It hits you even before you enter — that waft of the old-world charm. Maybe it’s the location: a stone’s throw away from Mount Road’s Colonial Era office buildings. It could even be the quiet — the conspicuous absence of luxury cars usually ubiquitous at luxury hotels.

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For these reasons and more, the 127-year-old Taj Connemara is a throwback to a simpler time, the Madras of Yore. And when it reopens on October 20, after being shut for renovations in November 2016, the hotel will bear testimony to its own heritage.

One of Chennai’s first hotels, and certainly the first-ever luxury hotel in the city, the Connemara opened as The Imperial Hotel in 1854. It wasn’t until 1891 that it was named the Connemara, in honour of Robert Bourke, the then-Governor of Madras and the Baron of Connemara. Nearly a century later, in 1984, the hotel’s owners Spencer’s And Co (of Chennai’s Spencer Plaza fame) leased it to Indian hospitality major Taj Hotels Resorts And Palaces. It was summarily christened, the ‘Taj Connemara’.

Taj-Connemara. (Source: Taj-Connemara website)

I walk into the hotel and notice it at once: a pastel colour palette, high ceilings, and vintage decor. Or in other words, design elements that the Connemara has consciously put together, in an attempt to bring about a sense of colonial nostalgia within the hotel. A red carpet just before you enter the lobby has ‘Since 1891’ woven on its fabric.

There’s more nostalgia up ahead. The hotel’s bar and lounge has been renamed Lady Connemara, as a tribute to its favourite guest, Baron Connemara’s wife, Lady Susan Bourke. I stop by for a drink, and notice that the menu’s favourites, ‘Madras No 1’ and ‘Since 1891’, are also a heritage throwback.

Taj-Connemara. (Source: Taj-Connemara website)

You can’t help but notice vintage telephones, winding clocks, heritage art work, and life-sized portraits. At the lounge, tea and cake is served in an English cake stand. If you don’t get it by now, the Taj will go to great lengths to ensure it doesn’t escape you — this is Colonial India, minus the oppression.

Aside of its heritage look and feel, the Connemara’s design is also deceptively airy. There are tiny maze-like corridors that open into larger restaurants; there are larger corridors whose walls are lined with black-and-white photos of the Connemara, from eras gone by. A walk down these corridors makes for a heritage tour in itself.

Exiting a corridor from the hotel’s Heritage Wing, I walk into The Verandah, the Connemara’s all-day-dining restaurant. The menu has been carefully crafted to include cuisine from the kitchens of the Nawab of Arcott and Anglo-Indian fare that has dotted Chennai’s culinary map. I’m told the Biryani here, is the hero. I take my chances, and don’t regret it.

Outside, the Connemara’s poolside is nestled within tropical vegetation. Not far off, there’s a continuation of the hotel’s colonial-heritage theme at the Colonial Wing.

Taj-Connemara. (Source: Taj-Connemara website)

There’s history associated with this part of the hotel. The Colonial Wing is the location for The Bachelor’s Block, which lodged scores of British soldiers during World War Two. Simple yet elegant corridors are the stand-out feature here, while my room itself, called The Colonial Room (surprise, surprise) continues to pay homage to the theme. It’s Deja Vu all over again, as I notice high-beamed ceilings, a vintage fan, and a four-poster bed.

When the Taj Connemara formally reopens on October 20, it will be the culmination of Indian Hospitality Company Limited’s two-year-long effort to restore the iconic hotel to its heritage glory. From the look and feel of it, that seems to be working. Chennai’s oldest luxury hotel is open for business, again.

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First Published:Oct 15, 2018 11:27 AM IST