Cool deals in fiery summer at 5-star hotels
Indian hotel companies booked record profits in the just concluded financial year, riding the long tail of revenge tourism. But this summer has delivered a reality check.
Large hotel chains including Hyatt, Marriott and Radisson face a double whammy as they navigate a scorching summer as well as seasonal lulls amid the ongoing general elections. This has resulted in top hotel chains offering huge discounts especially for stays between April and September.
Demand at top domestic hotels typically wanes in summers as Indians opt to vacation with their families—with most schools and colleges on their annual holidays—at cooler international destinations. Besides, travellers have been complaining about a surge in domestic room rates of 25-50% in some cases in recent years.
It’s not uncommon for hotel chains to announce summer offers. But the ongoing season presents an additional disadvantage apart from the creeping weariness of domestic travel—a lack of high-profile international events such as the G20 or the cricket World Cup.
“This summer and autumn will be challenging,” said veteran hotelier Rattan Keswani, who has previously held senior positions at both domestic and international hotel chains, including Lemon Tree Hotels and Oberoi Hotels and Resorts. “Outbound travel has started in real earnest and, as a result, internal travel is shifting towards outbound as it was in the past, prior to covid.”
Besides, “hotels in visa-free countries are sometimes available at lesser cost. So, more needs to be done to protect the share of domestic leisure business”, he added.
Large hotel chains including ITC, Oberoi, Radisson, Lemon Tree, and Sarovar have now slashed their prices by 15-50% for the summer and beyond, offering steep discount packages for stays between April and September.
These special, limited-time promotions are aimed at attracting new as well as existing customers through direct bookings, say industry experts.
Hyatt is offering up to a 20% discount on direct booking for stays from April through September at select hotels in Goa, Kolkata, Mumbai and Bengaluru as well as in the wider AsiaPacific region.
Leela Hotels is offering