The Oberoi New Delhi re-opened on January 1 after a 21-month closure (the hotel had not had a serious upgrade since 1982). Among other enhancements, room count has been taken down to 220 from nearly 300, and additions include a cigar club, a hotel residents’ lounge and a modern-Indian restaurant.
The first thing that arrivals now see, going into the sparkling marbled lobby, is a fret screen. Roughly 10 feet high and 14 feet across, the screen allows access to the main part of the lobby to the right of the column holding the screen’s right end.
The screen is formed of three vertical open mesh panels, in shiny steel. Attached to all three panels are, set haphazardly, mirrors and semi-precious stones from Kashmir. Called Atithi, after the Sanskrit verse Atithi Devo Bhava, “the guest is god,” the screen was designed by Kaaru Studio co-founder Sanjib Chatterjee and overseen by Oberoi’s octogenarian Chairman P.R.S. Oberoi, who has been, throughout the renovations, working closely with the official designer, Adam Tihany.
“It is a great delight having this installation,” says Jay Rathore, vice president and general manager of The Oberoi Delhi. “Almost all guests exclaim when they see it for the first time. We expect, as before, to have about 45% regular repeat guests and they know we have many priceless historic paintings, sculptures and carpets in public areas. This timeless, modern piece, which is a once-off, beautifully shows that we are also a hotel for today, and tomorrow.”