The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai

I have been reading The Guinea Pig Diaries. In it, the author writes a chapter where he decides to outsource his entire life to India. He hires two companies and is assigned two women who will handle just about any personal or work related task--from sending emails to calling family members--even ordering presents for his son. I think the closest I will ever come to experiencing a life like this is what I experienced when staying at the Taj in Mumbai.

There was a staff there who made it their job to attend to my every wish (and some I didn't know I had). Each time I called guest services, I was greeted with a pleasant voice who said, "Welcome Miss Nanavati. How may I be of assistance?" If I stayed on the phone long enough with them, they would add, "Can I bring a cup of coffee or tea up to the room for you?"-- why yes, I thought, I hadn't realized that I wanted coffee, but I do. Doors were opened for us as we walked, our water glasses were filled before they were empty, and everyone was ready to assist at a moments notice. I could get used to this!

My favorite experience at the Taj happened during breakfast. I was navigating my way through the expansive buffet when I turned my head. There was my mom, a waiter with a plate in his hands in tow behind her. She would simple point to one of the food items and the waiter would spoon some on a plate for her. It went on like this for quite a while-- my mom pointing and the waiter scooping. Minutes after returning to my seat, my mom appeared and behind her was her personal waiter carrying her plate of food.

(lunch at Morimotos in the Taj)

The only amenity missing at the Taj was a clock in the room. On the last day, I realized that this wasn't an oversite on the hotels part-- clocks simply are not needed. Tuesday, we were scheduled to fly out to Auranghbad early in the morning. We needed to be out of the hotel at 5am (we always get stuck on the earliest flights). At 4am promptly, the phone range. On the other end was a cheerful female voice from guest services. "Good morning Miss Nanavati," the voice said, "it is my pleasure to wake you up this moring."