Luxury Travel Advisor - September 2008 - (Page 22)

the pillow menu, which offers 10 different choices. All Taj Club rooms have views of the abundant trees of Lutyens’ Delhi, the elegant neighborhood of parks, residences and government buildings where the hotel is located. Tip: From odd-numbered rooms, you can also see India Gate (Delhi’s version of the Arc de Triomphe) and the Presidential Palace; even-numbered rooms look down on the hotel’s lovely outdoor pool. If clients desire a suite, direct them to the Executive Balcony Suites at the Taj Mahal Hotel. These are the only accommodations with a balcony, though it’s not the outdoor kind you usually think of. The balcony is enclosed, but it’s airy and flooded with light from windows across the entire wall. It resembles a conservatory, and these suites have a countryhome-like charm that the more expansive Luxury Suites do not. Starting next April, the Taj Mahal will replace the classic décor of its accommodations with a design scheme reflecting more contemporary colors and elements. Also planned for the room renovation is increasing the size of standard rooms and introducing a junior suite option. Despite its landmark status, the hotel continues to update and modify its facilities. This year it is opening two more restaurants: Wasabi by Morimoto, a Japanese eatery headed by TV “Iron Chef ” Masaharu Morimoto, and Varq, for contemporary Indian cuisine. In addition, the hotel intends to open a new, larger spa sometime next year, and it will relocate the spa from its current basement lo- FROM GUEST ROOMS (room 1005 shown above left) to suites (Presidential Suite shown above), the Taj Mahal Hotel has the accommodations for any type of traveller. cation to a different floor where the gym and treatment rooms get natural light. You can get all the details and spa reservations from the director, Bina Patel (bina. patel@tajhotels.com). Perhaps the most exclusive amenity offered at the hotel is membership in Chambers, a private club with additional locations at Taj properties in Bombay, Calcutta and Hyderabad. Initiation fee runs upward of $20,000, and the annual fee is about $1,000. A lounge, restaurant and fitness center on the top floor of the hotel are open only to Chambers members. The Taj Mahal Hotel’s head concierge, Lakshay Nirula (lakshay.nirula@tajhotels.com), can take care of all reservations or ticket purchases your client desires for dining, nightlife, transportation or sightseeing anywhere in India. The hotel will even seek special permission for a tour inside the Indian president’s house. Golf, squash and tennis can be arranged, as well as exclusive itineraries within the city and of the Golden Triangle (Delhi-Agra-Jaipur). The luxury travel advisor liaison for the hotel is Reservations Manager Neeraj Gampa (mahal.delhi@tajhotels.com) or Sales Manager Vikram Trivedi (vikram.trivedi@tajhotels.com). For VIP clients, contact General Manager Digvijay Singh (d.singh@tajhotels.com). ACCESS: We traveled through India with Greaves Tours (www.greaves india.com; 800-318-7801/312525-3939), a specialist in luxury FITs to India. The Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai, Taj Malabar Cochin, Radisson Plaza Resort & Spa Kumarakom and Delhi’s Taj Mahal Hotel can all be booked through Greaves. Clients can follow one of a number of pre-set itineraries, adding on specialized activities, extending time in a particular destination 22 or substituting hotels—or they can start from scratch and have Greaves create a unique trip based on their interests. With a destination as vast, diverse and exotic as India, this customization might be the ultimate privilege for high-end clients. In Mumbai, Greaves Tours can book specialized excursions and activities with Monica Vaziralli, a local socialite who knows about all the city’s prestigious and trendy clubs, boutiques, lounges and galleries, and can get clients into many that are open only to members. Greaves also uses her as guide and advisor for personal shopping trips. Starting later this year, the tour company will have its own private plane that can be booked for pointto-point travel or day trips. Greaves says it acquired the Beechcraft Super King B200, which carries up to six passengers, because of the long ground travel times between Indian destinations (e.g., it takes five hours to drive from Delhi to Agra, up to seven from Jaipur) and the high cost of their alternative, airplane charters. If you book hotels through Greaves, they make any spa appointments, restaurant reservations, transportation and sightseeing bookings and other special arrangements at the hotels. The company’s travel agent contact is its tours manager, Rose Thomas (rthomas@greavestvl. com). Contact company president, Carole Cambata, (ccambata@ greavestvl.com) for extra-special arrangements. LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR | September 2008 http://www.greavesindia.com http://www.greavesindia.com

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Luxury Travel Advisor - September 2008 Contents Publisher's Letter Editor's Letter Provence India Alvear Palace Hotel Oceana Santa Monica English Country Houses Chewton Glen Summer Lodge Chilston Park Hotel Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago Park Hyatt Milan Intercontinental Montelucia Jackson Hole World Cruises French Riveria Spas Voluntourism Vacations Signature Travel Network The Pulse Profile Luxury Travel Expo Sightings Source List Leaders Speak

Luxury Travel Advisor - September 2008

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