EIH expects 30-35 per cent drop in occupancy at Trident till March

EIH that owns and operates Oberoi and Trident brand of hotels said it expects occupancy rates at Mumbai's Trident, Nariman Point, to drop by 30-35 per cent till March.

"About 100 rooms (at the Trident) have been occupied for tomorrow, and reservation requests are still coming in. However, we expect that occupancy rates will see a drop of 30-35 per cent from now till the end of the financial year (ending March)," said Trident's President Rattan Keswani.

Last year, the hotel's occupancy rate was 70-75 per cent in January and 70-78 per cent in March, he added, while addressing the media in Mumbai on the eve of reopening the Trident hotel.

The two properties together contribute 45 per cent to EIH's sales, and account for 35% of its total room inventory.

"The financial losses are covered by an insurance policy for loss of profit," Keswani said, but declined to give more details. Last month, EIH's south Mumbai five-star properties, The Obeori Hotel and Trident were among the locations in Mumbai subject to an attack by armed terrorists.

While the Trident will be reopened Sunday, three weeks after the incident, The Oberoi Hotel may take at least 6-7 more months to be reopened, said Keswani.

While the entire restoration cost for the two hotels will be borne by the insurance agency, Keswani said EIH is beefing up security at all its hotels across India at a "substantial" investment.

"It is difficult to give costing. But we are adding certain physical infrastructure at all our hotels across India, installing metal detectors within hotels. We have also hired the best security consultant to advise us," he said.

Other security measures include having armed guards at all its properties, and additional personnel for frisking guests, baggage, and cars.

The Oberoi Hotel was subject to more structural damage by fires, grenade explosions and gun firing as India's security forces battled the terrorists for nearly three days.