The Oberoi: A new chapter after 26/11

MUMBAI - Seventeen months after the 26/11 terror attacks that shook not just the financial capital of India but the whole world, the Oberoi Group’s luxury hotel at Nariman Point here will be reopened April 24 with a tighter security cover.

The hotel that was badly damaged during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and lost 32 people, including 10 of its staff, has since undergone massive restoration and renovation, the hotel officials said.

“The hotel has been completely transformed to offer the highest standards of facilities. The transformation has been undertaken in-house under the keen eye and direction of our chairman P.R.S. Oberoi,” Liam Lambert, president, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, told mediapersons at a special preview here Wednesday.

New and strengthened security strategies have been added to the hotel.

“In fact, we have a separate budget for security now. Before the attack, we had 15 CCTVs installed in the hotel, now they have been increased to 150. The security officers have been increased from five people to 50, most of them trained in Israel,” a spokesperson said.

The Oberoi and The Trident stand adjacent to each other at Nariman Point in south Mumbai, offering a magnificent view of the Arabian Sea, the Queen’s Necklace and Malabar Hill.

The hotel will now offer contemporary, luxurious ambiance with a touch of Indian charm.

The new hotel will now have 287 guest rooms as against the 327 rooms earlier. The suites have been increased from 22 to 73 including two presidential suites called the Kohinoor and the Golconda.

“All the rooms have been redone from scratch. Also importance has been given to providing more space in each room and hence the reduced number of rooms,” a spokesperson said.

The restoration and the renovation has cost the hotel management around Rs.180 crore. “We had an insurance cover, a part of which was reimbursed, but the assessment is still on as to how much the total loss was,” Lambert said.

New dining and wining options have been created. The erstwhile Kandahar, specialising in north-west frontier cuisine, will become Ziya, an Indian speciality restaurant, to be operated by Michelin starred Chef Vineet Bhatia.

Tiffin, an all-day restaurant, will offer a similar concept under a new name, Fenix, while Vetro, the renowned Italian restaurant will continue with the same name but under a different chef.

In view of the tragedy that struck the hotel, the management has decided to make the reopening ceremony a low-key affair with just an in-house ribbon cutting ceremony.

“We just organised a memorial service yesterday (Tuesday) in the presence of seven religious leaders,” Lambert said.

“We have already started getting calls for room bookings and have already booked 37 rooms for next week. All our restaurants have been booked for the weekend,” he said.

The Oberoi on an average generated a revenue of Rs.160 crore a year before the terror attacks.