Guests warned not to venture out

Dubai: Staff at hotels other than the Oberoi Trident and Taj Mahal in Mumbai on Thursday told Gulf News they were having a tough time restraining Western guests from venturing into the city.

A duty manager at The Grand Mumbai said: "Our main problem is to keep our guests from getting into the city. This is especially so with our Western guests, who are curious and want to get some glimpse of the encounter taking place between the police, the Anti-Terrorism Squad and the terrorists. They want to get the drama."

Varun Ahuja, public relations officer at the Four Seasons, said the hotel had issued written instructions to all its guests.

"The security cordons for the hotels are jointly provided by the local Mumbai police and the Anti-Terrorism Squad. Guests have been warned against venturing outside unless it is necessary."

A Taj employee said they were still shocked by what had happened. "I just cannot talk to you right now. We have lost some of our employees and I am not in the right state of mind to provide any comments. We are all shaken up by the incident," he said.

Reacting to the attack and the destruction of the Taj Mahal Hotel building, Ratan N Tata, chairman of Tata Sons and chairman, Indian Hotels Co Ltd (Taj), said: "The terrible, wanton attacks last night on innocent people and the destruction of prominent landmarks in India deserve to be universally condemned. My sympathies and condolences go out to all those who have suffered, been injured, and those who have lost their loved ones in this terrible act of hatred and destruction."

Major hotels in the city had turned into a fortress with strong police and security present at the gates and in the lobbies.

While hotels near the Sahar International Airport were accepting guests, other establishments inside the city had stopped making reservations.

Information hotline

The Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi has set up a control room in order to provide information about the casualties as and when the information is obtained from the authorities in India. A 24-hour hotline is available to public for this purpose at the embassy.

The number is: 02-449 2273

Hotline in Mumbai: 0091-2222-623054