The Oberoi Cecil, Shimla

We are located at the Oberoi Cecil up on Chaura Maidan in Shimla. If you know this part of Himachal Pradesh, you know it’s a bit of a climb to get up here. My name is Jayapal Reddy and I help look after things here at the hotel. It’s a very old building with a lot of history in its walls. You can feel the age of the wood and the stone when you walk through the halls. We spend a lot of our time making sure everything is kept up, which isn't always easy given the mountain weather. It gets very cold in the winters, and we have to deal with the snow and the dampness that comes with the clouds. Our day usually starts early with checking on the rooms and making sure the common areas are tidy. It’s not just a job for us; we live and breathe this place. The view from the windows is something we never really get tired of, even after years of working here. We have guests coming from all over, but we try to treat everyone with the same quiet respect. The air is thin and crisp up here, and it’s a lot quieter than the cities down below. We don’t have any fancy mission statements; we just try to keep the place running like it should. It’s a lot of walking up and down stairs and making sure the fireplaces are ready.