Iconic heritage wing of taj to reopen with new look on aug 15

The iconic heritage wing of Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, which bore the brunt of the 26/11 terror attack, is being recommissioned on August 15, on the country's 62nd Independence Day.

The iconic heritage wing of Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, which bore the brunt of the 26/11 terror attack, is being recommissioned on August 15, on the country's 62nd Independence Day.

The heritage wing of Taj Palace and Towers, owned by the Tata Group's Indian Hotels and Company Ltd (IHCL), has 285 rooms and has been refurbished at an estimated cost of over Rs 300

crore, a hotel official said. All rooms, including those which were severely damaged in the attacks, will adorn a new look. Each of them has been renovated at a cost of Rs one crore.

However, 2-3 exotic rooms are still under renovation and will be opened later, the official said. The renovated structure would have around 42 luxury suites ranging from 500 sq feet to 2,000

sq feet, he said, adding that a few will be configured to look like duplex suites. The presidential suites such as Tata, Rajput and Dutch suites, which have arched balconies facing the

Arabian Sea and the Gateway of India, will have some exclusive features and additional offerings, said IHCL managing director, Raymond Bickson. Tata Suite would be the largest in any Indian

hotel and the only one of its kind in the IHCL portfolio. It has been designed to celebrate the Tata's legend and is all done with white makrana marble, he said. The average room rate

will be Rs 20,000-22,000 per night and the hotel expects an occupancy rate of 72% on the first day of the opening, Bickson said. Of the total cost, the company had received Rs 180-crore from

the insurance companies as claim money, he said. The oriental style structure underwent extensive renovation, wherein four leading international design and architecture firms put in their

labour for almost one and a half years to restore the entire structure brick by brick. On the fateful evening of November 26, 2008, four of the 10 terrorists from Pakistan, sneaked into the

Taj Mahal Palace and planted on the fifth floor, below the central dome, a 10 kg RDX-laden IED, that exploded causing severe damage to the building. They also fired indiscriminately at

guests. While a total of 36 guests, including nine foreign nationals and children, lost their lives in the attack, NSG commando major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and a State Reserve Police Force

Jawan Rahul Shinde also laid their lives during the combat operation with the terrorists. Overall, 166 people were killed in the terror attack. Besides, the company incurred huge financial

losses following the closure of the hotel after the attacks. Bickson said the re-opening of the century-old landmark property of the Taj Group, reflects the country's as well as the

group's indomitable spirit of overcoming any crisis, the hotel official said.