MUMBAI
The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel completed 110 years on December 16. Shikha Kumar embarks on a recce of the iconic hotel that has seen Bombay change to Mumbai and played host to heads of states, prominent musicians and celebrated sportsmen, all in its trademark opulent fashion.
The sprawling lobby area is illuminated by a white Christmas tree in the centre, rightfully lending a cheery, festive fervour to the place. A vibrant MF Hussain painting graces the wall behind the front desk. As guests amble about on a lazy evening, the staff at the hotel are neck-deep in work, for the week is a special one. Exactly 11 decades ago, on December 16, 1903, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel came into being. For a hotel that has been around longer than the monument that stands behind it — the Gateway of India — the Taj has seen it all, and indeed survived to tell the tale.
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