A window in the marriott

That the mood transcends barriers and prevails even among those hit directly by the horrific attack, like the owner of the two Marriotts in Pakistan, businessman Sadruddin Hashwani, signals a brave attempt to show that it is business as usual. Hashwani, 68, who is set to re-open the Islamabad hotel with a grand New Year8217;s Eve bash in less than four months, told The Sunday Express, 8220;I hope better sense prevails on whoever is responsible for this. They should realise that we will all face Judgment Day and our souls will be answerable for all that we have done.8221; Ather Bhutto, the General Manager of the Karachi Marriott, assures me I am safe during my two-night stay in the hotel and that, 8220;God forbid8221;, if something goes wrong, he would leave the building only after ensuring everyone else is safe. Despite the attempts, it8217;s evident that it is not business as usual. Not just at the Marriott but across major deluxe hotels in Pakistan. At the Karachi Marriott, for instance, the main driveway has been closed and guests have to walk a small distance from their vehicles. A sniffer dog and a team of Pakistan Rangers have been added to the security detail outside the main gate. The Karachi Sheraton, the only other international five-star hotel in the city, which is down the road, has acquired vapour detectors among others. These gadgets sniff chemicals and plastic explosives through their vapour and have been used in a few highly sensitive American airports.

Both hotels are no strangers to terror attacks. The Karachi Marriott is next door to the US consulate and 10 people were killed and 51 injured when a car exploded near a guard post in 2002. In 2006, a suicide car bomb exploded in a back lane used by the hotel and the consulate, killing an American diplomat and three others a day before President George W. Bush was to arrive in Islamabad from New Delhi. Back in 2002 again, 10 Frenchmen working on a submarine project for the Pakistan Navy were killed along with six Pakistanis when a suicide bomber rammed his car into their bus outside the Sheraton. The New Zealand cricket team was also staying in the same hotel and the team cancelled their tour of Pakistan after the attack.

But this time, Pakistan is on the edge much more than in the past due to the widespread nature of terror attacks and the apparent unpreparedness of security forces to stop them. Besides, the scale and audacity of the Islamabad attack is also unprecedented. Bhutto admits that occupancy levels at the Marriott are very low at 20-30 per cent but also cites the Ramzan season as a reason. However, with the US State Department this week prohibiting American government personnel from even visiting major hotels in Islamabad, Karachi and Peshawar, and also advising other US nationals to do the same, all regular Westerners visiting or staying in the Marriott vanished, said an employee.

IN AN ISLAMIC COUNTRY which has a tourism industry with a negligible presence and which is even worse off when it comes to attracting foreign investment, the two Marriotts have been private islands of luxury and social uninhibitedness for Pakistan8217;s rich, famous and the powerful. The Islamabad Marriott was also the social nerve centre, an expensive club of sorts, for the large number of diplomats and other foreigners posted in or visiting the otherwise clinically sanitised Pakistani capital. While the Karachi Marriott serves alcohol to 8220;non-Muslim foreigners8221; in the rooms after the latter fill up a form every time they order a drink as prescribed by local laws, the Islamabad hotel had a disco-bar as well which was a big hit with foreigners and where local tipplers would frequently tag along.

Many Indian guests at the Islamabad Marriott have been known to be tickled when chefs at Nadia refer to a masala omelette as a 8220;Pakistani omelette8221; and when told that the omelette was made the same way back home, ask if it is called 8220;Indian omelette8221;.

The Islamabad Marriott was earlier attacked in 2007, when a suicide bomber targeted it hours before the Indian Republic Day reception. A security guard at the gate was killed. That reception went ahead and this year8217;s event was held under ultra-high security and even included private snipers on the roof. In fact, the two Marriotts vouch by private security. 8220;They don8217;t trust government agencies and believe if the police or local agencies handle security inside the hotel complex, suicide bombers will just walk in,8221; says one private security expert, who did not want to be identified.

Although the Pakistan Marriotts are not owned by the US-headquartered Marriott International Inc and only operate under licence, the chain and the brand are true symbols of Pan-Americana, with about 3,000 properties in 67 countries. And the group, which reported sales of 13 billion in 2007 is no stranger to terror and tragedy either. So much so that on the blog of Bill Marriott, chairman and CEO of the chain, there is a response to his posting after the Islamabad attack by Prabhjot Bedi that asks: 8220;Dear Mr Marriott, I sit here in shock and join you in prayers for the departed souls 038; the injured people. I also have an uncomfortable question. Do you think Marriott Hotels is targeted world over or is it just that you have hotels at key locations across the world?8221;

Bedi is not much off the mark. The Marriott World Trade Center Hotel in New York was seriously damaged in 1993 when terrorists exploded a 680-kg explosives-laden truck in the World Trade Center parking garage next door and had to be closed for repairs for nearly two years. The 22-storey hotel located next to the Twin Towers split into half when the South Tower of the WTC collapsed on 9/11 and was completely destroyed when the North Tower came down. In 2003, a suicide bomber suspected to be from Jemaah Islamiyah detonated a car bomb outside the lobby of the JW Marriott in Jakarta, seen as a symbol of the West, killing 12 people and injuring 150. Hotels belonging to the chain or its employees have also suffered due to the 2004 tsunami and the frequent hurricanes that hit the southern US coast.

Resilience, as a result, seems to come naturally to the chain, which is also known for a corporate culture that takes good care of its employees. Responding to several people who left comments on his blog asking him not to leave compensation for victims in Islamabad in the hands of suspect government authorities, Bill Marriott has established the Islamabad Marriott Assistance Fund. Marriott International and the Marriott Family Foundation have launched it by donating 100,000 to help the 42 workers killed. 8220;It is extremely important to move on,8221; writes Marriott. 8220;Marriott8217;s footprint around the world, in almost 70 countries, facilitates global diplomacy. We are truly a crossroads for communication. By travelling the world, we all learn that we have more in common than we have differences,8221; he says and adds that he couldn8217;t agree more with another blog response which said, 8220;the worst thing we could do would be to stop travelling8221;.