Seventeen months after The Oberoi closed down due to heavy damage in the 26/11 terror attack, the luxury sea-facing hotel is all set to reopen with a new look on April 24.
The Oberoi has undergone a complete renovation at an estimated cost of Rs 90 crore, a hotel official said. The hotel authorities have decided to keep the opening ceremony a low profile event.
In spite of the hotel enjoying a high occupancy rate, the rooms have been reduced to 287 from the earlier 330 while the three restaurants have been refurbished with a new taste and decor. One of the restaurants is The Vetro serving Italian cuisine while the Kandahar restaurant which suffered maximum damage in the attack would be renamed Ziya. Following the closing down, the Oberoi Hotels and Resorts claimed to have suffered a 35 per cent loss of revenue. Imported white Italian marble have been used in the renovated hotel to give the floors the look of an ice-skating rink.
Investigations revealed that the ten 26/11 terrorists first entered the Trident hotel of the Oberoi group and from there moved on to The Oberoi where they killed 35 people, including nine foreigners, besides inflicting heavy damage on the property.
Before entering the Trident, Fahadullah and Abdul Rehman Chotta planted a 10 kg RDX-laden IED on the slope of a flowerbed adjacent to the entrance.
Later, the IED exploded but the damage was minimised as a bomb detection and disposal squad had placed a bomb blanket on the IED.
Immediately on entering the hotel, the terrorists started firing from their AK-47 rifles and lobbing hand grenades. The initial blitzkrieg led to several innocent lives being lost at the bell desk, reception counter, lobby and Tiffin Restaurant.
The terrorists planted another 10 kg of RDX-laden IED near the Tiffin Restaurant which too exploded. The killers took hostages from the Kandahar Restaurant and went to the upper floors where they set two rooms on fire.
From this vantage location they held the security forces at bay by firing intermittently from their AK-47 rifles and hurling hand grenades at them. The fight lasted for 42 hours. Ultimately, both terrorists were killed by security forces. PTI
