The Taj Mahal Palace

Mumbai

Mumbai, formerly Bombay, whose name change in 1995 marked a further separation from its colonial past, is India’s most heavily populated city with 15 million inhabitants, 18 million if you include greater Mumbai. It is also the country’s economic capital and a constantly hyperactive metropolis where traffic is always heavy, where opportunity prevails and where the center of Indian cinema is located, the world famous Bollywood.

Located at the mouth of a river, having developed on the island of Saisette, Mumbai is India’s main commercial port. The classiest quarter of the city is the area along Marine Drive, on the “Queen’s necklace”, in reference to the string of lights that illuminate the bay at night.

Mumbai however, is also a sensual experience with crowded streets and shops always open, a seemingly constant state of frenzy and yet, once you accept its hectic rhythm, you can discover the thousand and one facets of an emotionally rich city.

As a venue of contrasts, Mumbai preserves the traces of its colonial past through buildings for example, in the very popular tourist quarter known as Colaba, like Victoria Station, classified a UNESCO world heritage as well as numerous temples and mosques bearing witness to the incredible diversity of Indian society.

More than a hotel…an icon

The Taj Mahal Palace, facing the Gateway of India, predates it since the hotel opened in 1903 and the Gateway monument was built in 1924. This palace, the first hotel in the Taj hotel group, was imagined and commissioned by the renowned entrepreneur and founder of Indian industry, Jamesedji Tata, who felt that India needed a “grand hotel” on a par with those in European countries.

Built with materials from all over the world, including steel girders used to construct the Eiffel Tower, the hotel is a blend ofMoghol and Victorian architecture, which was very much in vogue in India in the early 20^th century. A tower was added to the original building in the 1970s in order to receive the increasing number of businessmen coming through Mumbai.

The rooms are located in two large wings around the main building, where we find the most luxurious suites, including the presidential suite situated directly under the hotel’s main dome.

The Taj Mahal Palace is one most visited tourist sites in the city and the entire country as well. It symbolizes the international prestige of India and its taste for luxury. The hotel is an integral part of the country’s history, and has welcomed a great many heads of state, government ministers and celebrities from all walks of life. Each of the Taj’s 565 rooms and suites in fact, has its own story to tell.

Another particularity of the hotel is its 11 restaurants. All nationalities are represented and they are open to guests as well as visitors, thus making the Taj Mahal Palace a select venue for Mumbai’s high society. The palace is also a master at original happenings. At the opening of the latest restaurant for example, the gastronomic French Zodiac Grill, each guest was asked to pay what he or she estimated the meal to be worth, and it was in this manner that the prices on the menu were determined.

The swimming pool is located where the former horse and carriage entrance used to be. Today, it’s a space dedicated to rest and relaxation. Mumbai’s heavy traffic noises are totally absent, making the hotel an oasis of tranquillity.

One of the innumerable stories attesting to the legendary reputation of the hotel deals with George Harrison of the Beatles, who came here incognito. It was here that he made the acquaintance of Indian musician Ravi Shankar, who taught Harrison how to play the traditional Indian sitar. A suite now bears the name of Ravi Shankar, and one of his sitars is on display there.