Apollo Hotel, Forgotten Hotel of Colonial Bombay, 1903 Postcard

A 1903 postcard of the Apollo Hotel, the forgotten hotel of colonial-era Bombay (Mumbai). The hotel was located on Colaba Causeway at the junction of Landsdowne Road. Built in 1873, nearly three decades before Jamsetji Tata opened the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel down at Apollo Bunder. It was one of the premier European-style hotels in the city at the time.

In 1932, Parsi settlers started an Irani café right inside the reception area of the Apollo Hotel. Today, that exact space is occupied by the legendary Café Mondegar (“Mondy’s”), famous for its retro jukebox and vibrant murals sketched by the iconic cartoonist Mario Miranda.

The grand colonial structure that once housed the Apollo Hotel is now known as Metro House. Click image to enlarge.

Did you know – during World War I, luxury took a back seat to the war effort. The grand hotels around Apollo Bunder and Colaba were drastically repurposed into war hospitals. Officers and wounded soldiers who used to patronize the Apollo Hotel suddenly found themselves recuperating in the very same hotels.