The Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai has won the coveted award of the ‘Best Business Hotel in India’ for a second consecutive time. The award was announced last week at a glittering ceremony at Singapore during the 3^rd Annual Best Business Hotels in Asia Awards 2000.

The award is instituted jointly by Bloomberg TV and Business Asia with the aim to recognize excellence in hotel industry and encourage better standards for the crucial business travel sector.

Readers of the Business Asia and viewers of the Bloomberg were invited to vote for their preferred Hotel in each country through a coupon that appeared in every issue of Business Asia from July to September. Approximately 20,000 votes were received for the award from readers of Business Asia and Bloomberg TV viewers.

The award was judged by a panel of eminent business leaders including Mr. Ken Cowley, Director of News Corp, Mr. Pater Charlton, Publisher of Business Asia, Mr. Cameron Cooper, Editor of Business Asia and Mr. Robert Stiles, Managing Director Asia Pacific of Sonnenblick-Goldman and board member of "Hotels" magazine. The judging panel met in Sydney in February 2000 and selected a list of 85 hotels from 14 countries.

The nominated hotels were judged on a range of criteria from special business services to business clubs and lounge facilities, conferences and convention facilities and guest reward and incentive programmes. The votes were counted and tallied by a leading firm Gould Ralph and Company Chartered Accountants in Sydney.

Says Mr Subir Bhowmick, Chief Operating Officer, Luxury Hotels of the Taj Group "We are honoured to receive this prestigious award. Last year the readers of Business Asia voted the Taj Mahal, Mumbai as the best Business Hotel in India and in 1998, it was Taj Palace, New Delhi that received the award. We are glad that the legendary standards of impeccable service and warm hospitality set by the Taj Group of Hotels have once again earned us this distinction."