Sea Rock Hotel, one of the city’s most elite addresses in the erstwhile Bombay of the 1980s and one that shut down following one of the city’s worst nightmares—the 1993 blasts—is set to rise again, but in another form.
The Taj Group will build “Taj Bandstand”, the ‘bhoomipujan’ for which was conducted Monday. The Taj Group, which will construct this hotel, has itself been witness to a similar attack on the city when its landmark Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was under siege during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
The Sea Rock Hotel was an iconic establishment that featured in Hindi films of the time, including Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978) starring Amitabh Bachchan.
The hotel was built on the Bandra waterfront by the Luthria brothers in 1978, although its construction began in the early 1970s.
It was famous for its revolving restaurant, Palace of the West Empress, and soon became a favourite among Bollywood celebrities and businessmen of that era.
One of the most infamous incidents to take place inside the Sea Rock Hotel was in 1984, when underworld don Samad Khan tortured and killed a businessman named S.K. Jain inside the hotel due to mistaken identity.
During 1983-84, ITC took over the management of the Sea Rock Hotel. However, in 1993, the hotel was damaged in the Bombay bomb blasts.
Post that, in 2005, Suresh Nanda of Claridges Hotels bought Sea Rock for around Rs 40 crore. Then, in 2009, the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) and the Taj Group of Hotels entered the picture and acquired an 86 percent stake in the hotel for Rs 680 crore, eventually purchasing the remaining stake for Rs 250 crore by 2020.
On Monday, during the bhoomipujan, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “Mumbai is the convention capital of India, and with this hotel and its convention centre, it will add to Mumbai’s convention capacity.”
“This hotel was very dear to Honourable Ratan Tataji. I still remember him personally mentioning to me once that there were certain issues we needed to resolve. And I am happy when I look at the entire planning and design of this hotel. It is going to change the skyline of Mumbai,” he added.
Meanwhile, N. Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, said that this property will further enhance Mumbai’s already booming skyline.
The new hotel will be spread over two acres and will have a height of 165 metres, featuring 335 rooms and 85 apartments with world-class facilities.
Additionally, the Taj Group will develop the area in front of the hotel into public parks, a jogging track, and an amphitheatre, which will be open for public access.
Apart from the Sea Rock Hotel, the Juhu Centaur Beach Hotel was also targeted and destroyed in the 1993 terror attacks.
The Juhu Centaur Beach Hotel was acquired by hotelier Ajit Kerkar in 2001, who unsuccessfully attempted to run it. After a long-drawn legal battle, the property was eventually bought in 2023 by Macrotech Developers, which is led by Abhishek Lodha. They are now constructing a luxurious residential project at the site.
In a major new development, Saudi Arabia has announced sweeping changes in its visa regulations, barring multiple-entry visas for travellers from as many as 14 countries, including India, who will now be granted access to the country only on a single-entry visa.
According to reports, the changes in Saudi Arabia visa rules, which came into effect on February 1, 2025, have been implemented to prevent travellers from these 14 nations from unauthorisedly performing the Hajj pilgrimage by arriving in the desert kingdom on long-term visit visas.
Saudi Arabian officials say that unauthorised Hajj pilgrims have emerged as a major challenge in recent years, resulting in overcrowding which has led to tragedies, such as the deaths of over 1,200 pilgrims who died due to extreme heat and overcrowding last year.
As per officials, the Saudi government has banned multiple-entry visas for travellers from Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen. Additionally, Riyadh banned the one-year multiple-entry visa for tourism, business, and family visits from these 14 countries for an indefinite period.