The architect Iqbal Chaney has created an ambience that does not make you uncomfortable. Instead, the soft colours grow on you. The marble and veneer reception counter glows under the golden light of the halogen lamps as do the brass lanterns.

The housekeeping department is also kept busy. The executive housekeeper Bharati Ulpe tells us that the carpets are shampooed once in three weeks, while the brass is polished every ten days. Only the handles and interiors of the elevators are polished everyday. The granite flooring is scrubbed once in a week, buffed once in a day, while wet mopping is done five times a day.

Plants make the atrium lobby a perky place to wait in. Surrounded by Caesar's Court (The coffee shop) Sagar Boutique and Adaab (The restaurant), the lobby has a red granite flooring, old rose upholstery and raw silk paneling. "Not for very long though," says Homi J Wadia (Director Operations and Development), ``We are looking at changes in as little as two months. The proportions are perfect but we are changing the reception, bell and travel desks, the upholstery and the silk paneling. The furniture will also be more pronounced.''

In October the entire hotel will go through a metamorphosis as the new building comes up. The present atrium will be retained but expanded sideways, keeping the congruence between the old and the new in mind. The new building is going to be constructed by P G Pallu and Associates. The whole facade will be given a facelift. The atrium lobby will extend into a double height lobby according to Wadia as the single height lobby gives a rather boxed appearance. He informs us that the present day design rarely includes an atrium, because a vast atrium can make the guest feel rather insignificant and inconsequential. ``Luckily our atrium lobby has a small area, so the guest does not feel lost. Our new furniture will also make a statement as will all the other changes we incorporate.'' he informs us. We look forward to the make-over.