Chail (Himachal Pradesh), July 9 (IANS) Vice President Hamid Ansari's wife Salma and their daughter arrived in this hill resort in Himachal Pradesh Saturday for a day's sojourn, government officials said.

They are staying in the Chail Palace, a Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) heritage hotel.

"During their private visit, they will stay only in the hotel. There is no other programme. They will return to Delhi Sunday," Ajay Bhandari, state hospitality and protocol secretary, told IANS.

The government has declared them as state guests.

HPTDC general manager Yogesh Behl said Ansari's wife would stay in the 'Maharani Suite'.

Known for its deodar groves, Chail in Solan district is 45 km from state capital Shimla.

It became a summer resort of the erstwhile Maharaja of Patiala. In 1891, Maharaja Bhupinder Singh built his palace here. In 1972, the state government took it over and converted the royal residence into a hotel.

The Chail Palace was popularised when Aamir Khan's blockbuster film "3 Idiots" was shot here.