Taj Mahal Palace & Tower

Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
General information
Location	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Coordinates	18°55′19″N 72°50′00″E / 18.922028°N 72.833358°E / 18.922028; 72.833358Coordinates: 18°55′19″N 72°50′00″E / 18.922028°N 72.833358°E / 18.922028; 72.833358
Opening	16 December 1903
Technical details
Floor count	7 floors in Taj Mahal Palace, 22 floors in Taj Mahal Tower
Design and construction
Architect	Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya and D. N. Mirza
Other information
Number of rooms	560
Number of suites	44
Number of restaurants	11
Website
taj.tajhotels.com/en-in/taj-mahal-palace-mumbai/

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is a "Heritage Grand" class five-star hotel located in the Colaba region of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, next to the Gateway of India. Historically it was known as the "Taj Mahal Hotel" or the "Taj Palace Hotel". or simply "the Taj".

Part of the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, this hotel is considered the flagship property of the group and contains 560 rooms and 44 suites. There are some 1,500 staff including 35 butlers. From a historical and architectural point of view, the two buildings that make up the hotel, the Taj Mahal Palace, and the Tower are two distinct buildings, built at different times and in different architectural designs.

The hotel has hosted many notable guests, from presidents to captains of industry and stars of show business.

The hotel's original building was commissioned by Tata and first opened its doors to guests on 16 December 1903.

It is widely believed that Jamsetji Tata decided to build the hotel after he was refused entry to one of the city's grand hotels of the time, Watson's Hotel, as it was restricted to "whites only". However, this story has been challenged by some commentators that suggest that Tata was unlikely to have been concerned with 'revenge' against his British adversaries. Instead, they suggest that the Taj was built at the urging of editor of The Times of India who felt a hotel "worthy of Bombay" was needed.

The original Indian architects were Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya and D. N. Mirza, and the project was completed by an English engineer, W. A. Chambers. The builder was Khansaheb Sorabji Ruttonji Contractor who also designed and built its famous central floating staircase. The cost of construction was £250,000 (£127 million in 2008 prices).

Originally the main entrance was on the other side, where now the pool exists, and the ocean was at the back, although it is now always viewed and photographed from the ocean side.

Between 1915 and 1919, work proceeded at Apollo Bundar to reclaim the land behind the hotel where the Gateway of India was built in 1924. Gateway of India soon became a major focal point in Bombay.

The original clientele were mainly the Europeans, the Maharajas and the elites. Many world-renowned personalities have since stayed there, from Somerset Maugham and Duke Ellington to Lord Mountbatten and Bill Clinton.