or aspirations. They are the standard. If any of these is not true on a given day, we have failed the brand and the guest. Operations exist to make sure all three are true every day.

One — the heritage is real.

The royal family is real. The 1880 commission is documented. The recipes are from a written archive, not a marketing brief. The stories told over breakfast are not from a script.

Two — the pace is slower than the world outside.

Nothing on the property is rushed. Check-in takes the time it takes. Meals are not timed. The Tea Room runs ninety minutes and ends when the last guest leaves. The household does not chivvy.

Three — the hospitality is hosted, not served.

The team treats arrival as the start of a relationship, not a transaction. Staff are introduced by name. Returning guests are remembered. Children are welcomed, not tolerated. The brand never reads as cold, distant, or aloof — even when the language is restrained.

If we fall short

Tell the Household Manager, the General Manager, or the Owner if she is in residence. We expect the failure; we do not expect the silence. We will fix it during your stay, not after.

The principles

We collect what we need to host you well, and nothing more. We do not sell, share, or trade your data with third parties. We use your information to plan your stay, send you the Quarterly Letter if you've subscribed, and remember you when you return.

What we collect

Name, email, phone, address, identity document for check-in (as required by Indian law), payment method, food and stay preferences, and any notes you've shared with us about how to host you.

What we do with it

Hold it securely on encrypted servers. Use it to operate the residence: confirmations, pre-arrival, in-stay communication, post-stay note, loyalty ledger. Send you the Quarterly Letter only if you've actively subscribed.

What we don't do

Sell to third parties. Share with marketing companies. Use for advertising on other sites. Keep records longer than legally required. Take photographs of guests for marketing without explicit permission.

Your rights

Access, correction, deletion, and portability — write to privacy@thetredisheritage.com and we'll act within seven working days. Per the DPDP Act 2023 (India) and the GDPR (EU residents).

Cookies

We use minimal cookies — the booking session, language preference, and analytics that are anonymised. No tracking cookies, no advertising cookies, no third-party pixel beyond GA4 for site analytics.

Policy last updated 10 May 2026. Tredis Heritage and Hospitality LLP.

Who we are

The Tredis Heritage is a four-suite heritage residence at #13/6, Lake Road, Kodaikanal 624101, Tamil Nadu, India. It is owned and operated by Tredis Heritage and Hospitality LLP. In these terms, "we", "us", "the property", and "the household" refer to the operating company; "you" and "the guest" refer to the person making the reservation and their accompanying party.

Making a reservation

Reservations may be made directly on thetredisheritage.com, by phone on +91 93639 96006, by email at reservations@thetredisheritage.com, or via our listed Online Travel Agent partners. A reservation is confirmed only when we have sent you a written confirmation and payment (or the applicable deposit) has been received.

The lead guest must be at least 18 years of age and will be responsible for the conduct of all guests in their party during the stay.

Payment and taxes

All rates are quoted in Indian Rupees (INR) and are inclusive of applicable statutory taxes as required under Indian law. Direct payments are processed through a licensed PCI-DSS-compliant payment gateway, and accept debit cards, credit cards, netbanking, UPI, and select wallets. We do not store your card, UPI, or bank details — these are handled entirely by the payment gateway under its own secure infrastructure.

A 30% deposit is required to confirm a reservation. The balance is due at check-out unless otherwise agreed in writing. For stays exceeding five nights, or reservations exceeding ₹1,00,000 in total value, we may request a higher deposit at booking; this will be communicated before payment.

All prices, taxes, and inclusions applicable to your stay will be shown clearly on the confirmation. Any additional services (dining, activities, transport) consumed during your stay will be added to the folio and settled at check-out.

Cancellation and refund

Cancellations must be requested in writing to reservations@thetredisheritage.com. The refund schedule is:

• More than seven (7) days before arrival — full refund of the 30% deposit, less payment gateway fees where applicable.
• Between seven (7) and forty-eight (48) hours before arrival — 50% of the deposit refunded.
• Within forty-eight (48) hours of arrival, or no-show — deposit forfeited in full.

Approved refunds are processed within seven (7) working days to the original payment method. In the event of a genuine emergency — verifiable medical, bereavement, or weather-related cancellation — we will consider a full refund at our discretion. Please write to us; we would rather help than penalise.

For reservations made through Online Travel Agents, that agent's cancellation policy applies and refunds are processed through them, not us.

Check-in and check-out

Check-in from 14.00. We hold rooms until 22.00 unless you have told us you will be later. Check-out by 11.00; later check-out subject to availability and may attract a half-day charge. Members at Household Friend tier and above receive extended windows by default.

At check-in, we require one valid government-issued photo identification per adult guest (passport, Aadhaar, driving licence, or voter ID) as required under Indian law. For international guests, passport and a scanned copy will be requested for statutory Form C reporting.

Children and pets

Children of all ages are welcome. We do not maintain a separate children's menu — the kitchen accommodates per request. Small pets are considered on a case-by-case basis; please ask in advance.

What we ask of you

That you treat the property as a home — because it still is one. That you keep your voice low after 22.00. That you do not photograph other guests without permission. That you return books to the room they came from. That you respect the household team, who have been at the property for many years.

Damage and lost property

Guests are responsible for reasonable care of the room, furnishings, and shared spaces during their stay. Accidental damage happens and we do not charge for ordinary wear or minor breakages; however, wilful or negligent damage will be assessed and charged to the folio at replacement cost.

Personal items left behind will be held for thirty (30) days. We are happy to arrange return shipment at the guest's cost. After thirty days, unclaimed items may be disposed of at our discretion.

The household's rights

We reserve the right to refuse or curtail a stay if a guest's behaviour materially affects other guests, the household team, or the property. This is rare and will not happen quietly — we will talk to you first. In such cases, no refund of paid amounts is due.

Force majeure

Neither party is liable for failure to perform under these terms where such failure is caused by events beyond reasonable control — including natural disaster, landslide, flood, government order, civil unrest, epidemic, or infrastructure failure making the property inaccessible. In such cases, we will offer to reschedule your stay to a mutually agreed date within twelve (12) months, or refund the amount paid, at the guest's option.

Data and privacy

The personal information you share with us — name, contact details, identity document, payment information, food and stay preferences — is collected solely to service your booking, comply with Indian law, and improve your stay. We do not sell your data. Full details are set out in our Privacy Policy.

Liability

The property does not accept liability for personal injury, loss, or damage sustained during a stay other than where such injury, loss, or damage arises from our proven negligence. Our aggregate liability under any reservation shall not exceed the total amount paid by the guest for that reservation.

Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of India. We prefer to resolve issues directly with you, in conversation. Where that is not possible, disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.

Changes to these terms

We may amend these terms from time to time. The version applicable to your reservation is the one in effect on the date the booking was confirmed. Substantive changes will be communicated to affected guests in writing before their arrival.

Contact

Tredis Heritage and Hospitality LLP
#13/6, Lake Road, Kodaikanal 624101, Tamil Nadu, India
Reservations: reservations@thetredisheritage.com · +91 93639 96006
General enquiries: info@thetredisheritage.com

Terms last updated 8 July 2026. Tredis Heritage and Hospitality LLP.