The historic heritage wing of Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palace's 1903 flagship in Mumbai overlooking the Gateway to India and the Arabian Sea reopens on Sunday, August 15, India's Independence Day, bearing the name "The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai."

The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai now features 285 newly restored luxury guestrooms and suites, including 161 Grand Rooms, 82 Taj Club rooms and 42 Luxury Suites, and newly restored signature restaurants and bars, elegant ballrooms and grand public spaces, all ready to welcome guests.

In keeping with its iconic status as an authentic palace of hospitality, The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai has introduced an array of new Palace services for all Palace Wing guests. Offered at every touch point from the traditional Indian welcome on arrival to in-room check-out upon departure, these new services and amenities include:

• Daily access to a new ground floor Palace Lounge adjacent to the Grand Staircase with complimentary beverage and food services for all guests, and cocktails and wine for Taj Club and Suite guests, as well as Internet work stations and dedicated concierge service
• 24-hour butler service
• Complimentary use of fitness center, steam and Jacuzzi
• Complimentary breakfast and high tea in the Sea Lounge, and one-way airport transfers for Taj Club and Suite guests
• Concierge printing of boarding passes prior to hotel departure
• At-airport butler assistance

Guestrooms and luxury suites were redesigned by teams of acclaimed designers, including BAMO Spain, Lissoni Associati Milano, LTW Designworks of Kuala Lumpur and James Parks Associates Singapore:

• 161 newly restored Luxury Grand Rooms with residential-style interiors by James Park Associates, Singapore are adorned with delicate Rajput bay-windows that frame views of the Gateway of India and the Arabian Sea, the courtyard pool or the bustling city
• 82 newly restored Taj Club Rooms feature interiors by BAMO Spain with richly polished rosewood floors, white wainscoting that echo the exterior balconies, soaring ceilings with beams and arches reminiscent of the hotel's atriums, and a generous mahogany bed with a dramatic arched headboard
• Among the 15 themed Grand Luxury Suites is the Maratha Suite by LTW Designworks, Kuala Lampur, a new guest experience at the Taj. Named after the Great Maratha Empire, it conveys an image of brave men who stand strong in the face of adversity and serves as a poignant tribute to the brave staff and guests at the hotel. Styled in the warm colors of the Maratha flag, including turmeric, ochre, crimson and sand, the two-bedroom suite features highly ornate Thanjavur paintings representing India as well as the Warli paintings of the tribal north.
The award-winning restaurants, bars ands special event spaces were also reinvented by noted designers. The legendary Harbour Bar, Mumbai's first licensed bar, and India's first contemporary Japanese restaurant, Wasabi by Morimoto, were redesigned by Madrid-based Rockwell Group Europe. Sea Lounge, Mumbai's favorite social gathering spot, and The Ballroom, celebrated site of many fashionable parties, were re-imagined by LTW Designworks.

The art on display at the hotel during the events of 2008, part of an extensive collection acquired over 100 years, was covered by thick glass and so was saved from critical damage; however, they still required painstaking restoration. The paintings were meticulously refurbished by Delhi-based Art Life Restoration Trust, whose team of seasoned conservationists set up a workshop at the hotel to restore these works. Many are now displayed throughout the Taj Mahal Palace's corridors and public areas, resplendent with new designs by James Park Associates.

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Luxury Travel Magazine Hotel Profile: Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai