Taj and Trident reopen, put the past behind
Taj Mahal Palace and Tower opened its doors for a private evening party for its large number of guests. Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Group said that he feels proud that the hotel has left the past behind and has returned to its business. He further said, "I am a person who hates to look back. I look at the re-opening as the commencement of a new era. To us it was a challenge to have the hotel re open in some form within a month of the attack. It is a tribute to everybody who has worked to have this happen and we stand before you. It has united the citizens of Mumbai. We propose to dedicate this reopening of the hotel to the people who have lost their lives and we believe that the opening of this hotel will send a message that we come alive in a record period of time and play host to everyone as part of this great city."
Replying to the questions, he stated that the tragedy has united the corporate India. He mentioned that the security at the hotel has been intensified but the measures taken would remain a secret.
R. K. Krishna Kumar, Vice Chairman, Indian Hotels Company Ltd., owners of the Taj, said that the areas which were completely destroyed, gave an opportunity to introduce new designs, redefine spaces and to provide for better facilities. Mr Kumar said that hotel had an insurance of Rs. 1000 crore covering the loss of profit and damages. However, the cost of the restoration shall be well below this.
Aiming the hotel to achieve a blend of beauty and elegance with technology, which concerns the security, he said, "We have gone to the finest intelligence organisations in the world." Commenting about the conditions after the attack, he said that the scenes in the hotel were extraordinary, such as pool of blood in the kitchen.
On November 26, the occupancy in the hotel was 77 per cent, with over 400 rooms occupied and with over 700 guests. "We have assessed 31 casualties, out of which 12 are staff." Mr Kumar said that all the staff shall continue in their posts.
The press conference was also attended by Raymond Bickson, Managing Director and CEO.
A multi religion prayer ceremony for peace was held at the Trident hotel on Sunday. The staff was stationed on the staircases, religious heads lined up on the podium, tabla and harmonium players sat on the dais, and guests gathered in the centre of the lobby.
Jain, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Jew, Muslim, Christian and Zoroastrian religious leaders prayed for peace, happiness, love and goodwill for all those who were affected by the terror attacks. Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal attended the prayers. Mr. Chavan mentioned that it was a "solemn ceremony" and the life had to return to normalcy; however, he appealed to the citizens to have a low profile New Year celebrations.
Earlier a multi religion ceremony was also held at the Taj hotel where Mr. Kumar said that the ceremony was a step to "cleanse the hotel of all evil and bring in peace."
The Taj and the Trident re opened on Sunday where as the Oberoi hotel and the heritage wing of the Taj will open later. Their restoration shall take many months as they both suffered heavy damages in the attack. About 10 % of the beautiful artwork was damaged but is repairable. It will take at least seven months for the Oberoi to reopen, said Rattan Keswani, President, Trident Hotels.
Mr. Kumar said that work to restore the heritage wing is in progress, the northern part shall open by February next year as it was less affected, whereas the southern part shall a take longer as it served as the base camp for the combat teams.