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Ebate
January 22, 2000
What does a tourist do in Mumbai?
As a
resident Mumbaikar one usually thinks of its hotels as places to dine
at, to attend a wedding or a conference, somewhere to pick up a cake or
a book from. Rarely does one think of a local hotel as a place to stay.
Occasionally in the past when I would make a foray to the residential
floors to meet a visiting colleague from abroad I would invariably have
to hear about how difficult it was to get a xerox made on the premises
or how nobody could make the necessary connection for a lap top. All this
of course has changed post liberalisation.
A few years ago, when I was assessing the city's hotel facilities for a travel magazine I found the hotel industry had geared up to grab the corporate traveller. Many hotels were redoing their interiors and their facades. Some had opened or were in the process of opening exclusive executive floors with separate lounges, check in facilities, conference rooms and so on.
The other trend seemed to be of boutique hotels priced below the premium five star, smaller but with an emphasis on personal attention. Guestline Days was one such in the suburbs and the Marine Plaza had come up at the other end of town. The Business Centre with an in house secretary, conference rooms and xeroxing facilities had become an absolute necessity and even the smaller hotels had begun to offer lap tops and fax machines on request.
These days the hotel industry appears to be in the throes of another boom. Internet connectivity, interactive television sets (where you can see the hotel's facilities and view your billing etc) and high speed net connections have become de riguer. Some hotels offer the use of cell phone instruments free to their guests and a couple have set aside exclusive floors for women executives with security cameras, lady attendants and health snacks in the rooms.
Much has already been written about the Taj's new look. The lobby, the new bar and a refurbished Zodiac Grill all have been redesigned for a brighter more contemporary feel. It is a far cry though from the opulence of the sprawling properties now coming up in the suburbs. The Regent in Bandra for instance has some 70,000 square feet of banquet and convention space, rooms the size of small apartments each overlooking the sea and all sorts of nooks including a cigar room and an art gallery.
Le Royal Meridien in Sahar which opened late last year is another hotel that places itself into the 5-star deluxe category. Based on the theme of a colonial bungalow with wooden flooring and fireplaces it claims to offer all sorts of trappings including DVD players and fax machines in all rooms and a fleet of swanky cars to drive the few minutes to the airport. All trends to go with the times.
The hectic pace at which the hotel industry is expanding - the 386 Maratha Sheraton opens this month - seems to indicate a potential influx of visitors. Yet we still have so little in Mumbai to lure the tourist or to interest the visiting corporate traveller in his spare time. I showed someone in the hospitality business a list of things to do in Mumbai I had compiled some years ago (Leopold Café, Fashion Street, Kala Ghoda, Haji Ali tomb, Elephanta, Victoria ride, Hindi film etc.) and he admitted that it was about identical to the list he was used to giving out to his guests. And nothing seems to have changed over the years. It is time to create something new.
An observatory where one could look out at the city skyline and its landmarks perhaps, and a Bollywood museum. The latter would be a surefire hit. If recent reports are to be believed then even ex-Beatle Paul McCartney is said to be planning to drop in at a film shooting while on a trip to the city.
Updated Fortnightly
The writer is former editor of Elle.
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