Her Obituary in "THE STATESMAN" (Calcutta), November 17th 1910, Page 21 read DEATH OF MRS. MONK PIONEER LARGE BOARDING HOUSES.
Annie Reynolds was born in Dublin 1842 and died in Calcutta in 1910. She was indeed a savvy businesswoman and a business she started to occupy her time on the advice of friends, after her husband’s death became a flourishing venture.
Annie Monk lived in 1 Middleton Row and one Boarding House she started, ultimately expanded to include ten in the city of Calcutta and probably the largest no of single owned establishments in the country. There were many Boarding Houses which existed at the time but hers were distinguished by the style, scale and personal touch. Her gentle, caring and kind hearted manner made her a favourite of the local residents and the Europeans who came here from abroad
13 Chowringhee Road was her first place on that road. Ill kempt with cracked glass, a place she refurbished with elan and acquired premises numbering 14, 15 and 17 thereafter. No 16 was a theatre owned by Arathoon Stephen, an Armenian who eventually took over all these properties and converted them into the Grand Hotel in 1911. Built in an extravagant neoclassical style, the hotel soon became a popular spot amongst the English population of Calcutta.
Apart from Calcutta, Mrs Monk owned hotels in Kurseong and Darjeeling. She was indeed a visionary and a shrewd business person who became a renowned woman of great means, accomplishment and business acumen.

We at CHC salute her and celebrate her contribution to one of the finest heritage structures of the city, The Oberoi Grand Hotel on Chowringhee.