Luxury Hotels Atlas / The Maison / Taj Hotels

Taj Hotels hotels

Indian grand hotels extend a Mumbai harbor tradition to royal palaces, city hotels and resorts.

Taj carries an Indian hospitality tradition that began with Jamsetji Tata’s Taj Mahal Palace in Bombay in 1903. That founding hotel remains the collection’s flagship, while palaces, city hotels, and resorts give the wider family many different ways to express the welcome and character of their surroundings.

54 Taj Hotels hotels in 9 countries on the Luxury Hotels Atlas (2 not open yet), each placed on the six LHA Tiers.

Owned by IHCL (Tata Group)
On the atlas: 22 Grand Luxury, 19 High Luxury, 11 Core Luxury, 2 Accessible Luxury

History

Jamsetji Tata’s Taj Mahal Palace became a landmark in Bombay after opening in 1903. The often-repeated story of its creation after a refused hotel entry remains disputed, but the building’s importance to the city is clear. The conduct of its staff during the 2008 attacks later became another significant part of Taj’s history of service and care.

Timeline

1899 — The Indian Hotels Company Limited is incorporated by Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata in Bombay.
1903 — The Taj Mahal Palace opens on 16 December, designed by W.A. Chambers and built at a cost of ₹4.21 crore, India's first electrified building and first hotel with in-room telephones, electric elevators, and a licensed bar.
1936–1960 — Legendary jazz musician Micky Correa ("The Sultan of Swing") performs at the hotel, making it Bombay's leading social venue for two decades.
1947 — Independent India's first-ever speech to industry is delivered at The Taj Mahal Palace; Ratan Tata dedicates the hotel to Indian nationhood.
1957 — Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II opens Rambagh Palace in Jaipur to paying guests, making it India's first luxury palace hotel.
1963 — Lake Palace in Udaipur becomes India's first lake-palace hotel; Taj Art Gallery founded at the Mumbai flagship.
1966 — The Taj Mahal Palace falls into decline following the departure of British clientele after independence; new Tata management begins a turnaround.
1971 — Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur comes under Taj management, inaugurating the brand's celebrated palace-hotel programme.
1972 — Taj takes over management of Rambagh Palace, Jaipur; Tower Wing opens at The Taj Mahal Palace, designed by architects Daraius Batliwala and Rustom Patell.
1974 — Fort Aguada Beach Resort, Goa, opens as India's first international five-star deluxe beach resort; Taj Coromandel, Chennai, opens, the brand's first metropolitan expansion outside Mumbai.
1978 — Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi, opens on Mansingh Road.
1980 — Taj Sheba Hotel, Sanaa, Yemen, opens, the brand's first hotel outside India.
1984 — IHCL acquires St. James' Court Hotel, London (later to become Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences and St. James' Court, A Taj Hotel), establishing the brand's first Western European foothold.
1989 — Taj Bengal, Kolkata, opens, completing the brand's presence in all six major Indian metropolitan cities.
2003 — Centenary year: The Taj Mahal Palace undergoes full rejuvenation; the hotel re-opens with new restaurants, restored rooms, and new lobby.
2005 — The Pierre, A Taj Hotel, New York, acquired by IHCL, one of Manhattan's most historic addresses (founded 1930 by Charles Pierre).
2008 — 26/11 terror attacks (26 November): The Taj Mahal Palace is one of the primary targets; at least 31 guests and staff die at the hotel. Six Taj employees lose their lives protecting guests, becoming enduring symbols of the brand's hospitality ethos. Ratan Tata promises full restoration.
2009–2010 — Full restoration of the heritage wing at The Taj Mahal Palace, completed on India's Independence Day (15 August 2010) at an estimated cost of ₹300 crore; 285 rooms and all public spaces are rebuilt by international design teams including Lissoni Associati (Milan), BAMO (San Francisco), and LTW Designworks (Kuala Lumpur).
2010 — Taj Cape Town opens in the meticulously restored former South African Reserve Bank building, IHCL's African flagship.
2010 — Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad, reopens after a ten-year restoration costing £19 million, led by Princess Esra of Hyderabad and WATG architects.
2017 — The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, becomes the first building in India to receive an image trademark, intellectual-property protection for its architectural design.
2019 — IHCL launches "Aspiration 2022" strategy; brand pivots to asset-light management contracts while accelerating international expansion.
2020 — Rambagh Palace, Jaipur, rated #1 hotel in India and #15 globally in Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards 2020.
2022 — Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, The Palm, Dubai, opens (9 March), brand's third UAE property.
2023 — Rambagh Palace, Jaipur, rated #1 hotel in the world by TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Best of the Best 2023; Taj Tashi, Thimphu, Bhutan exits the brand after 15-year management contract expires and the property rebadges as Pemako Thimphu.
2023 — IHCL enters continental Europe: Hotel Hessischer Hof, Frankfurt, signed for conversion to Taj flag.
2024 — Rambagh Palace ranked #1 in Travel+Leisure World's Best Hotels 2024; The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, ranked 38th in World's 50 Best Hotels 2025.
2025 — Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, and Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad, become the first Indian hotels to receive Three MICHELIN Keys (the highest designation, "an extraordinary stay") in the inaugural MICHELIN Key Guide for India, the only two Three-Key properties in the country.
2025 — Taj Paro Resort & Spa, Bhutan, opens (December), brand returns to Bhutan.
2026 — Taj Hessischer Hof Frankfurt opens (May/June), the brand's debut in continental Europe, a 126-key property in a 1952 landmark near Frankfurt's Messe.

The houses to know

Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, India — Jamsetji Tata’s 1903 hotel carries the founding Taj story into a landmark beside Mumbai’s harbor.
Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, India — The former Mewar summer palace gives guests a boat-only arrival on Lake Pichola.
Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad, India — The former Nizam palace stands about 2,000 feet above Hyderabad.
Taj Nadesar Palace, Varanasi, India — A 14-suite royal retreat at the holiest city on Earth
Taj Usha Kiran Palace, Gwalior, India — 50 rooms in a regal Gwalior palace, the gateway to Madhya Pradesh's heritage circuit
Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences, London, United Kingdom — All-suite luxury within a literal stone's throw of Buckingham Palace
Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur, India — One of the world's largest private residences, still a living royal home
Taj Mahal, New Delhi, New Delhi, India — The hotel is an established New Delhi address on Mansingh Road.
Rambagh Palace, Jaipur, India — The former palace brings Rajasthan’s royal history into a hotel stay.
Taj Jai Mahal Palace, Jaipur, India — The hotel is in Jaipur, India.

Newest openings

Taj Hessischer Hof Frankfurt — Frankfurt, Germany — opened May/June 2026 — The brand's first property in continental Europe. A 126-key hotel in the extensively renovated 1952 landmark Hotel Hessischer Hof, close to Frankfurt's trade fair grounds; features Bombay Brasserie and The Chambers, India's exclusive business club, both making their continental European debut. Marks IHCL's 25th international hotel overall.
Taj Paro Resort & Spa — Paro, Bhutan — opened December 2025 — 45-key mountain retreat spread across 7.6 acres of protected forest, framed by views of Tiger's Nest Monastery (Paro Taktsang). Features Vista all-day dining, the Paro Lounge & Bar, an indoor heated pool, and J Wellness Circle spa. Rates from approximately USD 1,135/night. Part of a long-standing CG Hospitality partnership.
Taj Gangtey Resort & Spa — Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan — opened January 2026 — 35-key sanctuary in the pristine Phobjikha Valley, a protected wetland famous for the Black-Necked Crane migration. Rates from approximately USD 1,245/night. Both Bhutan properties restore the brand's presence in Bhutan after a two-year absence.
Taj Alibaug Resort & Spa — Alibaug, Maharashtra, India — opened H1 2025 — Beach resort on the Konkan coast near Mumbai, opening a new coastal leisure market within driving distance of India's financial capital.

Opening next

Taj Deira Creek — Dubai, UAE — expected 2025 — 200-key hotel on the historic Deira creek waterfront; the brand's fourth Dubai property.
Taj Makkah — Makkah, Saudi Arabia — pipeline (originally announced for 2023, still in development as of 2025) — approximately 340 keys within the King Abdul Aziz Road urban rejuvenation project, steps from Masjid Al-Haram; the brand's first Saudi property.
Taj Riyadh — Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — announced — the brand's second Saudi location targeting the capital's growing MICE and leisure market.
Taj Resort Hamala — Hamala, Bahrain — expected 2027 — 251-room resort; the brand's first Bahrain property and first-ever entry into the Bahraini market.