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The two luxury hotels at the hub of the recent Mumbai terror attacks, the Trident Hotel, and the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers, re-open in Mumbai today.
Ratan Tata, chief executive of the Tata Group which owns the Taj, has vowed to restore the building to its former glory after it was ravaged by fire, bullets and grenades.
The whole nation has responded with pride and praise at the indomitable spirit of both hotels, and the effort required, for the speed with which both hotels have been readied for business again.
I can think of no better way to respond the terrorists and their masters at Pakistan’s ISI agency.
Guests will check in at the Trident hotel from Sunday morning, with about 100 of the 550 rooms booked and all four restaurants serving diners. At the Taj, more than 1,000 key clients and guests have been invited for a private reception before an evening reopening of 268 rooms and seven eateries in the modern Tower wing.
The domed Palace part of the hotel has been heavily damaged and requires extensive repairs.
Raymond Bickson, chief executive and managing director of the Indian Hotels Co. Ltd, which runs the Taj, has said the re-opening is an “affirmation of the values of courage, resilience and dignity”.
“To re-open the Taj with such speed but with no loss of attention to details, shows our resolve to commemorate all the innocent and brave people who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks,”.
“In their honour, the Taj will shine again in all its brilliance.”
Trident Hotels president Rattan Keswani said he felt “deep pride” for his staff’s work both during and after last month’s attacks.
“Yes, there is grief, there is definitely a huge amount of sadness in everybody’s mind because of colleagues and guests that we lost,” he told a news conference.
“But since those days and the days after that, they have been committed 100 percent to whatever the needs are and they are desirous that the hotel bounces back as quickly as possible.”
Kudos to all of you.
