IPL: Hyderabad hotels on a high, bookings see a surge

HYDERABAD: With the Indian Premier League (IPL) final just around the corner, the hospitality industry in the city is seeing a sudden surge in booking and enquires, with most travellers opting for 2-night/3-day trips.
Solo travellers, meanwhile, are said to be opting for single-day packages to watch the final at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad. Cricket enthusiasts, especially the ones from Mumbai and other cities in Maharashtra, are the ones making their travel arrangements early to support their team-- Mumbai Indians, which has qualified for the finals. “There is a sudden surge in bookings for Saturday and Sunday since Wednesday morning,” said Anirban Simlai, general manager of The Park, Hyderabad.
“Right now, a majority of bookings are being made by people from Mumbai, Pune and other cities in Maharashtra.” People from the hospitality industry said the booking will further increase after the second qualifier. In a prominent hotel chain all rooms have been blocked by officials of IPL ahead of the May 12 final.
“There is a 37% increase in hotel bookings in Hyderabad this week,” said travel and hotel booking e-commerce website Ixigo CEO & Co-founder Aloke Bajpai. adding that majority of these travellers are between the age bracket of 25-34.
“There is also an increase in solo travellers opting for single day packages to watch the IPL final,” added Bajpai. He said that throughout the IPL season host cities have had seen at least an 18% increase in hotel booking growth.
Seconding with Bajpai, Rajeev Kale, President and Country Head – Holiday, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, said that this year millennials and young working professionals are travelling solo and with groups of friends to watch matches.
“With an enviable IPL record, once again Mumbai Indians have made it to the finale and have been drawing in crowds from across the country to watch them play. With the finals slotted to be played at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad, we are seeing a steep rise in the number of people travelling to Hyderabad this weekend,” said Kale.