Trident open for business in 20 days?

MUMBAI: The Trident hotel is likely to roll out the red carpet again within 15 to 20 days, while The Oberoi (the newer wing) is likely to take around five to six months to get back into shape. This was confirmed by a company official.

The property has 1,370 employees on its rolls and about 180 people are outsourced. An Oberoi group spokesperson said, ������ The staff is working round-the-clock to ensure that Trident reopens at the earliest. With the opening of the hotel, several members of the staff will resume their responsibilities . The rest will be relocated to other hotels or will proceed on leave if they so wish.������

Vijay Walawalkar, who heads the Shiv Sena-led employees ��� union at The Oberoi and Trident hotels, said PRS Oberoi, chairman of East India Hotels (the Oberoi group���s flagship company), had assured employees that all the staff members would be retained.

It is unlikely that people would be relocated to the group���s other properties in different cities (unlike the Taj, The Oberoi does not have any other properties in the city) as those properties already have the required manpower.

At present, some employees in Mumbai come to work, mark their attendance and leave as there are no guests in the hotel, while some are on paid leave. ������ The hotel is being cleaned, and repair work is going on,������ Walawalkar added. Well-known personalities who have stayed at the hotel include Bill Clinton , Rupert Murdoch and Microsoft���s Bill Gates.