Check Out the Luxury Taj Mumbai’s Hotel

Taj Mahal is as fascinating as its name. This scintillating building is a blend of Persian, Mughal, and Indian architectural styles.

The Taj Hotel was inaugurated on 16 December 1903. The hotel was named Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and it came with “all latest comforts” at “moderate charges”. The establishment was the first Taj Hotel and was opened by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, the founder of the Tata Group.

It has always been a bit pricey.  The hotel opened its door to the first 17 guests on December 16, 1903, charging a princely Rs 10 as a set rate for a single room and Rs 13 for rooms “with the added convenience of fans and attached bathrooms”.  Full board was available for Rs 20 – this at a time when you could get a full meal for a few annas. Seems unbelievable? Value of 10 and 13 was way lot lot higher than today’s time.  The building was also the first in Bombay to be lit by electricity. Eventually it became India’s first all-day dining restaurant, and the country’s first international discotheque! It used to be the first sight for ships calling at the Bombay port before the construction of the Gateway. The Taj Mahal Palace as the first building in Bombay to be lit by electricity. The hotel boasts of many firsts in the Indian hospitality industry – it used American fans, German elevators, Turkish baths and English butlers to give the people of its city an experience like no other hotel in the country.

It has hosted history’s biggest names.  The Taj has been the playground of Indian princes, maharajas and nawabs who began checking in almost as soon as it opened. Mahatma Gandhi addressed a group of young Englishmen in the Ballroom, taking the stairs because he did not want to use the elevator. Mountbatten gave a speech here. And Sarojini Naidu, the poet, entertainer, and freedom fighter, had a permanent suite for much of the 1920s and 30s. “Every time she fought with her husband, she came and stayed at The Taj,”

Fast forward 119 years, what we see today is that the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is one of the grandest hotels in the world and one of the most recognised landmarks in India. The hotel also taught us lessons in resilience. Even after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, where Taj Mahal Palace was one of the worst-hit places, it stands tall and proud, reflecting the past and present glories.

Even though the Taj was reopened a month after it was attacked, it took 21 months to restore the iconic hotel to its glory. The cost of reconstruction is estimated to be $38 million.

The 26/11 attack severely damaged the heritage wing of the hotel. Thus, that part of the hotel opened in phases.

As part of the restoration project, the iron pillars of the grand ballroom got a golden touch, luxury suites were completely revamped, and the domed palace wing of the hotel got back its radiance. That is not all.

Also, to avoid such an attack, security systems at the hotel too were upgraded. The Taj Mahal Palace now has a modern security system. In an interview before the reopening of the Taj Mahal Palace, Ratan Tata, who had promised to build every inch of the hotel had said: “This flagship property, “This venerable Old Lady” is going to reopen in the same glory, the same splendour of more than 100 years.”