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| Taj Palace Hotel with its iconic Dome and security guards
Pic- L A Times |
All the seven restaurants of Taj have been opened. Only the Tower portion of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel has been re-opened. The Palace portion underwent major losses and will be partially opened in a few months, taking perhaps a year to be fully restored to its old stately glory.
'I believe that the opening of this hotel will send a message that we can come alive again in a record period of time,' said Ratan Tata, the dynamic chairman of the group that owns Taj Hotels including the historical property ,Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel, whose big red dome surrounded by flames has become the global symbol of attacks on Mumbai.
"We can be hurt, but we cannot be knocked down," Tata added, dedicating the re-launch to all those who lost their lives, said the swift reopening of the hotel's modern Tower wing was the start of a new era.
Some 22 guests and 10 staff were killed at the Trident, while 31 people died at the iconic red-domed Taj, including 12 employees. The names of all those who died at the Taj will be inscribed at the base of a "Tree of Life" that was unveiled during the high-tea reception, said Tata.
Oberoi Hotel took a more serene approach, holding a prayer service featuring religious leaders from eight denominations. Like Taj, Oberoi also has two hotels in one. The Trident which suffered fewer losses is being open now whereas the Oberoi with more extensive damage will open later.
Rattan Keswani , President of Trident Hotels said he felt deep pride in all his staff at the ceremony.
Tata has consulted "combat experts" to improve security, which will include plain-clothed specialists operating inside the hotel. Both the hotels, as indeed many other hotels are now taking steps to increase the internal security in the hotels, with no budgetary constraints for these two properties. |