The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is a historic hotel that is over 100 years old. It is a five-star luxury hotel with 565 rooms, 11 dining options, a full-service day spa, swimming pool and fitness center. The hotel was originally known as the Taj Mahal Hotel and has been added to and refurbished continually throughout its history.
Jamsetji N. Tata financed the building of the Taj Mahal Hotel, which first opened its doors to the public in 1903. It was the first Indian hotel to use electricity. Tata founded the Tata Group, which owned and operated the Taj Mahal Hotel and eventually opened more than 60 Taj Hotels throughout the world. These hotels are known as the Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces.
The hotel uses a collection of architectural styles that include Indian, Moorish, Oriental and Florentine influences. The hotel has alabaster ceilings, onyx columns, archways, hand-woven silk carpets, crystal chandeliers and a cantilever stairway. The hotel also has a large and varied collection of paintings and other works of art. The original garden and driveway has since been replaced by an outdoor swimming pool.
The Tower block was added in the 1970s and it almost doubled the hotel's total of rooms. American architect Melton Bekker designed the tower and Dale Keller, a Swiss designer based in Hong Kong, did the tower's interior. The Tower was refurbished in the 1990s, with the top four floors modernized, including modern communication facilities.
The hotel's Harbour Bar first opened in 1933 and was the first licensed bar in Mumbai. It features a carved white marble center bar. The hotel's Golden Dragon restaurant opened in 1973 and was India's first authentic Sichuan restaurant. The Harbour Bar and Golden Dragon both went through a restoration that was completed in early 2010.
The Ballroom has been a part of the hotel since the beginning. It is known for its Victorian design that includes arches, scalloped pillars, gold hues and antique crystal chandeliers. The Ballroom also went through a restoration and reopened on April 1, 2010.
