1 The hotel was kept at five floors so that the paths of migratory birds flying in every winter for shelter to the zoo was not restricted.

2 The theme of the hotel is Music and Celebration as depicted by the painting opposite the elevator and the terracotta figurines. The theme also encompasses mythology as depicted in the panels on each floor and the traditional puppets in the lobby.

3 The terracotta statues in the Promenade Lounge by Shyamal Roy took five years to make. They are a tribute to the original art form of Bengal.

4 The Atrium Lobby operates on natural light during the day. At night, a total of 2,148 lights can be switched on, including 800 star lights that emulate the night sky.

5 The palm trees in the lobby got introduced in 2001 and were flown in from California.

6 The number of varieties of indoor plants, palms and flowers in and around the hotel is more than 300. The vertical garden concept (outside each room window and inside the lobby on each floor) is a tribute to horticulture specialist Rama Rao.

7 The total number of rooms at Taj Bengal: 229, including 29 suites.

8 There are three speciality restaurants — Sonargaon, Chinoiserie and Souk, one bar — The Junction, one coffee shop — The Hub, one members-only zone — The Chambers, and a sweet stop — La Patisserie and Deli.

9 From the top floor, you can view both the Howrah bridge and Vidyasagar Setu, the race course and the Victoria Memorial.

10 The hotel houses a collection of masterpieces by Bengal artists like Paritosh Sen, Sakti Burman and Asit Haldar. The hotel has supported over 400 artists by showcasing their art in the Promenade Lounge.

11 The decor of Sonargaon has stayed as it is for 25 years because of its popularity.

12 Chinoiserie is the only dedicated Chinese restaurant in 25 years at any of the eight five-star hotels in Calcutta.

13 Souk is the first eastern Mediterranean restaurant in the five-star segment in Calcutta, with a Syrian masterchef at the helm.

14 The Hub has had seven Italian chefs as masterchefs in a row, from the time of its inception in June 2001.

15 There was a makeshift coffee shop introduced at the hotel called Masquerade in 2001 while the (then) coffee shop The Esplanade was being converted to The Hub. It became so popular that guests still want it back at times!

16 The lobby was reintroduced after renovation with a 1,000-people party on October 20, 2001.

17 Incognito, the membership-only nightclub, shut in 2007.

18 All frontline uniforms are part of a CSR project, where weavers create only for Taj Uniforms directly. It is an initiative “to build livelihood and revive the Benarasi”.

19 The number of glasses used in different areas of the hotel every day is 5,000.

20 The number of eggs used every day in the hotel is 1,500.

21 The boundary wall on the southern side of the hotel is shared by the Zoo Hospital and yes, sometimes you can hear the tigers growl and the elephants trumpeting from the rooms facing the zoo!

22 The flower decoration in front of the elevator changes every week, which then is the theme colour for the hotel for the week.

23 Taj Bengal hosted the famous Taj Cup Racing in January every year till it was withdrawn after 2001. The Taj Cup for Ladies Golf, a 54-hole golf tournament with Ladies Golf Union at Tollygunge Club is still on. It began seven years before the hotel opened.

24 Hillary Clinton came to Calcutta twice — once when Mother Teresa passed away and once in 2012 — and both times she was at Taj Bengal.

25 To mark the hotel’s 25th anniversary, a special label champagne with Drappier Champagnes (making champagne since 1808) has been announced. The label features a sketch of the hotel exterior. As well as a special Fratelli blend called The Taj Bengal 2010 Sangiovese-Cabernet Franc-Cabernet Sauvignon Blend. Cheers!

YOURS TRULY

BIRTHDAY BASH!

Mr Rao, a Bangalore-based advocate, was in Calcutta to fight a case. Coincidentally, it was also his birthday on September 30, 2013. The associates at Taj Bengal kept a bouquet, cake and the works ready. Little did they know that the birthday would turn out to be a nightmare that very evening!

Mr Rao came back to the hotel late evening. Having had, er, one too many (it was his birthday, after all!) he lost balance in the washroom and slipped and fell. The water closet too gave way, resulting in an injury, which needed immediate attention.

On learning about this incident, Sumit Dutta of the bell desk team rushed to the room with Ravi, his colleague from security, armed with first-aid. He found the guest in pain, bleeding and in shock. They consulted with the house doctor and got him admitted.

Rao trusted Sumit with all his valuables like credit card and money and told him to safeguard them till he returned from the hospital. The next day, the guest was joined by his wife, who flew down from Hyderabad. The guest relations manager ensured her meals were taken care of, along with laundry and other small errands. The couple were glad and grateful.

THE DIRTY BAG STORY

For Eden Powell, Taj Bengal is second home. At one time, she stayed with the hotel for over six months but one rarely got to see her in the hotel as she was mostly outdoors.

One day, when she was back in the hotel and was warmly received by Suraj Thakur from the bell desk team, Suraj noticed that her black trolley bag had become rather grubby. He offered to have it cleaned. Powell was pleasantly surprised with the offer as she had had no time to spare at all!

The next morning while she was leaving for work she totally forgot to give the bag until Suraj came running to her asking about it. “Thank Heavens!” she said and asked Suraj to pick it up from her room. When Powell returned to her room, she was delighted to find her bag looking as good as new!

A PERFECT CENTURY

December 19, 2012, was guest Lalitha Rajan’s 100th stay at Taj Bengal. Making it a special moment, the hotel staff welcomed her with aarti, tikka and garlanded and escorted her upstairs to her room. But there was a surprise in tow! All the team members, who had interacted directly or indirectly with her in all her 100 visits to the hotel were there to wish her and surprise her with the Presidential Suite! Now that’s what you call a perfect century!

(Names have been changed for guest privacy)