Hotels set to bring the good times back

Mumbai: The 26/11 terror attack left the Taj group of hotels in Mumbai scarred. 565 rooms in the Taj Mahal Palace in Colaba were shut for renovation but the Taj Lands End in Bandra will now bring respite with additional 125 new rooms, including 107 club rooms and The Chambers, the exclusive club that only existed in the South Mumbai property.

“Yes, there was a dearth of rooms especially since we have so many tie-ups etc. Also there are customers who prefer living at the Taj. This expansion was planned quite early but it'll now give us a huge breather," General Manager of Taj Lands End Rohit Khosla said.

And this apart from the latest acquisition of the Hotel Sea Rock that promises an additional 500 rooms in the next three years, even as other hotel chains are catching-up.

While Royal Palms plan to increase its existing inventory of 740 rooms in Goregaon to 2,200 including a convention centre, Pune's Pride Group plans a 250-room addition by 2010. These apart from global giants like the Mariott that plans a 340-room addition by December end.

All this is something that hospitality trackers say is the way forward.

“There has always been a shortage of 3,000-4,000 five star rooms in a city like Mumbai. Considering the condition in the last few months a few of the smaller players may have stepped down a bit but the larger players will of course go ahead to build capacity for the future,” CEO of Travel Guru Ashwin Damera said.

Even as industry experts maintain that the low demand trend and present marginal fall in room rates are to stay for another quarter, capacity building exercise may still be on and as a few more rooms of the heritage wing of Taj Colaba are set to re-open by mid-September, luxury for the discerning as they say may not be too far away.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)

#Taj Hotel #hospitality industry #Mariott #Mumbai