?Adversity is perverse. That is the nature of the beast.’? So began the voice-over of Amitabh Bachchan and thus was set the tone for the re-opening of the Palace Wing of the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai.

A little over 21 months after the savage terrorist attacks on the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, the hotel welcomed one and all to walk the corridors of its restored wing. ?For more than a century, these walls have witnessed history in the making. Mergers and marriages, treaties and triumphs, royalty and romance, lifetime friendships and future leaders have been nurtured and launched under these vaulted ceilings,? began Raymond Bickson, MD, Indian Hotels Company Ltd. ?

?A few years ago, our world was torn apart. Yet our staff, hotel and city stood strong and brave and in that testing time we were not defeated, we resolved to be better than ever. We brought in teams of experts, who worked around the clock for 22 months to assess, plan, conserve and restore, staying true to our original designs and adding the most modern of comforts, ? he added.

To commemorate the rebirth, effective August 15, the heritage wing will be officially renamed as the Palace Wing and the combined entity and property will be called Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. The entire renovation was done at a cost of Rs 175 crore.

Expertise in engineering, restoration, conservation and design by international designers Lissoni Associati, Milan; BAMO San Francisco; DesignWilkes, Malayasia and James Park Associates made the rebirth possible.

Ajoy Misra, senior vice president, sales and marketing, IHCL explained, ?Directly after the attacks, we opened the tower wing of the hotel along with all associated services and cuisines within 21 days.?

Out of the 285 rooms in the Palace Wing, 42 are suites and 19 of those are themed suites. ?There are now two more suites in this wing,? mentioned Bickson. ?One is the Ravi Shankar Suite and the other is the Tata Suite.?

On occupancy levels since the attacks, Misra said: ?Right through most of the last 18-20 months we’ve been seeing occupancy levels of 70-75%.?