The Hindu Business Line : ‘Concept of hospitality will change’

“We cannot asses the exact amount of damage right now. But from the outside look it seems that the Oberoi damage is far far greater that the Trident.”

Shashi Ashiwal

No structural damage: Mr P.R.S. Oberoi (right), Chairman of The Oberoi Group, and Mr Rattan Keswani, President of Trident Hotels, addressing the press in Mumbai on Saturday.–

Our Bureau

Mumbai, Nov 29 Hospitality will have to be defined differently in India, if the Government is not proactive regarding security, say the top management of the Oberoi Group of hotels. The group’s Trident and Oberoi hotels were under siege from armed gun-men for close to two days.

“The hospitality and the security does not go in tandem. If you are hospitable then there is some amount of security that you cannot have. So effectively what is happening is that the concept of hospitality will change in this country if the government is not proactive,” said Mr S.S. Mukherji, Vice-Chairman of The Oberoi Group, addressing the media for the first time after the dastardly incidents ended at their hotels.

He added that as an individual hotelier there are limitations on how far they could secure their places. “If the security agencies fail, then what can an individual hotelier do,” he added.

In addition to that the management also categorically denied having received any early indications of a possible terror attack on the hotel. Mr P.R.S. Oberoi, Chairman and Chief Executive of The Oberoi Group said: “As an organisation, we have never been told or communicated that there could be a possible terror attack on Oberoi.” Nevertheless, he added, they always had security personnel dressed ordinarily at their lobby.

Meanwhile, he added that they have cancelled all their further bookings and the money will be returned to the customers. He said the entire loss was covered under insurance, including the loss of profit. New India Insurance and United India Insurance are their insurance companies, he said.

“We cannot asses the exact amount of damage right now. But from the outside look it seems that the Oberoi damage is far far greater that the Trident. Trident could be much more easier to re-start. The Oberoi we need to see,” said Mr Mukherji.

Meanwhile, Mr Oberoi also said they were compensating two days of stay for the guests who were evacuated from the hotel and were currently put up at various pother hotels in the city. He said the employees who lost their lives their families will be compensated. “Fortunately only 10 employees have lost their lives. Rest assured that our policies will take care of their families very well.”

Whatever it might be, call it irony or twist in fate, Mr Oberoi was receving an award at one of the hotels in North Mumbai, when his own baby was under siege.

“I was in the hotel. Not when the incident happened. Good fortune for me I suppose because don’t know where I would have been. Because the damage in the Oberoi…I was staying there in one of the suites and I left an hour and a half to go to North Bombay for the award ceremony. So while I was at the award ceremony I got a call that some terrorists have attacked the hotel. And they (staff and management) said don’t come back please. I said why not…they said hotel have been cordoned off, there are terrorists inside the hotel, you’ll just create more commotion. So, I didn’t come then.”