The Maurya and Taj: A Tale of Two Hotels

SB Veda

<NEW DELHI> In the dark days of the Indian license Raj and even during the early days of liberalization, Five-Star luxury hotels offered fine comforts but, be it in Delhi, Mumbai or Calcutta – service simply wasn’t on par with counterparts in big Western metros.

I recall being at the Taj Bengal hotel as a teenager, where my father was working out of a suite for Bell Canada International and their Indian J-V Partner, Tata Cellular, when an electrical fire broke out. Panicked staff didn’t know where the extinguishers were, and started frantically throwing buckets of water at the ceiling. On another occasion, this time in Delhi at the ITC Maurya Sheraton, my father received his pressed trousers back, which were marred with a conspicuous squiggly black line at the crease of one pant leg. The woolen dress pants had clearly been burnt and torn (one imagines a careless and/or gossipy laundry staff member leaving the iron on the cloth for too long); the tear had then been re-stitched. A note penned in a neat and elegant hand, was left in the meticulously wrapped laundry package: ‘There was a problem with the inflammability of your trousers. No worries, we have repaired the article in question at no charge to you. – Housekeeping.’

FLAGSHIP HOTELS, DELHI – ITC WELCOME AND TAJ GROUP

The Taj and ITC Welcome Groups have advanced by light-years since my early experiences of them when I traveled with my parents. In Delhi, the flagship properties of these groups are the Taj Palace and Maurya Sheraton hotels. Both are neck-and-neck in rankings by Fodors, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel and Leisure and others. Most give the Taj an ever so slight edge, mainly due to the nine-hole golf course on the grounds. Some reviews mistake the tennis courts at the Maurya with reciprocal arrangement at the Taj, to actually be situated at the Taj, itself. While Taj guests are permitted to use the red clay courts just a ten minute walk from the hotel, the courts belong to the ITC Welcome Group. Reciprocal arrangement can also be made for guests of the Maurya who wish to Golf at the Taj. Yes…Old English fair play is evident in the way these two iconic hotels compete. This is fitting perhaps, with the both chains being owned by two of India’s best known Raj era companies, Tata Sons and ITC Group.

Both are iconic and offer luxurious comfort and decadent dining. While the Taj has more spacious rooms, the Maurya offers exclusivity with the Towers Club – a separate ‘hotel within the hotel,’ having its own reception and concierge to dedicate resources to Club guests. While both have babysitting/childcare services, the Taj is more family friendly, though, with its child@Taj activity program.

THE TWO BIGGEST LUXURY HOTEL CHAINS

The Taj is owned by Taj Luxury Group, the largest hospitality group in India with 108 hotels. Originally incorporated as Indian Hotels Company Limited and branded as Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, which is primarily owned by Tata Sons and affiliated groups, the chain has its roots in British India. In 1903, the group founder, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, opened the Taj Mahal Palace, a hotel in Bombay overlooking the Arabian Sea. It was the first Taj property and the first Taj hotel. It is popular legend that he decided to open the most luxurious hotel in India after an incident involving racial discrimination at the Watson’s Hotel in Mumbai, where he was refused entry as the hotel permitted only Europeans. Another story places Tata’s desire to attract people to India and to improve Bombay as motivation for founding the hotel. It is said that Tata had travelled to places like London, Paris, Berlin and Düsseldorf to arrange for materials and pieces of art, furniture and interior artefacts for his hotel.The Taj group has since then developed and flourished, under the Tata Group.

With 100 Hotels, the ITC Welcome Group, owner of the Maurya Sheraton, is the second largest hotel chain in India. The company, headquartered in Kolkata and founded in 1910 was primarily a tobacco and fast-moving consumer goods company. It entered the hospitality business in 1975, and quickly began expanding all over India. It is exclusive franchisee for The Luxury Collection brand of Starwood Hotels and Resorts in India, which includes the Sheraton brand. ITC Welcome Group is regularly voted amongst the best employers in Asia in the hospitality sector.

For detailed reviews, see:

Here is side-by-side comparison of the two:

ITC MAURYA SHERATON

TAJ PALACE HOTEL

GENERAL

· Paid Wi-Fi

· Paid parking

· Express check-in/-out

· 24-hour reception

· Non-smoking rooms

· 24-hour security

· Safe deposit box

· Multilingual staff

· No pets allowed

· Lobby

· Souvenir shop

· Florist/Flower shop

· Coffee shop

· Currency exchange

· ATM/Cash machine

· Beauty salon

· Luggage storage

· Elevator

· Wheelchair access

GENERAL

· Free Wi-Fi

· Paid parking

· Express check-in/-out

· 24-hour reception

· Non-smoking rooms

· Allergy-free rooms

· Safe deposit box

· Multilingual staff

· No pets allowed

· Lobby

· Souvenir shop

· Coffee shop

· Currency exchange

· Beauty salon

· Luggage storage

· Elevator

· Rooms/Facilities for disabled

SPORTS & FITNESS

· Tennis court

· Exercise gym

· Tennis

· Spa

· Golf at Taj

SPORTS & FITNESS

· Golf course

· Exercise gym

· Tennis at ITC Maurya Sheraton

SERVICES

· Paid airport shuttle

· Valet parking

· 24-hour room service

· Bell staff/Porter

· Car rental

· Laundry

· Doctor on call

· Shops/Commercial services

· Newspaper service

· Tours/Ticket assistance

SERVICES

· Paid city shuttle

· 24-hour room service

· Car rental

· Self-service laundry

· Doctor on call

· Shops/Commercial services

· Bank service

· Postal service

· Tours/Ticket assistance

· Wake up service

DINING FACILITIES

· Full board

· Paid breakfast

· Restaurant buffet

· Six restaurants

· Poolside snack bar

· Cafe

DINING FACILITIES

· Paid breakfast

· Six Restaurants

· Poolside snack bar

· Food court

· Tea lounge

MEETING FACILITIES

· Business center

· Conference room

· Meeting/Banquet facilities

· Secretarial service

MEETING FACILITIES

· Business center

· Conference room

· Meeting/Banquet facilities

· Secretarial service

· Interpretation service

· State-of-the art video conferencing

· Laptop and other equipment rental

CHILDREN’S FACILITIES

· Cribs/Baby cots

· Babysitting/Child services

CHILDREN’S FACILITIES

· Cribs available

· Paid babysitting/Child services

· Chid@Taj Activity programme

LEISURE FACILITIES

· Outdoor swimming pool

· Night club

· Spa & wellness center

· Sauna

· Massage

· Reflex massage

· Aroma therapy

· Gem stone therapy

· Executive club (Towers Club) with complementary refreshments

LEISURE FACILITIES

· Outdoor swimming pool

· Indoor swimming pool

· Night club

· Health club

· Spa & wellness center

· Steam bath

· Jacuzzi

· Massage

· Reflex massage

ROOM FACILITIES

· City/Garden/Pool view

· In-room air conditioning

· Paid in-room safe

· Mini-Bar

· Tea and coffee facilities

· Bottled water

· Turndown service

· Living room

· Separate sitting area

· Balcony

· Rollaway/Extra bed

· Ironing facilities

· In-room jacuzzi

BATHROOM

· Private bathroom

· Bath/Shower

· Room toiletries

· Hair dryer

· Bathrobe/slippers

KITCHEN FACILITIES

· Mini-fridge

· Electric kettle

BEDROOM

· Premium bedding

· Down/Feather pillows

MEDIA

· Flat-screen TV

· Cable/Satellite television

· Direct dial telephone

· International calls

· AM/FM alarm clock

ROOM DECOR

· Carpeted floor

ROOM FACILITIES

· City/Garden/Pool view

· Free Wi-Fi in rooms

· Individual air conditioning

· In-room safe

· Mini-Bar

· Tea and coffee facilities

· Bottled water

· Turndown service

· Dining room

· Sitting area

· Dressing area

· Ironing facilities

· In-room desk

· Fan/Extractor

BATHROOM

· Bathroom

· Bathtub

· Steam shower

· Room toiletries

· Hair dryer

· Slippers

· Bathroom telephone

MEDIA

· Cable/Satellite television

· Direct dial telephone

Policies

CHECK-IN

· from 1 am

CHECK-OUT

· until 1 am

CHILDREN AND EXTRA BEDS

· All children under the age of 10 may stay free of charge when using existing bedding.

· Older children/adults may stay at the price of INR 1500 per person per night in an extra bed.

PETS

· Pets are not allowed.

CANCELLATION^*

· If cancelled or modified up to 2 days before date of arrival, no penalty will be charged.

· In case of late cancellation or no-show, the full amount of your stay will be charged.

· This is general hotel cancellation policy. Please note, cancellation policies may differ, so make sure you check them before reservation.