The election duty-bound scribes and government babus have a reason to rejoice in cool comfort. With India goes to the longest ever election schedule, hotels have struck an opportunity to cash in by offering discounts to the media persons as well as to the government officials on duty.
The nine-phase elections are spread over a month offers good business opportunity to the hoteliers especially when the numbers of business delegate and travellers dry due to elections.
The Gateway Hotels and Resorts has announced special media package, which is valid till the end of elections. “Starting at Rs 4,000 (plus taxes) for single occupancy and Rs 5,000 (plus taxes) for double occupancy the offer is applicable only for media personnel with a valid ID card,” an official statement said.
“Make sure you stay connected with complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the hotel to file the stories,” it added. The package will be available at Gateway Hotels located at Agra, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Ernakulam, Kolkata, Madurai, Mangalore, Nashik, Surat, Vadodara, Varanasi, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Raipur.
The hospitality group has designed the package meticulously keeping in mind the requirements of journalists. It includes accommodation, all day breakfast, packed meal for the journalists on the go - lunch or dinner. Additionally they can also get 20 per cent discount on food and soft beverage.
“The beginning of summer is weak for hotels industry. The occupancy rate drops in the initial weeks. So, election is a good opportunity to offset that loss. We are offering flat 20 per cent discount to government officers and media persons who are coming for election-related work,” said a senior official of Pride Hotels Group.
According to insiders, presently the hotel occupancy rate is about 52-55 per cent, which is likely to go up by about 10-15 per cent during the election period.
“This is a good business opportunity. Business dynamics are rapidly changing in the hotels industry. We too will plan for similar offers,” said an official of Royal Orchid Hotels, a leading chain of hotels.
With elections spanning over more than a month, hotel groups having properties in more than one location are likely to benefit from the elections.