Delhi Hotel, Restaurant Owners' Association bans Chinese nationals, goods

Amid simmering tension between India and China, Delhi Hotel & Restaurant Owners Association (DHROA), a body representing budget hotels in the capital, on Thursday said it was closing doors for all Chinese nationals. Heeding the boycott China call by trade bodies, the association is also banning use of Chinese goods on its premises. Hotels in Delhi, however, continue to remain shut due the COVID-19 pandemic, raising speculations across the industry about the move’s effectiveness.

DHROA, which represents all hotels in Delhi with room tariffs up to Rs 3,500, said, it “has decided not to give any room to any Chinese national at a time when China is repeatedly attacking Indian soldiers”. Further, it will get in touch with hotels associations of other states and urge them to take similar action. The association now plans to bring star-rated hotels on board in banning Chinese nationals.

“The hotel owners in Delhi have collectively taken this stand. While, we have already banned Chinese goods at our hotels, we are boycotting Chinese national from today”, Mahendra Gupta, general secretary of DHROA told Business Standard.

An executive at a prominent five star hotel, however, said, that unless hotels are allowed to open doors for guests, such an announcement does not make any real sense. “It seems to be a hollow promise given the hotels continue to remain shut”, he said. While on 8 June, following Unlock 1.0, malls and restaurants were allowed to welcome customers, hotels were not given permission. With COVID-19 cases touching record high in the capital, many of the prominent hotels including Taj Mahal Hotel on Man Singh Road have been turned into quarantine centres.

Estimates suggest, out of the 75,000 budget hotel rooms in the capital, nearly 4 per cent, or 3,000, are occupied by Chinese guests, on an average. However, hoteliers are optimistic that revenue from other guests will compensate for any losses arising due to the ban on Chinese nationals as budget hotels in Delhi have a high occupancy rate of over 80 per cent round the year.

DHROA’s move comes after traders’ body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) held protests against use of Chinese goods amid the boycott China campaign. The hotel owners’ association said it fully supported CAIT’s stance.