by Vijaylakshmi
The Taj Coromandel is one of Chennai’s and India’s hospitality icons. This year the property completed 50 years (it launched on April 14 1974) and Sourcecaught up with hotel manager Naved Karbelkar about the importance of his property to Chennai and what was planned to celebrate the golden milestone.
“When the Taj Coromandel opened in 1974 we set the benchmark for Chennai when it comes to luxury. Obviously through the years the hotel has grown, changed its facilities and amenities and gone through multiple renovations,” Karbelkar said, adding that it had always moved with the needs and demands of its customers and guests.
The hotel has a number of firsts, Karbelkar said, including the launch of the first Chinese restaurant (in a five star) with the opening of Golden Dragon in 1974 (a year after its opening in Mumbai).
“This hotel is known for catering to the who’s who from Queen Elizabeth II to US Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have stayed with us. In fact, for the longest time, our Presidential Suite was called the Queen Elizabeth Suite,” he said.
Speaking about how important the Taj Coromandel was when it came to celebrations, Karbelkar recalled how recently a guest who wanted to have his wedding there actually shifted his dates when the hotel didn’t have availability—his grandfather and father had also held their marriages there.
The iconic Taj Coromandel turned 50 on April 14, this year. " />“I can also say very proudly that superstar Rajnikanth held his wedding at the Taj Coromandel,” he added.
“When guests’ check-in they start feeling the 50th year celebration in terms of welcome on arrival, room amenities starting with small things like a special anniversary luggage tag. For employees, they get a lapel pin which showcases the 50th golden year,” he said about how the hotel was marking this very special milestone.
The hotel has been celebrating its golden anniversary with special offers on all its restaurants with 50 percent discounts over a certain period.
“All our restaurants, including Southern Spice and Golden Dragon have a special legacy menu which have dishes from when the hotel was initially launched, which are priced with a 50 percent discount,” Karbelkar said, clarifying that the promotion would be for a 15 day cycle per outlet which was already ongoing.
“We will also be having a grand celebration where we will be calling all our loyal patrons. This hotel has a very emotional connection when it comes to its guests,” he added.
