Like a phoenix that rises from the ashes, the Taj and Trident hotels on Sunday reopened their doors, three weeks after the November 26 terror attack.

"Thank you for your support" was the first greeting, besides loads of smiles and flowers, offered by Trident to one of its first customers in place of the usual bill as the hotel came back to life.

"We dedicate the restored hotel to those who have lost their lives," Taj Hotels group chairman Ratan Tata said shortly before the Tower wing of the iconic hotel was reopened to guests this evening.

Both hotels have seen a lot of activity over the past few days as they were sprucing up for the reopening.

The staff at both these places were also working determinedly to restore the hotels back to their former glory.

The two hotels, which suffered extensive damage in the nearly three-day long terror siege, have been partially reopened - The Taj Towers in case of the Taj Mahal Place and Towers and the Trident in case of the Oberoi-Trident.

"To us, it was a challenge to have the hotel reopen within one month from attack. We cannot be knocked down...this is a memorable day and a tribute to those who saved many lives," Tata said.

The other sections of the hotels - the Taj heritage wing and the Oberoi hotel are likely to take six months to a year to be operational again.

"There is grief, there is sadness, but the staff is committed to deliver 100 per cent and there is absolute desire to bounce back as soon as possible," Trident Hotel President Rattan Keswani said.

'Tree of Life'

Guests, who were subject to intense checks and frisks were greeted with warm smiles. The two hotels have also opened all of their restaurants.

The Taj will place a seven-foot-high bronze art framework, ironically titled the 'Tree of Life' in the lobby of the hotel with the names of all 31 persons killed during the carnage.

"The artwork would now be placed at the lobby of the hotel as a memorial and the names of the 31 persons who lost their lives in the hotel would be engraved on it," Indian Hotels Vice-Chairman RK Krishna Kumar said.

On November 26, the hotels which were going about their business as usual, unwillingly played hosts to terrorists, who were holed up inside unleashing mayhem.

Terrorists occupied the fifth and sixth floor of the Taj heritage wing and were finally flushed out by NSG commandos after an almost 60-hour-long operation.

Trident hotel, which has suffered losses upto Rs 45-50 lakh during the siege, began its reopening ceremony with a multi-religious prayer meeting involving guests, prominent citizens and staff.

The present insured value of Trident is Rs 780 crore, while that of The Oberoi is Rs 650 crore.

The Taj hotel has an insurance cover of Rs 1,000 crore and the first instalment has been received even without the company claiming for it.

The hotel with its 65 per cent bookings is encouraged with the emotional response received post the November 26 terror attack.

"Of the total 268 rooms in the tower block of the hotel, about 150 have been booked," Kumar said.

Trident hotel expects 100 of its 551 rooms to be occupied.

"We will have about 100 guest rooms occupied tomorrow. We expect 50-60 per cent of them to be our Indian guests," Keswani said, adding that the luxury hotel was still receiving reservation calls.

Taj General Manager, Karambir Kang whose wife and two minor sons were killed in the terror attack, also returned to work today.

Despite losing his family, Kang continued to supervise rescue operations and helped guests at the hotel.