The hotel is named after the Taj Mahal, which is located in the city of Agra approximately 1,050 kilometres (650 mi) from Mumbai.

The validity of this has been challenged by writer Charles Allen, who wrote that Tata was unlikely to care about such a slight to the extent that he would construct a new hotel.

Instead, Allen writes, the Taj was built at the urging of editor of The Times of India who felt a hotel "worthy of Bombay" was needed and as a "gift to the city he loved" by Tata.

[3] The Taj Mahal Hotel was home to legendary jazz musician Micky Correa, "The Sultan of Swing", from 1936 to 1960.

[7] Known today as The Taj Mahal Tower,[8] it was designed jointly by Daraius Batliwala and Rustom Patell, with the latter having a greater focus later on.

[18] In 2017, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel acquired an image trademark,[19] the first building in the country to secure intellectual-property-right protection for its architectural design.