Taj hotel opens again after 2008 attack,reopens on 15th August 2010

After the dramatic devastation of 26/11,Taj hotel sets to reopen with a new beginning on the eve of Independence Day,i.e 15th August 2010.

Two years back The 105 years old listed building was burnt on fire in which 175 people died  and  308  left seriously wounded.

When the 60-hour siege had ended, the hotel stood in ruin, bullet-torn, engulfed in flames, with a severely damaged roof. This weekend though, the Taj hotel opens once again, with more luster than ever after undergoing extensive renovations.

   

"This flagship property, this venerable Old Lady, is going to reopen in the same glory, the same splendor of more than 100 years," said Ratan Tata, chairman of the hotel group, who promised to "rebuild every inch" of the iconic building."It was a cast of thousands that undertook the extensive restoration and sensitive restoration of the hotel, staying true to the original design and spirit," he said.

Building up the whole creation took at least 21 months to be normal again and costs up to $38 million in repairs, an amount which the hotel says it more than lost in business while closed down for reconstruction.

The average room rate will be Rs 20,000-22,000 per night and the hotel expects an occupancy rate of 72 per cent 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.

"I cannot tell you how significant today is for the spirit of Mumbai and for our staff that the Heritage wing is reopening after what we went through," said Raymond Bickson, CEO, Taj Hotels. 

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