0:00:07 > 0:00:09Mumbai...
0:00:10 > 0:00:12..the biggest city in India.
0:00:14 > 0:00:19Endlessly rich in culture and in contradictions.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24It's home to one of the oldest
0:00:24 > 0:00:29and grandest hotels in the world, the Taj Mahal Palace.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31INDIAN SINGING
0:00:31 > 0:00:38It is beyond just luxury. This is a mirage in the middle of the city.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43It has over 500 rooms...
0:00:45 > 0:00:47..and 1,500 staff.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52I don't feel like I am 61. I feel like I'm 16.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Taj has built me very strongly.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01It is famed for being meticulous, where no detail is too small
0:01:01 > 0:01:04or demand too great.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08Anything that is possible. I cannot get you pink elephant. I will try!
0:01:09 > 0:01:13With an army of staff striving for flawless service...
0:01:15 > 0:01:18This is India and we frankly don't say no to anything.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25..it is where the super-rich of today come to live like the maharajahs of India's past.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Sometimes I close my eyes
0:01:28 > 0:01:31and I pretend that all of India is like this.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Standing on the edge of the Arabian Sea, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
0:01:50 > 0:01:54has been a landmark in Mumbai for over 100 years.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Favoured by rock stars and royalty, billionaire businessmen and stars
0:02:00 > 0:02:04of Hollywood and Bollywood, it was the first luxury hotel in India.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18For the last five years, executive housekeeper Indrani has been
0:02:18 > 0:02:21keeping the hotel in a manner fit for Kings...
0:02:21 > 0:02:25All the canopies. They have to be more stuck towards the ceiling.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27A little of the wire is showing on them.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30..and there is little that escapes her attention.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Hi, boys, good morning. It has to be nicely vacuumed, OK?
0:02:33 > 0:02:35I should put a hand inside.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Once you have vacuumed, please put your hand inside the corners
0:02:38 > 0:02:41and see that everything is clean. OK?
0:02:42 > 0:02:44These are the blankets.
0:02:46 > 0:02:47These are the blankets
0:02:47 > 0:02:51which have already come after disinfection from the laundry.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54But since it is all touched by human beings,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57you can have lint and I don't want anything over there.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00So sometimes I scan the faults
0:03:00 > 0:03:04so I am checking also with the torch if I have missed out on anything.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06This is clean, show me the other one.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13At £9,000 a night, the Tata Suite is the most exclusive in the hotel.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Named after the hotel's founder, the suite has 15 rooms,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23including its own private spa and gym.
0:03:23 > 0:03:24This is what I was talking about.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Can you see that it has little bubbles? All right?
0:03:28 > 0:03:30There should not be any bubbles.
0:03:30 > 0:03:31It has seen dignitaries
0:03:31 > 0:03:35and celebrities from Tom Cruise to Barack Obama pass through its doors.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41- Which one have you done already? - This one.- Huh? It is not clean.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Can you be very, very careful while you're doing it?
0:03:46 > 0:03:51With the next guest and his entourage arriving in a few days' time,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Indrani wants to check everything.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01All right, so I want complete, tight bunch of pink roses.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03They are coming to India for the first time
0:04:03 > 0:04:06so ensure that we have a little Indian touch to it.
0:04:08 > 0:04:09This guest is all of excitement
0:04:09 > 0:04:12and you must have seen all the photographs
0:04:12 > 0:04:13of the people who have stayed here.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18And though I see that every day, but I don't hesitate.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Every day when I look at it, I feel immensely proud.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25Oh, my God, I have been able to do something for this guest
0:04:25 > 0:04:28who has done so much for the world.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36I am looking at the finishing below the...under this.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Why are you looking there?
0:04:43 > 0:04:46The finishing and the cleanliness under the basin
0:04:46 > 0:04:50because this is an area which is neglected. People, they feel lazy.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52So we ensure that when we are checking the room,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55we always sit down and look up.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57When a guest is lying in the bathtub,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01he is actually at this height and he can see this. You can't see.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03But guest can see this, like this.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06So we have to ensure that everything is perfect.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19The Indian philosophy dictates that anybody who comes to your house,
0:05:19 > 0:05:20he's not a guest but he is God.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27So we treat every guest who comes and stays with us
0:05:27 > 0:05:30as close to God as possible.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33For many general managers,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37running a hotel like the Taj is the pinnacle of their career.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Every city has its own monument
0:05:39 > 0:05:42to which people very strongly relate to.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47So this is the place in Bombay which people relate to very strongly.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Gaurav has been in charge for the last three years,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55a blink of an eye in a hotel which everyone in Mumbai has grown up with.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00To a large section of society in Bombay,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03they have seen this hotel for the last 100-odd years.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Their parents have seen this, their grandparents have seen this.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09A lot of them have got married here, their parents have got married here.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11They call it the "People's Taj".
0:06:12 > 0:06:15This is unlike any other hotel that I have run before.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20When you come here, you realise and feel the history of 110 years.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25The Taj was the first hotel in India to have electricity
0:06:25 > 0:06:27and the first to have a licensed bar.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38Built in 1903, over 40 years before the end of the British Raj,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41it was a regular retreat for the Indian maharajahs
0:06:41 > 0:06:43and throughout its history
0:06:43 > 0:06:45has welcomed VIPs from all over the world.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01Every client who comes and stays with us is a VIP.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03To a large extent,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07we don't like to distinguish between the real VIPs and the VIPs.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10But if you really want to have a culture of top-class service
0:07:10 > 0:07:12being given to every resident guest,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14you need to treat every one of them as VIPs.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17We will go through all of them...
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Before all major visits, Gaurav holds a meeting
0:07:20 > 0:07:24with the hotel's heads of department to scrutinise every detail.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26The position you would have chosen
0:07:26 > 0:07:29for them to stand for Oprah Winfrey's visit
0:07:29 > 0:07:33as well as for President Sarkozy was the correct position.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37At no point in time should we forget that anybody who comes
0:07:37 > 0:07:40and stays in this hotel is paying through his pocket
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and needs to be treated in that particular manner.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46I want everybody's opinion on,
0:07:46 > 0:07:48do you want somebody playing traditional Indian music?
0:07:48 > 0:07:51The whole idea is, when they walk in they hear something
0:07:51 > 0:07:54which is very traditional, Indian and soft.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04It's not just the guests who stay in the Tata Suite
0:08:04 > 0:08:05who are given five-star treatment.
0:08:09 > 0:08:15- Hello.- It's nice to be back. - Welcome back!
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Dr Anil Sinanan has been visiting
0:08:19 > 0:08:22up to five times a year for over a decade.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29- Hello.- Welcome back.- Thank you.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37- Enjoy your stay with us. - I always do.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42A lawyer from London, he stays at the hotel
0:08:42 > 0:08:44whenever he visits the city.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51My love affair with Mumbai is purely because of Bollywood
0:08:51 > 0:08:57and I try and buy every single CD which is released, every DVD.
0:08:57 > 0:09:04And I also go to... non-descript stores,
0:09:04 > 0:09:06in really foul places,
0:09:06 > 0:09:11that's my mission, to buy LP records.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16I think it is probably that I am trying to recreate my childhood.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25I go out and I like mingling with what they call the masses,
0:09:25 > 0:09:32ordinary people. And they look at the Taj in awe, not envy.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36And because I have travelled globally
0:09:36 > 0:09:40and from the Caribbean, I find that really strange
0:09:40 > 0:09:42because often people look at you
0:09:42 > 0:09:46if you come out of, let's say the Hilton in Trinidad.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48They just say, "Rich bastard".
0:09:48 > 0:09:50And they want to beat you up and kidnap you.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55But in Mumbai, they just see that as like,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59"Wow, well done, you, for being a guest!"
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Because one of the maxims
0:10:02 > 0:10:08of Indian life, or maybe Hinduism, I don't know - "Guest is God".
0:10:08 > 0:10:10So I am a guest, so I am a God.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16When a guest is booked into the Tata Suite...
0:10:18 > 0:10:22..Gaurav checks everything personally before they arrive.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28I can't shake this habit off. I have to come at the last minute
0:10:28 > 0:10:30and I have to see personally for myself.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33It gives me a sense of control.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36It also allows me to sleep better!
0:10:38 > 0:10:41I think I am a natural critic by nature.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44The more I intervene in terms of doing repeated rounds,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47the more seriously everybody else actually takes their job
0:10:47 > 0:10:50so it works that way.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52This lamp is... OK? I want this to be...
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Individual as well as the main lamp, both are crooked.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00Get that addressed, you can do that later on.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02As far as the sitting room is concerned,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05the entire room has been painted and polished.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08You will not find any fragrance or any kind of smell over there.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10The room has been completely sanitised,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12pest controlled and disinfected.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15I don't want any painter, polisher
0:11:15 > 0:11:17now coming into the suite, from now on.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20- I don't want the smell to change. - Absolutely.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25On that day, I just want to feel the flowers smell and nothing else.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30- When is his butler coming?- It is half an hour before his arrival.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34- On eight.- OK, what I want you to do is, after the first day, OK?
0:11:34 > 0:11:37I am not talking about the eighth night when he comes in,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39ninth, try to get in touch with his butler.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Your butler team is going to be here?
0:11:41 > 0:11:44- Yes, sir.- Please ensure there is a lady in that team.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47The last time, spoken about two butlers and a lady in the team.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Ask what his preferences as far as the single malt is concerned.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53- Yes, sir.- OK. When he comes the first day,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56he is going to be in the hotel at about nine o'clock.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59I don't know if he's going to ask for dinner.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02For us to be able to understand what his requirements are going to be
0:12:02 > 0:12:04is going to be an issue in a sense.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08- So I have made a booking for him in all my restaurants.- All of them?
0:12:08 > 0:12:11All of them. I really don't want to take a chance.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15So anything that is expressed during the course of the stay,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18you know, we really don't want to be in a position to say no.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21This is India, we frankly don't say no to anything.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24If it means I am going to have to ask somebody
0:12:24 > 0:12:25to stay back in the hotel
0:12:25 > 0:12:29because the services may be asked outside the working hours,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31we will ensure that we deliver.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35I mean, otherwise how do you explain 1,500 people?
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Let's start.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52THEY PRAY
0:13:00 > 0:13:03- Good morning, everybody. - ALL: Good morning.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Of the hotel's 1,500 staff, 200 are room boys.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13Many have migrated from the villages of their birth to work in Mumbai.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16They all come from a humble background.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19There are many boys who are not so highly educated,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22they have just done the schooling.
0:13:22 > 0:13:23They have not seen or experienced
0:13:23 > 0:13:25what we are expecting them to deliver.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31They are being slowly acclimatised
0:13:31 > 0:13:34to a different world of hotel industry.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38A precision of luxury, understanding the finer details
0:13:38 > 0:13:41is what they have been taught every day, morning, evening.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46- Good morning.- Good morning.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Each morning after prayers,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Indrani's exacting standards start with the boys themselves.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57- Hi, morning. - Good morning.- OK, boys.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03First and foremost, is he looking fresh,
0:14:03 > 0:14:05ready to take on the world, OK?
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Obviously he has to smell good,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10in the sense that he should smell fresh.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Hello, Samuel, hair is not cut.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15There are times we are being strict with them,
0:14:15 > 0:14:17there are times we are nice with them
0:14:17 > 0:14:21and there are times we are like elder sister to their problems, their issues.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25It's like a whole family working together towards a common goal.
0:14:25 > 0:14:26Come here.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32Your trouser is very long. Can you wear it around your waist?
0:14:32 > 0:14:33Put it up, pull it up.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37And your shoes are also not polished.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39I polished them.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41So many of them with their own little issues,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44we know each one of them, how their family is, what they are,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47who their children are, what issues they are having,
0:14:47 > 0:14:49what family problems they are having.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Sometimes we do try to sort this out.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55It's not only a professional relationship.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Turn, turn.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01I want cut down here, shaved over here.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04I don't want all this trickling down.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08Hair cut. Santosh, hair cut.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Where are your nails? Cut.
0:15:15 > 0:15:16OK.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22- All of you wearing black socks? - Yes.- Who is not?
0:15:28 > 0:15:31For the fortunate few who get a job at the hotel,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33it can change the course of their lives.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Mr Chaskar has worked here for 42 years.
0:15:42 > 0:15:43During that time,
0:15:43 > 0:15:4716 members of his family have also been employed by the hotel.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Private bar service.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52These days, Mr Chaskar is in charge of the mini bars.
0:15:55 > 0:15:56Private bar.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00May I come in?
0:16:01 > 0:16:06I really enjoying my job very much.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09I don't feel like I'm 61, I feel like I am 16.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13Because I'm still young. People are asking me,
0:16:13 > 0:16:15how you don't have a stomach, how you're not fat.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18I say, "Taj has built me very strongly."
0:16:18 > 0:16:21And that is what the wonderful things people listen to me.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31Working at Taj is happiness, not only me but my family
0:16:31 > 0:16:35because this is a super deluxe five-star hotel
0:16:35 > 0:16:38which is number one in all of India.
0:16:38 > 0:16:44That is why it is a proud and a pride to me and my family also.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46It is a dream come true.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50An enjoyable life we are living here.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Private bar service.
0:16:54 > 0:16:55Show the smile.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59A smile shows you're comfortable, the smile shows understanding,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03smile tells that you are really successful,
0:17:03 > 0:17:07a smile says caring and a smile says that yes, I am very happy.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Private bar service.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14- Very good morning, sir.- Morning.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Very nice to you.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20- Here's your newspaper.- Yes, please. - Do you require some replenishment
0:17:20 > 0:17:23of tea or coffee?
0:17:23 > 0:17:28Would it be possible for you to make me some coffee from this?
0:17:28 > 0:17:31- Yes, I will do that, sir.- Thank you.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35Allow me to make you a coffee, please. Thank you very much, sir.
0:17:35 > 0:17:40- Do you require Nescafe, sir? - Black coffee.- Black coffee.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Enjoy your coffee, sir. Have a nice day. Pleasant stay, sir.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03I suppose I do like being called sir. I don't know!
0:18:05 > 0:18:09But, yes, I think it is like being
0:18:09 > 0:18:13treated with kindness and respect.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16I hope it doesn't go to my head.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Or maybe that's why I keep coming back!
0:18:21 > 0:18:24I have come from a very humble background,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27both my parents were largely illiterate
0:18:27 > 0:18:32and children of indentured immigrants
0:18:32 > 0:18:35from India to the West Indies.
0:18:35 > 0:18:41I literally had to get myself to university, get a job in London
0:18:41 > 0:18:46and I started literally with nothing so why not enjoy it now?
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Thank you.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51I suppose that is why I appreciate it.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55I suspect, if I was born into it,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57I would have probably taken it for granted.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04My favourite bit of the hotel is sitting
0:19:04 > 0:19:07exactly around the poolside.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12I like the sort of protected environment, oasis of calm
0:19:12 > 0:19:15where you can get away from the hustle and bustle
0:19:15 > 0:19:17of the urban jungle.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Sometimes I close my eyes
0:19:20 > 0:19:23and I pretend that all of India is like this.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25That this is the real India.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36In the real Mumbai,
0:19:36 > 0:19:40the average person lives in less than five metres of space.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Built on a peninsula, the city has nowhere left to expand...
0:19:49 > 0:19:52..but the population has doubled in the last 25 years.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Alongside its hundreds of millionaires,
0:19:58 > 0:20:02more than half the population lives in slums.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19Many live and work on the streets outside the hotel.
0:20:28 > 0:20:29Lalita, Suresh and their family
0:20:29 > 0:20:32have lived by the hotel for most of their lives.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36They make money selling strings of jasmine to passers-by.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19I came when I was very young.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24Actually, I came to India in my 20s, 20, 22.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29And, of course,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33I was a very leftist woman at the time and my first husband,
0:22:33 > 0:22:38we were fiance at that time, he was coming from a very rich family.
0:22:38 > 0:22:43I used to take him to hippiest places and he said, "OK, half-half.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46"Half the time we will go to the hippiest places
0:22:46 > 0:22:49"and one or two nights at least we come to the Taj."
0:22:49 > 0:22:51And when I came here, when I saw that, I said,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54"No, that is for rich people, for bourgeois, I am not coming."
0:22:54 > 0:22:58We stayed there and I was very happy to stay there.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01I found it gorgeous, fabulous. That was ages ago.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07The best memory I have here is with my second husband
0:23:07 > 0:23:09which was the greatest love of my life.
0:23:11 > 0:23:16We used to have a great time talking with the people,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20being, in a way, like we were in a family.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27There is something about this hotel which is really very particular.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31You stay there and you get back to the history
0:23:31 > 0:23:33of a big part of the history of India.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36And also a part of the history of the world.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Sometimes I live with all people that they have been passed by,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46the last Shah of Iran, as well as John Lennon
0:23:46 > 0:23:50and so many other people and I feel them, I feel their spirit there.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Serving the world's elite requires the utmost discretion.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08When John Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed for five days, no-one,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11not even a cleaner, was allowed in their suite.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16- So you set the suite yesterday? - Yes, ma'am.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18- You had a round? - Yes.
0:24:18 > 0:24:19OK.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24- You've got the key?- Yes, ma'am. - Let's open up.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Before the next guest checks in to the Tata Suite,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33the head of each department wants to make sure
0:24:33 > 0:24:35everything in their area is faultless.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Let's start with the living room.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Mehr is in charge of food and beverages.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46OK. You've got the Pimm's.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Take the band rolls off, no band rolls on any of them, please.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52I am not quite liking the shine of this.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56And if you leave it here, it will get more tarnished
0:24:56 > 0:25:00so just take this off, polish it, put it back. Martini extra dry?
0:25:00 > 0:25:03- Yes, ma'am.- Gordon's? - Gordon's is there, ma'am.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Yes. No, no, no Bacardi.
0:25:06 > 0:25:12- Why?- Absolutely not. Please upgrade. Captain Morgan Spiced Gold?- Yes.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14I come back actually multiple times.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17This is probably the third one I am already making.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20There's a water mark on this glass.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23- See here?- Yes, ma'am.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26By afternoon you will find that whatever
0:25:26 > 0:25:30I have already highlighted right now will get addressed and I will
0:25:30 > 0:25:33make another round around evening just to make sure it is correct.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35No.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Please, a fresh piece.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Or get it cleaned.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Checks upon checks upon checks.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Endless checks till he actually checks in! That is how it is.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49The Tata Suite comes with 13 staff.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Rooms have been dedicated to all the guests' needs...
0:25:56 > 0:25:58- Give this a VIP pressing room. - Yes, ma'am.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01..including one for ironing.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04- Get a couple of laundry baskets, please.- Certainly, ma'am.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Ask Mr Mahel to make a round of this room
0:26:06 > 0:26:09because I don't think this is everything they need.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11But ask him to still check.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13OK, fine. Come.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23There are many times that VIPs or VIP movements involve
0:26:23 > 0:26:26only their own butler coming in to contact with the VIP.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30Our butlers only become for the butlers to their butler.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34So it can be a butler to a butler to a butler.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36You could end up with four butlers in the room
0:26:36 > 0:26:39and also you could end up with three butlers that have very little to do
0:26:39 > 0:26:41because their butler is already taking care
0:26:41 > 0:26:44of most of the preferences. But we go with that.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Little bit to the left.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Out, away from you.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Yes. Glass also.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03- Both glass and bottle.- OK.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05The philosophy of the hotel is the same
0:27:05 > 0:27:07as the philosophy of the country.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Fourth one again. Little bit away from you.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14The guest is God in India and, you know,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17we live and breathe that philosophy.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22You have no provision to actually lay an extra chair
0:27:22 > 0:27:25- so what I want you to do is pull it here. To here.- OK.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28If I have to add an extra chair in emergency
0:27:28 > 0:27:31- then keep an extra chair somewhere near.- Sure.- OK?
0:27:31 > 0:27:34The way the suite is originally in running needs to be
0:27:34 > 0:27:37turned around very, very quickly after the morning meeting.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41I will not have to then come back to have a look at this.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44OK. All right, thank you.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49For us, everything we do is keeping in mind that the guest is God
0:27:49 > 0:27:54when he walks in and whatever we do is centred around that idea.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Please realise all these people have stayed
0:28:04 > 0:28:05in the best hotels in the world.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08There are certain things they take for granted
0:28:08 > 0:28:12and there are certain things they really like to be surprised with.
0:28:12 > 0:28:18The ability of a hotel to surprise on those small, finer aspects
0:28:18 > 0:28:23of luxury is what is going to set you apart from other luxury hotels.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28I am slightly restless by nature,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31hence my management style is also dictated by that.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33I am a bit aggressive at work, in the sense
0:28:33 > 0:28:36when I want to do something I want to do it then and there.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39The TV needs to come down.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45If you are extremely passionate about what you are doing,
0:28:45 > 0:28:47a certain sense of that tends to get
0:28:47 > 0:28:50also rubbed onto people who work with you.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Plus they also understand there is always somebody keeping an eye out
0:28:53 > 0:28:56and there is always somebody who is really concerned about
0:28:56 > 0:28:57how the hotel is faring.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01And sometimes over a period of time,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04people understand that the final solution in a hotel tends to lie
0:29:04 > 0:29:06with the general manager, which is rather unfortunate
0:29:06 > 0:29:11because, you know, for every solution people actually
0:29:11 > 0:29:15look to the general manager. For the final solution.
0:29:15 > 0:29:20So, once you get engaged so heavily with something like this,
0:29:20 > 0:29:23the sense of responsibility actually
0:29:23 > 0:29:26changes from just being responsible for your job,
0:29:26 > 0:29:30you suddenly realise you are also responsible for 1,500 people.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38For its most exclusive guests, the hotel rolls out the red carpet.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57So, right now, this carpet is not laid.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00It'll be just done ten minutes before the arrival so that...
0:30:00 > 0:30:02because a lot of people who are stepping onto it,
0:30:02 > 0:30:05we don't want it to be spoiled, so we put cordon stands.
0:30:05 > 0:30:09But I, personally, love this look from here. Red, I love these things.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12And this will be maintained till the day he checks out.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15- INTERVIEWER:- How are you going to keep people off of the carpet?
0:30:15 > 0:30:17You saw me doing this now.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19Escorting them, telling them this is not the way,
0:30:19 > 0:30:21the other way is the official route.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25But we have been doing this for 20 times so we're well practised.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37Despite reserving a place in each of their eight restaurants,
0:30:37 > 0:30:41the hotel still doesn't know what the guest is doing about dinner.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48Chef Oberoi is the hotel's grand executive chef.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52He's spent 40 years cooking for presidents, kings and celebrities.
0:30:57 > 0:30:58INDISTINCT
0:31:03 > 0:31:05Chef Oberoi is hoping tonight's guest will want
0:31:05 > 0:31:08an authentic Indian dining experience.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11We don't know what they will have.
0:31:11 > 0:31:12It should be Indian.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15I think that's what we expect them to eat -
0:31:15 > 0:31:17the first meal in the country.
0:31:17 > 0:31:24Especially in this city. That's why we got the Mumbai tiffin ready.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27And a person, when he orders a tiffin,
0:31:27 > 0:31:29he gets the flavours of Mumbai.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36For high-profile guests, the hotel often arranges for a musician
0:31:36 > 0:31:40to play the traditional Indian instrument the jal tarang -
0:31:40 > 0:31:42a set of bowls tuned with water.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46OK, so, this is how the magic begins.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49- INTERVIEWER:- Why has this been chosen as the music?
0:31:49 > 0:31:51You know, it's very, very typical of the city
0:31:51 > 0:31:56so we want to give the VIP an absolute, you know,
0:31:56 > 0:32:00a welcome to the city and give him a slight flavour of Mumbai.
0:32:01 > 0:32:02He's testing it now.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09Gaurav was a bit concerned about what the musician would be wearing.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11I've got it.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13He told me that he should be wearing an Indian kurta,
0:32:13 > 0:32:16the colour should be matching the colour of the sari
0:32:16 > 0:32:19which is being worn by the front office staff.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23So I managed to get it and the thing was that I didn't know his size
0:32:23 > 0:32:28but I finally got his size and it's fitting him, so that's a win for me.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59- So, is he in?- Yeah, he is in. - He's in.- He's in.- How did it go?
0:32:59 > 0:33:04Very well. As anticipated, he was very interested
0:33:04 > 0:33:09in understanding what jal tarang was all about, so we just told him
0:33:09 > 0:33:13what it was all about and why it is done in India because, you know,
0:33:13 > 0:33:17it tends to send out positive vibes and energy and things that, so...
0:33:17 > 0:33:19- That's how.- Relief? Relief?
0:33:19 > 0:33:22No, there's always another day, another challenge.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28With eight restaurants in the hotel on stand-by,
0:33:28 > 0:33:31the Tata Suite guest decided to eat in his room.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00As soon as a guest checks out, Indrani's team begins again
0:34:00 > 0:34:03preparing the Tata Suite for the next arrival.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06- Good afternoon, everybody. - Good afternoon.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09We have gathered over here. We'll start from 6.49, basically.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11Govind, you'll be with the vacuum cleaner
0:34:11 > 0:34:13and you can start doing the vacuuming.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16And extra furniture which is there, like, mirror is there,
0:34:16 > 0:34:19I'll be just telling you the easiest furniture, just start
0:34:19 > 0:34:22removing them and start keeping them in the lift landing area.
0:34:22 > 0:34:23So let's start.
0:34:27 > 0:34:32Here we have a guest who is paying almost as much as their salary,
0:34:32 > 0:34:35maybe, per day, so obviously there is a difference.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39But that will be in any kind of hoteliering industry,
0:34:39 > 0:34:41the difference will always stay
0:34:41 > 0:34:44about whom they are servicing and how they are.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48People who have spent more years have become more...
0:34:48 > 0:34:51they feel more attached to this place.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53It's like their home, you know.
0:34:53 > 0:34:57Room boy Harshad has cleaned the bath in the Tata Suite
0:34:57 > 0:34:58for the last two years.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24The boys at the Taj are relatively well paid
0:35:24 > 0:35:28and Harshad earns more than three times the average income in India.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12For a select few, a short stay in the hotel is not enough.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20Maria Mooers is one of three resident guests.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24An American oil heiress with a property in Rome,
0:37:24 > 0:37:26she likes to escape the European winter.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33- INTERVIEWER:- You live here, don't you?- Yes, I do. In the winter.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36In the summer, in Greece. I'm very lucky.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38So how long are you here, of the year?
0:37:38 > 0:37:41I'm here, this time, for six months.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44I've done two. It gets a little...
0:37:45 > 0:37:47Time drags here.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50I don't have many friends.
0:37:50 > 0:37:54- Do you mind me asking how old you are?- I'm in my 80s.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56What does that mean exactly?
0:37:56 > 0:37:57- 83 exactly.- 83.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03And, before, I used to lie about my age.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06Now it's a sort of triumph to have made it this far.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12When you look in the mirror these days, what you think?
0:38:12 > 0:38:15Sometimes I think, "Oh, that's not bad,"
0:38:15 > 0:38:17and other times I think, "Oh, my God!"
0:38:19 > 0:38:23Especially when the hair starts to grow out
0:38:23 > 0:38:27and you realise I'm not this smashing blonde after all.
0:38:27 > 0:38:33I've known older people, old people, in fact, that...
0:38:35 > 0:38:39..after 50, they just sort of slump into an easy chair
0:38:39 > 0:38:41and stay there, you know.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43And I've never been happy with that.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48- You want some more adventures. - Well, yes, of course.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52That's the whole point of staying alive, no?
0:38:52 > 0:38:55I need...
0:38:55 > 0:38:56I need this.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01In her 20s, Maria married an Italian opera singer.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04They had three children but later divorced.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10I was with a Greek man for many years and then, unfortunately,
0:39:10 > 0:39:13he prematurely dropped dead.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16But he saved himself nothing.
0:39:16 > 0:39:17He'd done everything.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23Liquor, drugs. But he was great fun.
0:39:23 > 0:39:24You had good time.
0:39:24 > 0:39:29- I had a good time with him, yes. And...- How long ago was that?
0:39:29 > 0:39:35- Oh, let's see. Must be, now, eight years ago.- Eight years ago?
0:39:35 > 0:39:38- Yes, eight or nine years ago. - So you were in your 70s?- Yeah.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41- A love affair in your 70s. - Of course. Why not?
0:39:44 > 0:39:48If they don't mind, and they didn't seem to. And...
0:39:49 > 0:39:52..he did say, "You know, Maria, I'd like to marry you,
0:39:52 > 0:39:54"if you weren't so old."
0:39:57 > 0:39:58And how old was he?
0:39:58 > 0:40:00He was much younger.
0:40:00 > 0:40:05He died at 44, prematurely, because he saved himself nothing.
0:40:05 > 0:40:10You caught a man who was 30 years younger than you.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12Actually, he caught me. Picked me up in church.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16It was Easter, and I love the Greek Easter. So...
0:40:16 > 0:40:21- How long were you together? - We were together almost 11 years.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25- It was obviously an important relationship.- Yeah, it was. It was.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29And...I was shattered when he died.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46Tasked with making the hotel a home for guests
0:40:46 > 0:40:49is the team of 35 butlers.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51In weekly role-playing sessions,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54they are schooled in the correct ways to serve.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59What we are doing today, we are doing in-room dining training.
0:40:59 > 0:41:00We'll do a mock audit,
0:41:00 > 0:41:03in the sense of one of you, or two of you, will be coming with
0:41:03 > 0:41:07the trolley with this order and will be delivering it to the guest.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10Try to make him comfortable, talking to him.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13Try to understand the guest's requirements or his preferences
0:41:13 > 0:41:15and then ask questions accordingly.
0:41:15 > 0:41:21So, be confident and don't forget that you have to smile a lot.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26Everybody is very tense at this moment, so don't be tense - smile.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30Oh, yeah. Please, come in. Come in.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32- How are you? - I'm good, thank you.- Good, good.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35- How was the meeting today? - Oh, it was lovely.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38Thank you very much for asking.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41- Would you like to taste the wine? - Perfect, yes.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01Oh, it's a lovely wine. Thank you.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03You can just leave it on the...
0:42:03 > 0:42:05on the table itself.
0:42:09 > 0:42:10Thank you.
0:42:23 > 0:42:28In the £2,000-a-night Neptune Suite, Melville, the butler manager,
0:42:28 > 0:42:33is welcoming back one of his most regular guests - Captain Bhasin.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37I mean, I've been here in this particular department
0:42:37 > 0:42:39the past three years.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42I've been always taking care of him.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45The relationship is actually very, very special because
0:42:45 > 0:42:49he actually calls me for every single request, whatever he has.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51He'll always pick up the phone and say,
0:42:51 > 0:42:53"Tell Melville to call me in my room,"
0:42:53 > 0:42:55or, "Tell Melville to come to my room.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57"I would like to give him something."
0:42:57 > 0:43:01The captain has been coming to the hotel for 50 years.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05I'm an oil trader
0:43:05 > 0:43:09and I travel practically all over the world.
0:43:09 > 0:43:14The Americas, Europe, UK, the Far East,
0:43:14 > 0:43:19the China, Korea, Singapore, Thailand,
0:43:19 > 0:43:22Australia, India,
0:43:22 > 0:43:25Bangladesh sometimes,
0:43:25 > 0:43:27South Africa, East Africa.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32I've been staying here for a very, very long time and I enjoy...
0:43:32 > 0:43:35It's like home. For me, it's like home.
0:43:35 > 0:43:39I've got all the facilities that I look for in a suite.
0:43:41 > 0:43:45They make sure that you are as comfortable as you can be.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50Nothing, no tarnish. Plates should be clean.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54The butlers are preparing for one of his regular dinner parties,
0:43:54 > 0:43:58which will be attended by a number of Mumbai's millionaires.
0:43:58 > 0:44:02It's basically 12 to 15 people at the max that usually come
0:44:02 > 0:44:06and he's staying in a very beautiful suite that overlooks the ocean.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09It has the space and the capacity to accommodate
0:44:09 > 0:44:11that many amount of guests.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14He has lived in luxury for many years of his life.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17He knows standards. He knows everything.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19If you're going to be putting a glass on his table,
0:44:19 > 0:44:21it has to go with a cocktail napkin
0:44:21 > 0:44:24and, of course, a stirrer stick if it's a mixed drink.
0:44:24 > 0:44:25So on and so forth.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27So there is everything that's important
0:44:27 > 0:44:31with regards to the details Captain Bhasin looks into.
0:44:31 > 0:44:35Captain just mentioned to me in the lounge area that he's going to be
0:44:35 > 0:44:39having a special blend of his nuts which he gets from the Gulf.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42He's going to give it to us and we need to place it around the room
0:44:42 > 0:44:45so that it's going to be very convenient for people
0:44:45 > 0:44:47as and when they drink. They will be...
0:44:47 > 0:44:51You know, they can just stretch out their hands and grab on some nuts.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54These are important guests for him. He also mentioned that to me.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56So we have to floor the guests.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00We have to make Captain Bhasin look really, really good
0:45:00 > 0:45:01in front of his guests, OK?
0:45:01 > 0:45:04Everything to the last final detail should be nicely planned, OK?
0:45:04 > 0:45:08Stirrer sticks, coasters, cocktail napkins, lime juice,
0:45:08 > 0:45:10sugar syrup, salt. Everything.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12None of his guests should be having to wait
0:45:12 > 0:45:14for more than two minutes for a drink.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19I bring with me...
0:45:20 > 0:45:24..various kinds of nuts that we get in Dubai.
0:45:24 > 0:45:28There's a very special shop which does nuts in different flavours.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34They are in hermetically sealed bags, very fresh,
0:45:34 > 0:45:37and they are opened when the guests are here.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40And they're put in little serving bowls around here.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44- How are you?- Lovely to see you. - Good to see you.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51Nice to see you. How are you?
0:45:51 > 0:45:52You've lost a lot of weight.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58Last week, when I had these friends of mine,
0:45:58 > 0:46:03one lady pointed out to the other lady who was here...
0:46:04 > 0:46:07I didn't hear it. ..that these nuts are not good.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11And she called Melville, the butler.
0:46:11 > 0:46:16And he was told that, "You know, these nuts are bad.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19"You know, you should taste them
0:46:19 > 0:46:21"and try them before you serve to the guests,
0:46:21 > 0:46:23"because if it happens next time,
0:46:23 > 0:46:26"we're going to report to the hotel management."
0:46:29 > 0:46:31He profusely apologised.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36"I'm very sorry, ma'am. It will never happen again.
0:46:36 > 0:46:40"We will make sure that next time the nuts are fresh nuts."
0:46:42 > 0:46:45She didn't know that these were my nuts.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52On that evening, he saved... he saved me.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55I mean, he could have said,
0:46:55 > 0:46:58"Sorry, ma'am, these are not my nuts.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00"Sir has brought this,"
0:47:00 > 0:47:03so it would have been a very embarrassing situation.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05- INTERVIEWER:- (Are the nuts OK?)
0:47:05 > 0:47:08Before they could say cheers, we have placed the nuts,
0:47:08 > 0:47:10so it's just fresh, as it is.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12HE INTRODUCES GUESTS
0:47:34 > 0:47:36Good morning.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39Good morning.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41Very good morning to you.
0:47:42 > 0:47:43Good morning, sir.
0:47:45 > 0:47:46Good morning.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50Good morning.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53Good morning.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59Mr Chaskar has been striving to please guests at the hotel
0:47:59 > 0:48:00his entire working life.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18I have about 200-odd people who have done
0:48:18 > 0:48:20more than 35 years of service, active service.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24I mean, some of them have worked here for as long as...
0:48:27 > 0:48:28..as close to what my age is.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34Anybody who has worked in this hotel for ten years plus actually is
0:48:34 > 0:48:39extremely thankful of the fact that he's got a job at the Taj.
0:48:42 > 0:48:46It's difficult for people who have worked here for a very long time
0:48:46 > 0:48:49because they know no other way of living, actually.
0:48:49 > 0:48:53I think this hotel has been everything to them.
0:48:53 > 0:48:57I mean, they've got married here, they've had their children,
0:48:57 > 0:48:59their children have gone ahead and got a job
0:48:59 > 0:49:02and made a career for themselves in their lives
0:49:02 > 0:49:05and fathers have continued working in this hotel.
0:49:07 > 0:49:11Let's check the grooming.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13SPEECH OBSCURED BY BACKGROUND NOISE
0:49:15 > 0:49:17- This, try and press it.- Yes, sir.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22And your shoes - toes to be polished again. I think...
0:49:23 > 0:49:25Yeah, the polish is coming out.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29So just polish the toes and the sides.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35- Chaskar, always perfectly groomed. - Thank you, sir.
0:49:35 > 0:49:39You should take the example of Mr Chaskar on the grooming standards.
0:49:39 > 0:49:44- Your shoes can be more shiny, if you can.- Of course.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49Thank you very much. Thank you.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57In a few months, Mr Chaskar will be retiring
0:49:57 > 0:50:0142 years after first seeing an advert for a job at the hotel.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06There was ad in the newspaper.
0:50:06 > 0:50:11I just sent application and I got a call later
0:50:11 > 0:50:19from the Indian Hotels Company Ltd on the fifth July 1972.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21And I had an interview.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26- INTERVIEWER:- You kept that for 40 years?- Yes, madam.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29Round about 42 years have passed.
0:50:29 > 0:50:33This letter has been given by management.
0:50:33 > 0:50:37"You are appointed in the stewarding department."
0:50:37 > 0:50:43I was so happy and entire my family, my village were
0:50:43 > 0:50:49so happy that one of our students from the high school had got
0:50:49 > 0:50:55a topmost, highest, the Taj Mahal Hotel Palace Mumbai,
0:50:55 > 0:50:58a job in that Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00My entire relatives was so happy.
0:51:01 > 0:51:08And this is the certificate of service of 35 years.
0:51:08 > 0:51:14The long service award was given by our boss.
0:51:14 > 0:51:19This certificate, I got from them. 35 years of service.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22But now you've done 42 and you're about to retire...
0:51:22 > 0:51:25- Yes.- ..looking after the guests. - Yes.
0:51:25 > 0:51:30And that is a very big history for me because it's a life.
0:51:30 > 0:51:36It's a life experience. Each and every guest comes in my dream.
0:51:36 > 0:51:41Who is Mr Galal, who is Mr Matal, who is Madam?
0:51:41 > 0:51:46So all the guests are...they're good related to me, like my family,
0:51:46 > 0:51:52because I spend more of my hours in the Taj Mahal Hotel than my family.
0:51:52 > 0:51:56So I'm very close to my company, closer to my hotel
0:51:56 > 0:51:59that which I'm related, like blood relation.
0:51:59 > 0:52:01You're going to miss the Taj.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03I will miss a lot.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10Yes. The tears are here in my heart.
0:52:32 > 0:52:37Today, across India, Hindus are celebrating the festival of Diwali.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46All of you, welcome to my house.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51Happy Diwali. Happy Diwali.
0:52:56 > 0:53:00Of course, my family is welcoming you at the main gate of my building.
0:53:00 > 0:53:05Will you please come follow me? Thank you very much. Careful here.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09Mr Chaskar lives two hours away from the hotel,
0:53:09 > 0:53:12with his wife, son and daughter-in-law.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15You're welcome, welcome, welcome to my house.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17This is my wife
0:53:17 > 0:53:21who always cooks the food very delicious.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30I'm very happy with my family.
0:53:30 > 0:53:36They never trouble me and they also know, at this age also,
0:53:36 > 0:53:39I am working hard at my place
0:53:39 > 0:53:44but I never show my tiredness to my family at all.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46I always go smiling to the work,
0:53:46 > 0:53:51I always come smiling with my family, and that is why I keep
0:53:51 > 0:53:56increasing their happiness and they also do the same at the same time.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19Typically, businessmen and, you know, even households
0:54:19 > 0:54:23and families will do a Lakshmi Puja to invite goddess
0:54:23 > 0:54:28Lakshmi to their homes to bring in success, prosperity, wealth, etc.
0:54:28 > 0:54:33At the hotel, we do this every year. Same room, same time.
0:54:38 > 0:54:41Because it's something everyone feels very connected to.
0:54:41 > 0:54:46And what I just did was actually bring our sales books across.
0:54:46 > 0:54:50We do this every year. We print a new set of books for Diwali.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53The priest will come in shortly and the Puja will happen.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55After that, he will bless my books.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59So it's, so to speak, that after invoking the goddess
0:54:59 > 0:55:03he brings her blessings and he bestows them on my books and that'll
0:55:03 > 0:55:06bring me great sales, so that's pretty much what it is all about.
0:55:27 > 0:55:3020%-25% of my time is actually spent
0:55:30 > 0:55:34on ensuring that certain traditions,
0:55:34 > 0:55:36which are part of this hotel,
0:55:36 > 0:55:40are carried on with the same amount of spirit
0:55:40 > 0:55:43that they were handled with in the past.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47A lot of functions which we do for employees every year
0:55:47 > 0:55:49as a matter of tradition,
0:55:49 > 0:55:52sometimes you don't even know why they're done.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55There have been functions where I've tried to find out
0:55:55 > 0:55:58why do we do a certain thing in a certain manner
0:55:58 > 0:56:01and I've not been able to get a clear answer.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05But today I think it's more important to carry on doing these
0:56:05 > 0:56:08as long as they provide a lot of benefit to the employees.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15I think these are certain traditions that we need to keep intact
0:56:15 > 0:56:16as part of this hotel
0:56:16 > 0:56:20in order to differentiate this hotel from any other hotel in the country.
0:56:22 > 0:56:23THEY SING
0:56:52 > 0:56:56It is changing and it's going to change more and more
0:56:56 > 0:56:58because people are not going to spend
0:56:58 > 0:57:0140 years of their productive life
0:57:01 > 0:57:03working in hotels or for a single hotel.
0:57:03 > 0:57:04So that's changing.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09You will get to hear comments and remarks in the hotel about,
0:57:09 > 0:57:13you know, "There used to be people who used to know me."
0:57:14 > 0:57:19The expectation of clients in terms of them being recognised
0:57:19 > 0:57:22and them being pampered the way it used to happen in the past
0:57:22 > 0:57:24is also going to change.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27I think the kind of luxury which people in India expected
0:57:27 > 0:57:28of five-star hotels in the past
0:57:28 > 0:57:31is no longer going to be there in the future.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35You're not going to come back and you're not going to see 50 employees
0:57:35 > 0:57:38who recognised you for the last 30 years to be around.
0:57:38 > 0:57:40That's not going to happen.
0:57:47 > 0:57:48Bye-bye.
0:58:09 > 0:58:12You've got certain spots which are the one where you go
0:58:12 > 0:58:15and you know you're going to meet half of the world.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19It is definitely the place to be.
0:58:22 > 0:58:23This is where everyone comes.
0:58:23 > 0:58:26This is where everyone meets from around the world.
0:58:26 > 0:58:28We have to not just meet their expectations,
0:58:28 > 0:58:30rather exceed the expectations.