The upcoming wedding season could bring good tidings for hotels in the capital which have been faced with tepid business activity even after a month had passed since the Delhi Government allowed them to re-open.
“Right now, the business activity is slow due to the increase in the Covid-19 cases in the national capital. But there seems to be a demand for the banquets after October 10, with the start of the wedding season,” said Tarun Thakral, Chief Operating Officer, Le Meridien.
As far as the other segments in the hotel are concerned, the room occupancy currently stands at 30 per cent while the restaurants are generating only 20 per cent revenues of their total capacity, he added.
Another hospitality chain Taj Hotels is also witnessing an increase in the queries for small and intimate weddings in October. Some of the wedding-related events are also booked at its hotels in Delhi.
“We have welcomed the decision to reopen hotels in Delhi as an encouraging move towards the recovery of the industry and the economy. Delhi is a key gateway city and our Taj, Vivanta, SeleQtions and Ginger Hotels in the Capital have eagerly welcomed guests with our legendary warmth, attention to service and our continued commitment towards the safety and comfort of our guests,” said Gaurav Pokhariyal – Senior Vice- President, Operations, IHCL – North.
According to the industry experts, the government should give some flexibility to the hospitality sector to take the decisions rather than imposing restrictions on their functioning.
“The government should allow hotels to take a call on the number of guests to be allowed in a banquet depending on its size instead of keeping the number of guests to be the same in every banquet. It will be better if the number of guests allowed is half of the capacity of a banquet rather than fixing a number for all the banquets,” said Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice-President, Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association.