Ashok Hotel is one of the oldest hotels of Nainital, just finishing its 50th year. Established in 1959, a decade after the country got its independence, we have come a long way since. Those were the days, when Nainital had very few hotels. Abandoned by Europeans, Rajas and Talukdars, Nainital was a sleepy little town with a couple of dozens or so hotels, visited by a limited number of tourists in summertime. Indians were starting to learn what it was like to spend a few days in a hill station, away from the sweltering heat of the plains.