Taj, the historic gold standard of hospitality, has built its reputation on warmth, dignity, and the unmistakable aura known as "Tajness."
Yet at Taj Samudra in Colombo; one of its flagship properties on foreign soil, platinum-tier guest D. M. Bhat encountered an experience so startlingly off-brand that he describes it as "a full-blown identity crisis wearing a Taj badge."
Bhat, who has stayed at Taj properties from Delhi to New York, expected the seamless grace the brand is celebrated for.
Instead, he says, "Taj Samudra felt like a Taj only in name. Everything else, from the service to the culture to the soul, was missing in action. If Tajness is poetry, this place was a blank page."
The trouble began right at check-in.
"I've seen more warmth from airport security," Bhat says. "The team had no clue I was a platinum member. I doubt their systems even reflect that. No routine acknowledgment, no basic courtesy, not even a mechanically delivered welcome that made me wonder if the staff were rehearsing for a customer-service parody."
His upgraded suite, a benefit of his tier, turned into a late-night spectacle. At 12:30 a.m., the bathroom roof began leaking violently, flooding the floor and sending him slipping into an injury.
"The leak didn't shock me. Hotels are buildings, things happen. What shocked me was the absolute apathy," Bhat says. "The duty manager didn't answer a single call. It took ages for help to arrive, and not one person; not one, asked if I was hurt. It was hospitality theatre without actors."
The ordeal lasted nearly 80 minutes, after which he self-medicated with painkillers and missed the next day's meetings.
The Taj Club, once a proud emblem of the brand, was another disappointment.
"Neglected. A lounge stripped of dignity," he says. "There was barely one edible item. It felt like a forgotten basement of a hotel that had forgotten itself."
And yet, credit must be given where due.
"Some lone sensible soul in management realized, ON DAY TWO, that my platinum welcome amenities hadn't even been placed in the room," Bhat says. "Very touching. Only after I'd slipped, injured myself, lost sleep, and missed meetings. But yes, thank you for the almonds."
While the Golden Dragon restaurant impressed, the all-day dining restaurant buffet was "a culinary cry for help."
And when a staff member handed him the bill mid-meal, Bhat says it "felt like they were actively trying to escort the Taj brand into disgrace."
"Tajness didn't just go missing here, it packed its bags and fled the country," he concludes.
