Mary Kom

OT: Favourite hotel?
Mary Kom: The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai wins for me right away! My first visit there was a memorable one. I went there in 2007 with my two young kids and my husband to receive the ‘India’s Real Heroes’ award. The occasion was special and so was the stay (from Rs 11,500; tajhotels.com).

OT: Last visited?
Mary Kom: In February 2012 for two days, to do a photo shoot with photographer Atul Kasbekar and Abhay Deol.

OT: Would you say the restaurants are on par with the views, both inside and out?
Mary Kom: While one expects great food at a hotel of this stature, Taj definitely exceeds expectations on this front — most of what we ate was out of this world. What I enjoy most are their seafood preparations and their Chinese cuisine as well. I would love to pick a particular dish, but that’s impossible, as everything they serve is fabulous.

OT: What do you look for in a hotel?
Mary Kom:  As long as a hotel has everything that I need, I am not too fussy. The Taj of course had everything that I could possibly need, but the most outstanding thing about this hotel has to be its location.

OT: Is that enough to keep you coming back?
Mary Kom: If my schedule takes me to Mumbai again in the near future, I would be delighted to visit this hotel again — though I won’t go out of my way to arrange it. Like I said, I am not too fussy about hotels!