The Cecil is a historic luxury hotel located in the hill station Shimla,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The Cecil's address is at Chaura Maidan Rd, Nabha, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh 171004, India. At an elevation of 7,000 it sits at the foothills of the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

and overlooks nearby mountains and valleys.

History

The hotel was established in 1884 by the British but was later purchased by one of its employees, Mohan Singh Oberoi, who later founded the Oberoi Hotels group, which presently owns and operates the property Mohan Singh Oberoi, 103, A Pioneer in Luxury Hotels
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

, May 4, 2002''.The centennial Man
''

Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'', 1 September 2001. The Cecil had a modest beginning in 1883 as a one-storied house, the Tendril Cottage with its famed inhabitant,

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

. It is claimed that Kipling frequented the house where he wrote his novels, including Plain Tales from the Hills, which was inspired by Shimla. According to folklore, Kipling would book himself into the cottage every summer for five consecutive years, making his journey from Lahore to the British retreat. The author first set foot on The Cecil in the summer of 1883 when he was 17.

Oberoi acquisition

Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi came to Shimla while he was a jobless newlywed to find work in the government. However, he was employed at The Cecil in 1922, starting as a worker in the boiler room tasked with weighing coal sacks for the hotel's water heaters. He eventually acquired The Cecil as a part of the acquisition of the Associated Hotels of India in 1944. Oberoi's extensive experience working in the hotel helped him learn the hospitality trade and understand what motivates various classes of hotel guests. Under his ownership, the hotel became a desirable luxury destination The hotel was closed in 1984 for extensive renovation and refurbishment and was reopened in 1997. The renovation included a heated swimming pool, billiards rooms, and a child activity center. Its sister hotel "Cecil Hotel, Murree" was established in 1850 and was acquired by the Oberoi group in 1945. The hotel is now owned by the Hashwani group in Pakistan.

Literature

References

External links

The Oberoi Cecil
Homepage The Oberoi Group Hotels in India Buildings and structures in Shimla Heritage hotels in India Hotels established in 1884 Houses in India {{India-hotel-stub British-era buildings in Himachal Pradesh