ITDC will continue running the Samrat hotel in the capital: Delhi!

The India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has divested stakes in nine properties over the past two years including hotels in Bhopal, Jaipur, Guwahati, Itanagar, and the Lalitha Mahal Palace in Mysore, and while the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) has appointed a consultant for The Ashok hotel in Delhi, ITDC will continue running the Samrat hotel in the capital, Kamala Vardhana Rao, chairman and managing director, ITDC.

"As per the disinvestment policy of the government of India, the hotel properties of ITDC are being disinvested keeping in view that running and managing hotels is not the business of government and its entities," Rao said.

“DIPAM has appointed a consultant for exploring the best way forward for The Ashok and Samrat Complex. This process is underway. At this stage, Samrat Hotel is not slated for disinvestment and will continue to be run by ITDC," he added.

Rao said ITDC has entered into an MOU with AIIMS for the Delhi hotels where medical experts will monitor the needs arising from the pandemic in real-time, and constantly advise the corporation on precautionary measures. Very soon, ITDC will also launch open-air fine dining at The Ashok hotel.

“We would be providing free Wi-Fi, garden music, and a la carte offerings from our legendary restaurant, The Oudh. We are implementing contact-less services to the greatest extent possible. For example, all the menu cards shall be contactless in view of safety and hygiene protocols our hotels are adopting. Payments at check-out and dine-in will be contactless,” he said.

He stated that the Indian hospitality industry has witnessed a sudden crash in its revenues and is working towards revival amid daunting challenges and while RBI’s resolution framework is aimed at purely fiscal measures, many more progressive steps are being simultaneously looked into.

“Any new policy can be formulated only after receiving inputs from the stakeholders of the sector. The ministry of tourism had organized a series of brainstorming sessions with various stakeholders and influencers...Detailed discussions and interactions with state governments, members of trade bodies like CII, FICCI, FAITH, tour operators, hoteliers, and travel media have taken place,” he said.

“The constructive views received from these stakeholders will be used in policymaking and formulating strategic initiatives to promote tourism,” he added.

ITDC had 37 hotels and catering units, of which 17 were divested at the start of the millennium.

He said ITDC re-opened the Delhi hotels on August 24 and the demand is picking up.

“According to JLL Hotels and Hospitality Operators survey published in June 2020, the majority of sector respondents believe that it will take 13 to 24 months for revenue to regain pre-COVID RevPAR levels. Given this, recovery by Q3 of next fiscal is perhaps the earliest we should factor into our projections,” he added.

News Courtesy: ET