Attacked Mumbai Hotels to Reopen

Parts of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower and of the Oberoi Trident will reopen on Sunday, the managements of the two hotels have announced.

The hotels were among some 10 sites targeted in attacks that left more than 170 people dead.

Both hotels have begun accepting bookings ahead of the reopening.

The 235 rooms in the new wing of the Taj hotel - called the Taj Mahal Tower - will reopen at 1900 IST (1330GMT) on Sunday, the management has announced. The hotel has 565 rooms in total.

"To reopen the Taj with such speed but with no loss of attention to details, shows our resolve to commemorate all the innocent and brave people who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks," said Raymond Bickson, managing director and chief executive of the Indian Hotels Company, which owns the hotel.

The company has not said when the older, heritage part of the 105-year-old hotel, which took the brunt of the attacks, will open.

Gunfire, grenade blasts, fires and water during the 60-hour siege has damaged the old wing considerably, reports say.

'Full glory'

It is still unclear how much of the hotel's elaborate decor - alabaster ceilings, hand-woven silk carpets and a rare art collection - has survived the siege. Taj officials have not yet commented on the extent of the damage.