City Hyatt Regency shut down

The Hyatt Regency, one of Mumbai's better known 5star hotels, has suspended operations "until further notice". The hotel will remain closed until further notice, a Vice President & Country Head was cited as saying by IANS.

The hotel, located close to the Mumbai airport, is owned by Asian Hotels (West) Ltd. In a short statement, the hotel General Manager Hardeep Marwah said the parent firm had not sent money for operations, indicating the financial strain it faces.

"This is to inform all the onroll staff of the hotel that no funds are forthcoming from Asian Hotels (West) Ltd, the owner of Hyatt Regency Mumbai, to enable payment of salaries or to support the operations of the hotel," Marwah wrote.

The Country Head, in turn, said that future reservations through Hyatt booking channels will remain temporarily unavailable. The senior executive, however, added that Hyatt is working with the hotel's owner to resolve the situation.

The hotel industry has taken a major hit across the country since the pandemic reached Indian shores in January 2020. Travel is down to a trickle amid the tourism slump and business slowdown. The nationwide lockdown last year left the industry gasping for breath; along came the second Covid wave which struck early this year just as tourism and hospitality were beginning to look up.

Mumbai, dubbed the financial capital of India, is one of the most important hubs for the hospitality sector along with Delhi.