But a more plausible reason was advanced by Lovat Fraser, a close friend of the Tata and one of the early directors of the IHCL group, that the idea had long been in his mind and that he had made a study on the subject. He did not have any desire to own a hotel but he wanted to attract people to India and to improve Bombay.
The idea for the project had been in Lovat Fraser's mind for some time, and he wanted to promote tourism in India and enhance the city of Bombay. He did not intend to acquire a hotel himself but rather to contribute to its development.