Comeback day for Taj, Trident

Seventy-three-year old Joan Desai from Switzerland is glad that her 8220;Indian8221; home, the Trident Hotel, will be back in action.

Seventy-three-year old Joan Desai from Switzerland is glad that her 8220;Indian8221; home, the Trident Hotel, will be back in action. Almost three weeks after the 26/11 terror attacks, regulars like her have reason to cheer as the hotel overlooking the Arabian Sea will officially throw open its gates from Sunday. The hotel officials confirmed the news today. 8220;Thanks to the efforts of the police, the NSG, the fire brigade, our staff and the guests, we are back in action. We also want to thank the unknown 8220;angels8221; who helped our staff in the hour of crisis with food, medicines and keen support. It is because of them that the Trident is opening in such a short while,8221; said Trident Hotels President Ratan Keswani.

The Taj Hotel, too, will be reopened to the public from Sunday. An estimated 268 rooms in its Tower wing, including nine suites, have been booked so far. The hotel is offering a 15 per cent festive season discount on some of its rooms. Keeping the sombre mood in mind, the hotel will not have any celebrations but its culinary feast and shopping facilities will be open to guests. The Trident houses 550 rooms, a shopping arcade, spa, salon, fitness centre and business centre. It is also known for its four prime restaurants 8212; Frangipani, Verandah, India Jones and Opium Den. 8220;All the repair work has been completed and all the restaurants and rooms will be completely opened from Sunday.

The hotel, which is in a building adjacent to the Oberoi hotel, is connected to the latter through a lobby. According to Keswani, the Oberoi Hotel will be shut for another six-seven months.

8220;In the Trident, we have managed to put everything back in pristine condition. We have removed all signs of the tragedy as it is very important that the guests don8217;t live in fear. Though the Trident is open, the Oberoi8217;s renovation work will continue for some more months as it saw more damage than the Trident and will undergo structural changes,8221; said Keswani.

Though the hotel is reputed for its grand New Year celebrations, there will be no ostentatious celebrations this year. 8220;Though we will celebrate, it will be very low key,8221; said Keswani. But regulars are not complaining. 8220;I am definitely looking forward to going back. I frequent the Verandah and this is the time to show my solidarity,8221; said Malabar hill area businessman Pankaj Praful.

With security high in everybody8217;s list, 8220;We have put a lot of thought into security and have hired armed guards. We will be working closely with security agents,8221; said Keswani. The hotel will barricade some sections of the entrance and make all pieces of hand-baggage checking mandatory. Added to that a background check will be done on non-regular guests. Valet parking too will be done only after a background check.

Though this means extra work for the security guards, they are not complaining. 8220;The attacks have opened our eyes to the need for stringent security checks. We have now realised that even a momentary lapse can cause a lot of damage. We will be only too happy to oblige with any kind of exercise,8221; said security guard Sunil Yadav who was present at the Hotel during the 26/11 attacks and shared the agony of the tragedy unfolding. 8220;Drill sessions have been made compulsory for the entire staff,8221; added Yadav. Despite all these measures, hotel officials stressed that hospitality would not be obstructed. 8220;We will certainly not make reservations compulsory. Guests are coming back. For tomorrow8217;s opening, most tables in the restaurants have been booked. Hopefully, we will get a good crowd,8221; said Keswani.

Story continues below this ad

All-religion prayer meet
The Trident will conduct a private multi-religion prayer meeting for its colleagues and guests who lost their loved ones in the attacks. According to hotel officials, around 10 staff members lost their lives. To support their kin, the Oberoi Group has established the The Oberoi Care fund.