The grande dame of the Indian hospitality industry, The Taj, is looking ready to get into the fast lane. With eight new restaurants coming up this year, and expansion plans across China and Europe, the future looks busy as Raymond Bickson takes over as Managing Director, Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL). "The Taj has been an aspirational brand. The next step is to use that tradition to improve our distribution channel and pull in customers from across the world," says Bickson.

The Taj is planning sales offices in Beijing, Sydney, Frankfurt, Dubai and has strengthened their offices in London and New York. In the wake of 9/11 and SARS which threatened to cripple hospitality services worldwide, the key is to balance operations across the world. "The Taj is looking for a balanced global portfolio so that we are not excessively dependent on a specific geographic location. We're looking at projects in China, the ASEAN countries, in Europe and North America."

The Hawaiian-born Bickson comes to the Taj with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. Voted among the top 10 best hotel managers by Leaders Magazine, from 1997-2002, and as the best hotelier in the world by the Gallivanter's Guide in 2002, Bickson, who graduated from the advanced management programme from Harvard, is ready to kickstart the Taj group's new avatar. Mumbai's melting pot, with its wicked brew of international hotel chains and standalone restaurants, has made the Taj wake up and smell the coffee.

A sushi eatery, a pan-Asian restaurant, a seafood restaurant among others, feature on the Taj's menu for this year. "We're now doing things with more zip and pizzazz — especially since we're competing against standalone restaurants like Indigo, Olive and Rain," says Bickson. With international hotel chains like Marriott, Inter-continental and Hyatt in Mumbai aggressively wooing the business traveller, Bickson admits that the Taj will have to rev up on that front as well.

"We have to pull up our socks. 80 percent of our business is corporate driven. North Mumbai is one of the most vibrant locations in the country. The acquisition of the Land's End property is one way of ensuring our strategic position in the suburbs." In addition, with 16 spas opening across the country as well as luxury residences on the anvil, the 100-year-old Taj is getting into top gear, from its leisurely pace earlier. As Bickson says, "Globalisation is the key today. We have to react quickly to changes in the market."