Rich Villa Hotel

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Rich Villa Inn, also known as the Rich Villa Hotel, was an old European style hotel at the Murree hill station in modern Pakistan that came into existence before the end of the British Raj in 1947. Rich Villa Inn continued to exist at Murree during the 1950’s and the 60’s. The hotel operated throughout the year, but mostly during the summer season because the roadblocks caused by the deep snowfall in winter affected the hotel business and created a still.

It was one of the best of its kind at Murree. As it provided the dawn breakfast and the Indian food during the daytime. Plus ideal accommodation and other facilities of its own time to the visitors to enjoy their visit at the hill station.

[edit] Hotel

The Rich Villa Inn was located near the Gateway to the Murree hill station. On a little climb at the left of the Murree Road at a long walking distance from the Mall Road. With road facing plus lawn screening rooms on the inside. And a full sized terrace, confined by a steel railing on the outside. Sighted at the front of the hotel was a lush green piece of land, with other end touching the main road. Alongside was located the familiar, Gulberg Hotel. With the scenic view of the hills at the rear.

The foods cooked at the Rich Villa Inn, were mostly Indian dishes. And the cooking was served in the hotel rooms. As there was no inbuilt or inherited restaurant within the hotel building and the space next to the cooking room was not big enough to support an eatery. Therefore the lawn was occasionally used as a place to eat by the visitors. On special occasions, such as the summer holiday enjoyment time of the year. During the rush hours when the Inn was overcrowded and filled to capacity with visitors from different part of the country. The visiting families used the main lawn as a pro tem eating-place.

The cooking place or the kitchenette was located on the backside of the hotel and was managed by the cook himself. Only providing services during the hours of daylight. And the hotel employees used the hotel backyard as their dwelling during the night.

[edit] Yesteryears

After the partition of the Indian Subcontinent , Rich Villa Inn was owned by a retired tehsildar. And was later and onward managed by his maternal grandson.

According to the available report, the original planner of the Hotel initially named it as Rich Villi Inn in the prior times. However after the Indian partition, it was named Rich Villa Inn when it was allotted, to a 1940 retired tehsildar of Rawalpindi known as Sardar Muhammad Azam (the landlord) by the local Government.

During the 50’s, the landlord and one of his nephews jointly owned the hotel. But later onwards his maternal grandson started operating the Rich Villa Inn during the 60’s. The Rawalpindi resident Khalid , who later sold the hotel to a native landholder after the death of the initial landlord, used to travel from Rawalpindi to Murree and back in his Opel Rekord each day during the summer seasons. However later the Rich Villa Inn was shut down permanently as the new management failed to sustain it. The original Rich Villa Inn at Murree does not exist anymore.

[edit] Memoirs

Some famous Pakistani film stars like the Waheed Murad , Nirala and others whose names are not provided , often resided here as guests for the filming of movies in the Murree Hills during the 1960’s. Commander Afzal, who often stayed at the Rich Villa Inn, along with his family during the summer later testified in 1974 that; a Pakistani film actor known as Mohammad Ali foiled a real life kidnapping attempt at Murree, as he chased the alleged kidnapper into the hills and rescued a child back to his parents.

And sometimes strange incidents also occurred at the Rich Villa Inn . According to the hearsay, one hotel guard at the Rich Villa Inn known as Mama, encountered the Pichal Peri. And on a separate occasion a hotel-guest also reported the same kind of strange occurrence in his room.