Farhat Jamal, GM of the newly acquired Taj Lands End, speaks to Gauri Sinh about the challenge ahead

Farhat Jamal, the affable GM of the newly acquired Taj Lands End, Bandra, is a determined man. "I walked into this hotel when the actual changing of ownership took place, on September 10," says Farhat Jamal. "And now our priority is to give the hotel a Taj identity." Ask him about why the acquisition of the property formally called The Regent was shrouded in confusion and he hedges: "I wasn't here at the time, was not involved in initial operations." But now that he is, he is enthusiasm personified. "The moment you give a ship to me, I'll make sure it sails."

Plans to revamp the structure of the hotel are already underway, with Food and Beverages coming up for review. "We've kept the same team, and I am extremely optimistic," says Jamal. "I would say that this is one of the best acquisitions that the Taj has made in many years," he says, gamely, about the move to buy The Regent at a time of recession. "The hotel market in north Mumbai is growing rapidly. Demand grew by 15 per cent compared to last year, inspite of 9/11." By acquiring Lands End, Taj has overcome their locational disadvantage of owning properties only in South Mumbai.

"Long term plans include introducing a flexi-price system and introducing serviced apartments on the upper floors, apart from the Taj club," explains Jamal. Meanwhile occupancy is also increasing. "We're at 55 per cent now, and our goal is to keep it steady till the end of the financial year. Quite a challenge!" But the 43-year-old father of two daughters says he thrives on challenges. "Change is exciting. This happens to be my twenty-fifth year in the business, and it's only getting better." Mumbai is not new to him, he was F&B Manager at the Taj way back in 1988. "It was an exciting time to be in hoteliering then," he reminisces.

"Our approach to hoteliering was changing, windows were opening to the world, as the Indian economy opened up. I opened the Zodiac Grill under Bhowmick who was GM, Taj at the time." One city was not enough. Jamal was posted both north and south of India, his most recent appointment having taken him to London, where he was DGM at the St James Court. But having travelled to many cities, Mumbai is still special. "Nothing is more exciting than coming back to Mumbai," he smiles.