Terrorist Attack on the Taj Mahal Palace

& Tower, Mumbai: Crisis

Communication Strategies
Presented by
Akhil Yerawar (14PGP104)
Sonia Narzary (14PGP105)
Leena Bodo (14PGP106)

Overview
This case highlights the need of employees
cooperation to combat crisis
Exemplifies how Taj Hotels employees stared
into the eyes of death when terror struck them
off-guard
Focuses on how the managements concern
towards its employees motivated them to stand
by the company when they were most required
Presents how the Taj management has used
communication effectively to regenerate
confidence in its regular patrons

Purpose of the case

To analyze the reasons behind the 26/11 terror
attacks on the Taj Hotel
To understand the importance of Business Continuity
and Disaster Recovery Planning as well as the impact
this could have on an organization during a crisis
To examine the actions taken by the Taj management
and the Tata Sons chairman, Ratan Tata and analyze
how they managed the communication of the crisis,
especially the media during this period
Analyze whether they could have prepared for a
crisis of this magnitude and form

Contents
The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel & the Tata
Legacy
Taj Mahal Palace & Towers Hotel
26/11: The Nightmare Begins
At the Taj
Picking up the Pieces
What next?

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and the

Tata Legacy

Legacy older than Independent India

106 year old iconic hotel
140-plus year old conglomerate
Key companies in
Tata group:
Tata Steel, Tata Motors,
TCS, Tata Power,
Tata Tea,Tata Chemicals,
Indian Hotels, Tata
Communications

Tata Conglomerate
Focus of the organization since
inception has been its people
Founder of the conglomerate
Jamsetji Tata
Values: Integrity, Understanding
Excellence, Unity and Responsibility
First HR initiatives were taken as far
back as in 1912

The whole idea is to create a vibrant

self-correcting organization which
responds intelligently to changing
business conditions.
- H.N.Srinivas (Corporate Quality Vice
President, IHCL)
HR: support function
critical
business driver

Taj Mahal Palace & Towers

Hotel
Built under the aegis of IHCL in 1903
U-shaped building
Tower wing part of the expansion of
the hotel
Renamed as Taj Mahal Palace &
Towers in 1973
Social epicentre of Mumbai

26/11: The Nightmare

Begins
Wednesday, November 26th 2008,
9:30pm
10 young men entered the city from
Arabian Sea
Split into 5 teams of two each
Armed with rifles, grenades, IED
First team: CST -> Cama Hospital ->
Girgaum Chowpatti (Kasab captured)
Second team: Taj Hotel

26/11: The Nightmare

Begins
Third team: Leopold Caf -> Taj
(back gate)
Fourth team: Oberoi-Trident hotels at
10 pm
Fifth team: Nariman House at 10:25
pm (flushed out only 2 days later by
NSG commandos)
Choice of target very specific the
executive clubs where the whos who
of the world visits

Positives
General Manager Kang asked the
staff to leave but they refused and
stayed on to help the guests and
security forces
Staff displayed bravery and
protected guests
Other Taj hotels staff chipped in and
set up helpline
Called up guests and instructed them
to lock their rooms, turn off lights

Positives
15 experts were brought for posttrauma counseling
Ratan Tata, Kumar, Raymond stayed
in touch with the media throughout
the operations
Rumor: One of the terrorist was a Taj
chef
Ratan Tata, Kumar, Raymond
emphatically made the press
releases that there is no staff

Positives
Endless fire drills as a part of hotel
security mandate. Thus, the hotel staff
could keep calm
Hotel was insured against both terrorist
attack and loss of revenue
Compensations, pensions, jobs were
given to the families of the deceased
Special visit for the bereaved parents
of slain NSG Major was arranged

 The corporate communications team

gave regular interviews, press
releases for updates
Guests reports stating the staff were
ready to give their lives for ensuring
safety were retold in the media
Kang symbol of all good that exists
in corporate India

Challenges

Cleaning the hotel

Employee rehabilitation
Counseling to deal with trauma
Managing perceptions that had
developed

Could things have been different?

Back end of the hotel was the
downfall
All security in the front
No security-check (x-ray machines,
metal detectors, etc.) at the entrance
Hotel staff didnt pay heed to claim
made by guest about suspicious
goings on in room 630
NSG & Marine Commandos didnt
have the blueprint/layout of the hotel

Could things have been

different?
Echo in the dome and atrium made it
difficult to figure out where the shots
were coming from
Inadequate sprinkler system
Lack of infrastructure (E.g. fire raged
for 3 hours before fire engines could
respond)
Police were inadequate in number
and preparedness

Could things have been

different?
Commandos were relatively illequipped
Have a crisis management group in
the city
People died being shot through the
bullet-proof vests

THANK YOU