Centaur and Sea Rock: Tale of 2 hotels waiting to rise from the rubble

MUMBAI: A couple of months ago when the first pound of bulldozer hit the outer wall of Juhu Centaur Beach Hotel, it was not just razing a structure but a past which is unparalleled. Built in 1985, it was one of the most glamorous addresses in the suburb. Less than 10 kilometers away in Bandra lie ruins stretching out into the sea of a property which was in a similar league – Hotel Sea Rock.
The two have kindred history – they were both targets of Bombay bomb blasts on March 12, 1993, faced change of ownership and litigation. Both hotels were once elegant addresses, frequented by people from the film industry. The celebrities have since moved on to newer addresses in both Juhu and Bandra.
On a day of incessant rains, Centaur renamed Tulip Star in the past, was demolished after being acquired by Macrotech Developers, owned by BJP politician and well-known real estate developer Mangal Prabhat Lodha. Luxurious triplex sea facing apartments will come up here, a first for Mumbai. When HT called Lodha to share details of the development plan, he refused to divulge information, saying he was “not in business”.
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has greenlit the acquisition. The six acres of land is prime property on Juhu Tara Road. The hotel’s stature was dented after JW Marriott came up in the neighbourhood. The old hotel with 367 rooms, restaurants, large banquets, gymnasium, swimming pool and other luxuries had closed operations several years ago, owing to multiple litigations.
“Juhu Centaur’s coffee shop was a favourite meeting place and watering hole for Bollywood. It made a glamourous place to hang out,” said Rhea Bassin, a junior artiste coordinator of the time. “The place around Centaur was always abuzz with people waiting outside for a glimpse of the film stars – this is perhaps the oldest example of paparazzi culture.”
On March 12, 1993, it was one of the targets of a series of 12 bombs blasts. Mushtaq Tarani, one of the convicts in the blasts case confessed to planting a scooter bomb at the hotel, which injured three and caused a loss of property worth ₹2.10 crore. “It was like hitting below the upper crust’s belt. There were many people from Bollywood there on that day; and the blast shook up all. The hotel was not the same again. There was always that fear of the unknown lurking. Visitors came from everywhere and the idea of screening people who came here was unheard of,” said a retired police officer who was part of the team that probed the blasts case.
A top producer of the 1970s who had a suite booked here through the year, said he kept returning to the hotel after the blast as it gave him ideas. “I met many aspiring starlets here, persistent for roles. It was always abuzz,” said the producer. “However, film folk who built its reputation dropped away when other luxury hotels came up close by.”
Centaur continued to draw its clientele for a while because unlike others, it allowed film shoots. The opulent lobby, underground parking area, view of the Arabian Sea from the hotel, the vast swimming area, squash court and celebrity gym have been featured in many films, including ‘Rangeela’ and ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. The space near the pool was believed to bring luck and hence many mahurat shoots were done here by producers in Bollywood as well as the South.
These are the similarities were shared by Sea Rock too.
Actor Jackie Shroff had a room here – he was known to be a permanent fixture with his actor friends Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor and others. The hotel’s pool, squash court, yoga studio Mind and Body Temple popularized by Rekha, the dubbing theatre and discotheque Cavern were popular with the well-heeled. “Everything we needed was here at one place and close to our homes,” said Shroff, adding “I continued to visit Sea Rock till the last pillar was taken down. It holds many memories.”
During Diwali, both hotels were popular for their private card parties. A former police officer who headed the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) raided Centaur with his team on a Diwali night, following a tip-off that the much-wanted narcotics smuggler and Dawood Ibrahim gang member Piloo Khan was at a card party. When the ATS team entered the room, he was shuffling cards. “While five gangsters were arrested without firing a single shot, Piloo Khan escaped,” said the officer.
Centaur’s financials started plummeting post-’93. Those in the know of its history said it became mired in legal problems after it was purchased by hotelier Ajit Kerkar in 2001. He owned Tulip Hospitality Services Private Limited, now known as V Hotels, and bid for the hotel. After its purchase, Kerkar, the former chairman of Taj Hotels, rechristened it as Tulip Star.
When the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Atal Vajpayee came to power at the Centre, its plans included the disinvestment of a few government-held properties, including Centaur. Former journalist Arun Shourie, who was the disinvestment minister in the NDA government, faced severe criticism for his decision to sell the hotel to Tulip Hospitality Services Private Limited in November 2001. Shourie was accused of tweaking the rules to allow the sale to Kerkar, despite the fact that his company had no money to make the gigantic bid. He bought the hotel for ₹153 crore.
In 2005, construction magnate Vicky Oberoi entered the fray to buy Tulip Star for ₹387.5 crore. However, this deal was declared void by an arbitration court.
Siddhivinayak Realties Private Limited (SRPL), a joint venture between Vicky Oberoi and promoters of DB Realty had agreed to buy the property from V Hotels on March 31, 2005. However when discussions were on, a dispute arose between V Hotels and SRPL, leading to the former filing arbitration proceedings against the latter. On July 13, 2013, the arbitrator terminated the contract. HT could not independently ascertain the reasons for the termination.
In Bandra, the decline of Sea Rock started after the blasts – a 14-year legal battle ensued with the ITC Welcome Group, which managed the hotel. The dispute was settled out of court. In 2005, Claridges, which bought this hotel for almost ₹40 crore, sold 85 per cent of its stake to the Tata Group owned Indian Hotels.
According to information, the Tata Group intends to build a 140-metre new hotel at the site. The proposed hotel will be connected to Hotel Taj Lands’ End, located some distance away. However, this plan has been on hold for several years. Despite repeated attempts by HT to understand the future of the project, CEO of the Taj Group of Hotels, Puneet Chhatwal, remained unavailable for comment.