Hotel occupancy may touch 100% during VGS 2013

Come January 2013 and the hospitality industry in Gujarat, especially around Ahmedabad, is set to witness peak of its business during the upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Summit (VGS) 2013.

According to players in the state, hotel room occupancy levels will touch 100 per cent during the summit fortnight, especially in and around Ahmedabad.

"January and February is usually a healthy season for us. However, with such a good win in the recent elections, the business environment is very high and Gujarat CM Narendra Modi is set to witness huge influx of businessmen. This means an occupancy levels of almost 100 per cent in the fortnight of mid-January," said S P Jain, Chairman and Managing Director, Pride Group of Hotels. In Gujarat, there are over 25,000 hotel rooms under the star-category.

What's more, buoyed by an expected increase in hotel room bookings, hospitality players are also ready to offer special discounts for business travellers.

"We are anticipating 100 per cent occupancy levels with bookings already pouring in since sometime. Hence, we are ready to offer discounts for as high as 30-35 per cent," said Rajesh Sinha, vice president (west), St Laurn Hotel which has around 129 rooms at its Ahmedabad property.

However, according to Ashwin Gandhi, president of Express Group of Hotels, the industry could have offered more discounts if not for high electricity duty of 25 per cent.

"Though we have been accorded an 'industry' status, we still have to pay electricity duty which is still commercially high," said Gandhi.