Taj Mahal Palace – India’s Magnificent Hotel under Swabian Management - Made in Germany, 30.09.2008

After spending a night – and 500 dollars – in Bombay’s Taj Mahal Palace hotel, any other hotel room seems like a broom closet. The hotel next to the picturesque Gateway of India is a luxurious fortress, an icon of the international hotel industry and the pride of India. Opened in 1903 when India was still a British colony, it was the country's first luxury hotel to be built by an Indian for Indians. Today, it is managed by Birgit Zorniger, a 44-year-old from south-western Germany, quite an honour for a woman and a foreigner. The hotel has 1,800 employees, all but seven of whom are Indians, the other six are chefs in the kitchens. Joachim Eggers accompanied the manager for a day.