|
MUMBAI : Two luxury hotels that were stormed by Islamist militants re-opened amid tight security in Mumbai on Sunday, less than a month after devastating attacks that rocked India's financial and entertainment hub.
The Trident and Taj Mahal hotels received their first guests since the carnage, with staff praised for their dedication and resilience as others called for defiance in the face of extremism.
R K Krishna Kumar, vice-chairman of the Indian Hotels Company that runs the Taj, described employees as "heroes," while Trident Hotels president Rattan Keswani said he felt "deep pride" in all his staff.
The first guests arrived at the Trident for breakfast, which was followed by a sombre, 45-minute commemoration service in the lobby area with prayers from Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Jain, Zoroastrian, Jewish and Christian leaders.
Among those present were Canadian Rick McElrea, his wife Diane Deblois, and their teenage children Emilie and Jesse. They said they wanted to support the hotel and send a message to those behind the attacks.
"It's a statement to terrorists that this does not close down business. This does not close down hotels," said McElrea, who lives in Mumbai but is originally from Canadian capital Ottawa.
"I don't feel any fear. I feel hope," he said. "The terrorists failed and Mumbaikars won."
More than 1,000 regular clients and guests attended a private reception at the nearby Taj, before an evening reopening of 268 rooms and seven restaurants in the modern Tower wing.
The waterfront hotel, opposite the British colonial-era Gateway of India monument, was the focus of last month's 60-hour siege, which left 172 people dead, including nine of the 10 gunmen, and nearly 300 injured.
Opened in 1903, the red-domed Palace part of the hotel quickly became the place to stay and be seen. It has since played host to royalty, presidents, prime ministers and rock stars, as well as India's moneyed classes.
Ratan Tata, head of the giant Tata Group conglomerate that owns the Taj, has vowed to restore the building to its former glory after it was ravaged by fire, bullets and grenades as gunmen fought commandos to the death.
Restoration work in the ornate "heritage" wing was expected to be finished by 2010, Kumar said.
Some 22 guests and 10 staff were killed at the Trident, while 31 people died at the Taj, including 12 employees, according to both hotels.
The Trident suffered up to 100,000 dollars' damage while the repair bill for the adjoining Oberoi hotel, which is yet to reopen, could reach 10 million dollars. No figures were available for the Taj.
The attacks - blamed on the banned Pakistan-based Laskhar-e-Taiba group - led to cancellations at hotels across India.
About 100 of the Trident's 550 rooms were booked Sunday night while the Taj was 65 per cent full.
Security was tight, with armed guards and barricades at both hotels. Roads around the Taj have been sealed since the shooting stopped on November 29, while access to the Trident is severely restricted.
Luggage scanners and metal detectors have been placed at entrances, while guests had their identification checked and were frisked.
Tata has consulted "combat experts" to improve security, which will include plainclothes specialists operating inside the hotel, Kumar said, describing extremism as "an invisible form of war."
"We will not be restrained by budgetary constraints to spend towards internal security," he added.
Tata has said that the Taj management was warned it was a possible target, but increased security measures were eased shortly before the attacks.
Both he and Keswani have said that no business could legislate for such a brazen attack. - AFP/ms
|
|
|
