Monday July 20 2009
I’m interested to know that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chose to stay her first night of a five day visit to India at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower in Mumbai, India this past weekend. She indicated that her choice to stay at the Taj was to convey a message of solidarity with the terror attack victims on November 26, 2008.
The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower is a gracious landmark to Mumbai and a symbol of freedom to the people of India; this hotel has hosted royalty, politicians, entertainers and – yes – business travelers.
So let’s briefly consider some of the facilities and amenities at the Taj. The hotel is an architectural marvel and brings together Moorish, Oriental and Florentine styles, offering panoramic views of the Arabian Sea and the Gateway of India. The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower offers 565 rooms on 19 floors.
For meetings and events, the Taj includes 20,000 square feet of conference space spread throughout 8 rooms, seating capacities for 30 to 550, auditorium-style, and has space for 30 to 750 for cocktails and receptions. There are 11 different dining options (one currently closed for restoration) – serving Indian and international cuisines. The Taj has a full service spa, and the hotel will coordinate off-property activities, including golf, yachting, sports, elephant caves and more.
Perhaps some of those may have to be on Secretary Clinton’s next visit to Mumbai. Certainly some parts of the Taj are closed for renovations, but perhaps it’s time for more international businesses to also consider Mumbai as a travel destination and the Taj for business events needs again? At the very least, I’m glad to see that the Secretary of State is demonstrating the value of international travel and hospitality.
Taj Hotels Resort and Palaces comprises more than 60 hotels in 45 locations across India with an additional 15 international hotels in the Malaysia, United Kingdom, United States of America, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Africa, the Middle East and Australia.
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