Hoteliers will now be able to open hotels whose inauguration was stuck due to the lockdown
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government on July 6 decided to allow hotels and lodges outside of containment zones to reopen and function at maximum 33 percent capacity from July 8.
Hoteliers, battered by the prolonged lockdown preventing hotels from hosting guests while being made to accept guests checking in for quarantine purposes, have welcomed the move.
“Our Mumbai hotels have in any case been open for self-quarantined guests for a while, but this Mission Unlock will now allow them to take in other corporate guests as well,” Noshir A Marfatia, Senior Vice President - Sales & Marketing, The Fern Hotels and Resorts, said.
“This will allow our hotels in Pune, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Karad, Satara and Parbhani to operate and meet local demand. It will also allow us to launch our Beacon Hotel in Kharadi, Pune that got delayed due to the lockdown,” he added.
The state government has also released guidelines regarding the functioning of entities providing accommodation services.
The balance (67 percent) capacity can be used as a quarantine facility by the district municipal administration, the Maharashtra government circular added. There are nearly 25 zones in Mumbai alone which are marked as containment zones, including Colaba, Parel and Bandra west. These places have premier properties like the Taj Mahal Hotel, ITC Grand Central and the Taj Lands End.
"We would like to thank the Government of Maharashtra for allowing commencement of business operations of hotels in the state. The new service mantra is all about redefining hotel spaces and experiences,” Atul Bhalla, Area Manager - West, ITC Hotels & General Manager - ITC Maratha, said.
Rooms let out for quarantine purposes and also to medical staff generate less than half the revenue otherwise earned from regular guests. Even as the remaining 67 percent rooms are allowed to be offered to quarantined guests and medical staff, hoteliers await additional details from the order.
“Waiting for some clarifications. But a step in the right direction!” said, Sanjay Sethi, MD and CEO, Chalet Hotels, which operates the Renaissance Hotels in Powai, JW Marriott in Sahar and the Novotel, Pune.
However, not every hotelier is pleased by the state government’s decision. A promoter of a popular hotel in Mumbai reasoned that since restaurants will be heavily regulated and other common areas such as gymnasiums and swimming pools closed, guests will be in their rooms most of the time.
“Very silly to allow just 33 percent occupancy. What difference does it make even if 100 percent was allowed. Anyways each guest is in their room,” said a hotelier who has a property less than 2 km from the Mumbai airport.