Rooms with a view of history

When Jamsetji Tata envisioned a grand hotel overlooking the Arabian Sea, little would he have known that its location would put it squarely at the crossroads of India’s history. The Taj Mahal Palace, overlooking the Gateway of India, was the first port of call for most visiting dignitaries at a time when maritime cross-country transportation flourished.

From hosting Emperor George V and wife Queen Mary in 1909 to Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1921, the Taj has seen it all. And when Lord Louis Mountbatten, the first Governor-General of independent India, was preparing to leave the country he had ruled in June 1948, he chose to give his farewell speech from the Taj Ballroom, after which he boarded a ship and sailed home.

“This is where the British came from, and this is where they exited India. The hotel has been a part of many meetings and negotiations during the freedom movement,” says Nisha Dhage, associate director – PR for The Taj Mahal Palace.

Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru and Mohammad Ali Jinnah have all visited the hotel; Sarojini Naidu too stayed here for a long time.

The Taj opened on December 16, 1903, with a tariff of ₹5 per room. Its location was not its ultimate selling proposition. It is the first hotel to have been electrified, the first to have a licensed bar and a discotheque, and the first to introduce butler service in India. The hotel’s iconic dome and the Ballroom pillars are made of the same steel used in the Eiffel Tower. “Mr (Jamsetji) Tata sourced it from the same foundry,” notes Dhage.

Back when there were no air-conditioners, the hotel placed chillers in its basement to keep the suites cool. Despite being over a century old, the Taj has continued to evolve with time. Communal bathrooms have given way to ensuite shower rooms and the hotel’s horses stable has been converted into luxury serviced apartments.

In the early 1970s, the hotel acquired its neighbouring hotel, Greens, and the adjoining road. The hotel was razed down to build the Tower wing, which was opened in 1972.

Along with the Taj, its parent company, Indian Hotels, has also grown with time. Until 1974, the Taj was its only owned property, though it had taken over the management of the Lake Palace in Udaipur and the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur in 1970. In 1974, Fort Aguada, a Goa beach resort, opened its doors; in 1979, Taj forayed into Africa with the launch of Taj Pamodzi in Zambia. Today, it has over 130 hotels, including those overseas.

Just as brand Taj has withstood the test of time, its employees have stood by the company: it isn’t uncommon to encounter second- and third-generation Taj employees. Jaswinder Singh, the doorman at the Taj Palace, took over from his father Nidan Singh, who retired in April 2001 after 23 years’ service.

Nitin Patekar, Business Centre Associate, has been with the hotel since 2007. His father has completed 33 years in the front office. “Working with the Taj infuses my dad with happiness and pride. It is a big brand and it was natural for me to follow in his footsteps,” Patekar says, adding that IHC is an employee-friendly organisation.

That’s precisely why two sons of Ghanshyam Tripathi, Director of Engineering, have also joined the Taj. Both of them are part of the Hotelier Development Programme, which grooms the next generation of Taj managers.

Brand Taj has won over its employees and guests alike. The company’s next challenge is to replicate the success of the Taj Mahal Palace at its other properties, including those abroad. And when Indian Hotels can achieve that, it would be a real tribute to the founder, Jamsetji Tata.