Mumbai's Taj Hotel to reopen on Dec. 21

Mumbai's Taj Mahal Palace and Tower will partially reopen on Dec. 21 after closing for repairs following last month's attacks by terrorists at the century-old hotel and a dozen other sites in India's financial capital.

The hotel was the scene of attacks by terrorists carrying guns, grenades and explosives for almost 60 hours, along with the Oberoi-Trident hotel complex, the city's main railway station, and a Jewish centre, in which 164 people lost their lives. The attacks that began on the night of Nov. 26, ended on Nov. 29.

"We dedicate our reopening to the city of Mumbai as affirmation of the values of courage, resilience and dignity," Raymond Bickson, managing director of Indian Hotels Co., which runs the luxury hotel, said in a statement e-mailed from Mumbai.

Rooms in the tower wing of the hotel will again be open to guests, according to the statement. The heritage wing of the 565- room Taj suffered more extensive damage, Indian Hotels said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange last week.

The Trident, located about two miles west of the Taj, also plans to reopen on the same day.