Sikkim hotels also close Goibibo, MakeMyTrip bookings from January 16

Joining the ongoing tussle between hotels and online travel aggregators (OTAs) across the nation, hotels in Sikkim on Thursday said they had closed bookings from Goibibo and MakeMyTrip from January 16 in the state.

The Sikkim Hotels & Restaurants Association (SHRA), in a meeting convened recently in Gangtok, decided to close down inventory to the OTAs indefinitely, with effect from January 16, 2019, a statement said.

The hotels would not honour any new bookings that might come through, the statement said, adding that SHRA member hotels have also decided to terminate their contracts with OTAs.

"We are in solidarity with the country's apex hospitality body Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) in uniting against the OTAs' unfair and discriminatory business practices," SHRA President Pema Lamta said.

Many other hotel associations all over India have accused OTAs of charging exorbitant commissions, unfair accounting practices and discounting of prices set by hoteliers.

The boycott of the two online portals gained momentum after the Ahmedabad Hotel Association first raised the issue, which was later followed on by many other associations and hotels.