Celebrating its 45th anniversary, Taj Mahal hotel in New Delhi offered a ‘reimagined’ version to patrons on Thursday evening. The iconic hotel located in the heart of Lutyen’s Delhi embarked upon a renovation in 2019, after its parent company, Indian Hotels Company Limited, renewed the lease for another 33 years in 2018. Speaking at Thursday night’s event, IHCL MD & CEO Puneet Chhatwal said, “We could not have let this hotel go under any circumstances,” referring to the intense suspense over the Tata company retaining the property, for which ITC was also a bidder at the New Delhi Municipal Corporation auction. IHCL ended up paying double the licence fee at Rs 7.03 crore per month against the Rs 3.94 crore it was paying earlier.
After three years of phased renovation costing Rs 250 crore, the property now offers two floors of luxury residences in 27 fully serviced one and two-bedroom apartments. Residences in hotels got popular globally during the pandemic, and the Taj Mahal Hotel is only the second to offer them in Delhi after Hyatt’s Andaz in Aerocity.
Its business club, the Chambers, now includes a 60-seater restaurant, seven meeting rooms, the Chambers Lounge, a bar and a cigar lounge.
Five themed suites, including the Maharaja Suite, which is a tribute to Air India’s mascot; Raisina, the grand presidential; Rambagh, the presidential; Tanjore, and Versailles, have been added to the rooms.
Among its gastronomic offerings are a contemporary wine lounge, Captain’s Cellar, with a selection of global wines and small plates; the newly-imagined bar Rick’s with a whole new menu; an all-day dining in Machan, which was the first to wear a new look and approach; and a completely renovated House of Ming.
Wellness gets prime place, as is the trend post-pandemic, in J Wellness Circle, along with leading-edge air purification technology across the hotel.
Satyajeet Krishnan, area director – operations — and general manager of Taj Mahal hotel, said on the occasion, “We welcome guests to experience Delhi’s veritable institution once again and to rediscover a grand legacy, re-imagined.”