12 February,2011 06:43 AM IST | | Urvashi Seth
Hotel occupancy, which had dropped 40-50 per cent after recession and 26/11 attacks, has recovered and gone as high as 95 per cent
IF you are planning to share some private moments with your beloved at a hotel this Valentine's Day, make sure to book your suite well in advance.
Three years after the terror attack almost crippled the hospitality industry, hotels have once again returned to high occupancy levels with some registering 95 per cent occupancy.
Several hotels have started offering freebies to lure customers for Valentine's Day
Kamlesh Barot, president of Hotel and Restaurant Association- Western India (HRA-WI) and director, Encore Hotels Pvt Ltd, confirmed that room occupancy levels in the city have increased thanks to promotion of the Incredible India brand abroad.
Barot said that the 2008 terror attack and the recession before that had proved to be major setbacks to the hospitality industry.
Room occupancy levels went down to between 40 and 50 per cent and it took almost three years for it to rise from the slump.
"Although demand in the leisure travel segment may take longer to revive, the business segment and domestic tourists have helped push up occupancy levels.
The hotel industry has seen occupancy going up in the last two quarters, resulting in an average occupancy of 60 per cent, which increases further by 10 per cent during the peak season," he added.
Novotel Hotel, Juhu is among the few hotels which have observed 95 per cent occupancy this week. The hotel's executive director, Dinesh Khanna, said, "Occupancy in 2010-11 has gone up to 85 per cent."
V-day freebies
SP Jain, managing director, Pride Group of Hotels and owner of a few hotels said that hotels across India have been experiencing high occupacy.
"Booking rooms will not be easy this Valentine's Day as there are many trade shows and conferences in the city, which have led to 95 per cent occupancy in many hotels."
An industry expert speaking to MiD DAY revealed that Mumbai has seen a considerable increase in hotel room inventory, which has made it difficult for hotels to increase tariff.
They have also begun to offer many freebies to attract customers.
Anuj Prakash, general manager of The Resort, Malad, however, feels the golden days of having very high occupancy will only last a few days.
"Our occupancy levels have grown by 10 per cent to 72 per cent. We are happy to be doing better compared to last year and we know that occupancy will go down to 60 per cent during the lean season," he said.
Tariff
On an average, room tariffs in premium hotels in metros hover around Rs 10,000 per day. But, during the peak season you may have to shell out close to Rs 12,000.
Love is in the air
110mn
No of roses sold on Valentine's Day every year globally
1 Billion
No of V Day cards exchanged in the world yearly
1,000
Number of letters the city of Verona, where Romeo and Juliet lived, receives
1415
Year in which the first Valentine's Day letter was sent by the Duke of Orleans to his wife, after he was captured in Battle of Agincourt
