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Putin will also stay at the Oberoi

If it's Maurya in New Delhi then it's Oberoi in Bombay.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is following in the footsteps of United States President Bill Clinton. Not only is he going to put up in the same hotel where Clinton stayed but also the same suite, the Kohinoor.

Nearly 150 rooms in the Oberoi have been booked by the Russian delegation. The Russian secret service people have already taken charge and are monitoring security with the Maharashtra government.

"The Kohinoor suite has hosted business leaders like Lakshmi Mittal, media moghul Rupert Murdoch, General Electric Chief Executive Officer Jack Welch, Australian media tycoon Kerry Packer and others," said Sanjiv Malhotra, Vice-President, Oberoi Towers and The Oberoi, Bombay.

Will Putin's stay affect that of the other guests?

"No, not at all. We have taken care to see that our regular guests are not inconvenienced in any way. In fact, the Russian delegation has not made any request to shut down our normal operations. Our regular guests and airline crew etc. will continue to stay at the hotel," said Malhotra.

Any food in particular which Putin would like to eat?

"We have not received any such request as yet from the Russian delegation. However, we have a team of experienced chefs equipped to handle his requests," added Malhotra.

In fact, the Russian delegation has visited all our restaurants and found them to fully meet their expectations and requirements, he said.

The overall in-charge of the kitchen will be Chef Uwe Faust, Executive Chef, Oberoi Towers and The Oberoi, Bombay, he informed.

Apparently, there will be various departments co-ordinating the visit. From the doormen to the butler, every department that will interact with the guest delegation will be involved.

The Oberoi has hosted many large presidential delegations such as that of US President Bill Clinton in the past.

Putin will arrive in Bombay on October 4 in the evening. Maharashtra Governor P C Alexander will host a dinner in his honour the same night. A visit to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, to help boost bilateral nuclear energy co-operation, is on Putin's itinerary.

The Russian president is also going to address a business delegation in the city. He will be leaving for Russia the very next day.

The Putin visit: The full coverage

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