"Great hotels," said the American essayist Joan Didion, "have always been social ideas, flawless mirrors to the particular societies they service." That logic applies to the latest winner from the Taj Group stable, the Taj Lands End, an apposite reflection of Mumbai’s vibrancy, sophistication and cosmopolitanism.

It isn’t surprising, then, that the discerning traveller has taken the hotel to heart. Taj Lands End has just been voted the 'best business hotel in Asia from India' in the 2003 Best Business Hotels in Asia competition, organised by Business Asia magazine in conjunction with CNBC Asia Pacific. 

The competition, which involved 95 hotels from 14 Asia-Pacific countries, was decided by some 17,000 voters from across the world. Taj Lands End was the only Indian winner at this year’s awards, joining blue-blooded names such as the Ritz-Carlton, the Grand Hyatt and the Mandarin Oriental on the honours roll.

What’s remarkable about the Taj Land Ends triumph is that just over a year back it was off the hospitality industry’s radar. That was when the Taj Group purchased the property from Regent International for Rs 425 crore and set about reinventing the hotel in its own image. Bringing the renowned Taj touch to what has been an inspiring acquisition resulted in the hotel quickly finding a niche.

Taj Lands End has been positioned as a luxury hotel, a category defined by extravagance and sumptuousness. But this property’s focus is on business travellers, who constitute 75 per cent of its clientele. "This is a business hotel with a resort feel," says general manager Farhat Jamal, a 25-year Taj veteran who moved from the group’s London arm to take over operations here. "We compare favourably with any hotel in India, and not just in the Taj Group."

The hotel’s advantages are visible as much on the inside as on the outside, and they begin with its dream location beside the Arabian Sea at Lands End, the tip of the Bandstand neighbourhood in Bandra, the queen of Mumbai’s suburbs. 

Bandra has long ceased to be a suburb, but of its royal bearing there is little argument. Taj Lands End, which sits adjacent to the historical Portuguese Fort, is a resplendent addition to what has always been one of Mumbai’s most fashionable boroughs.

The interiors complement nature’s bounty. Towering over the lobby is a three-storey marble atrium, the showpiece of a property boasting 300 rooms, every one of them with a view of the sea’s expanse. But there’s more to Taj Lands End than the panoramic blue beyond its windows.

At an average size of about 400 square feet, the hotel’s rooms are among the largest in Mumbai’s hospitality industry. The plush bathrooms come with shower cubicles and soaking tubs. Then there’s a 24-hour butler service, bedside control panels that regulate lighting, curtains, room temperature, etc, non-smoking rooms on a separate floor and more. These extras supplement a variety of standard creature comforts.

Get out of the room and a fresh set of goodies beckon: a round-the-clock health centre and spa that offers state-of-the-art exercising equipment, massages and beauty treatments; a swimming pool with a Jacuzzi and a waterfall; a wide spread of food-and-beverage options; an underground parking area that can accommodate up to 600 cars; and — probably of the greatest importance, given the hotel’s guest profile — a business centre that can meet the business traveller’s every need.

Establishing such a striking presence north of downtown Mumbai is, strategically speaking, a masterstroke for the Taj. "North Mumbai is one of the fastest-growing markets in the hospitality industry," says Mr Jamal. "It was the right moment for us to make a mark here." Taj Lands End’s midtown setting allows it to attract the South Mumbai crowd, people from the far-flung western suburbs and those from Navi Mumbai as well. "It’s a great addition to the group."

Mr Jamal attaches plenty of significance to the repositioning of the hotel as a Taj property. The group’s marketing muscle and know-how, a crucial part of which is its network of salespeople in India and abroad, has benefited Taj Lands End immensely. Revenues have increased by 35 per cent since the Taj takeover, and the hotel expects to rake in Rs 72 crore for the financial year 2003-04. That will place it among the top four properties of Indian Hotels, the Taj’s parent company, in the country.

Taj Lands End has lifted its occupancy rate from about 35 per cent a year back to more than 80 per cent now. The expansion plans currently being worked on will give a further impetus to the property. "We have started a new Indian restaurant [the splendid Masala Bay] and are in the process of launching a new coffee shop. Then there’s the Taj Club coming up in January 2004. We’ll have another presidential suite, 34 more deluxe rooms and 47 fully furnished service apartments. Our total inventory will go from 300 to 369 by early 2004."

The Taj Group had budgeted about Rs 30 crore to refurbish the Lands End property. It has spent about Rs 7 crore on the hotel thus far, which leaves a whole lot in the kitty for further improvement. More than the money, it’s the availability of land for development that makes the future so bright for Taj Lands End. "We have a further 23,000 square feet to develop. Additions to the spa, courts for squash and tennis — there’s much more to come."

In Mr Jamal’s reckoning, the biggest challenge for the Taj in general and properties such as Lands End in particular is to stay ahead of the times. "We need to create innovative products that will find demand among customers. Take, for instance, the spa business, which is a $14-billion market worldwide. India is a known for its rich culture and heritage, all of it entwined with yoga, spirituality, massages, therapies and the like. We have to make the best of these advantages."

Tourism is not a key dynamic for Taj Lands End, driven as it is by the necessity to concentrate on business travellers. That’s why bulk deals for companies, banquets, etc find favour in the hotel management's scheme of affairs. The quest for improvement is backed by the credibility, loyalty and sheer class attached to the Taj brand, and the dedication and belief of a 350-strong workforce.

In an age where many five-star hotels, with their sterilised environs and soulless ambience, remind guests of the hospital in hospitality, Taj Lands End comes as a breath of fresh air. That’s the social idea firing one of the Taj Group’s finest forward.

Uploaded on December 2, 2003