Hotel room tariffs in Lucknow go north ahead of DefExpo

Lucknow Hotel rooms have become dearer in Lucknow as most of them in five-star and three-star hotels have already been booked ahead of Defence Expo 2020 being organised

Lucknow Hotel rooms have become dearer in Lucknow as most of them in five-star and three-star hotels have already been booked ahead of Defence Expo 2020 being organised here from February 5 to 9. With just a few left, guests are being offered nearly 10 times the regular rates, said officials.

HT Image

“Besides hotels in the state capital, rooms have also been booked in Kanpur, Agra, Prayagraj and Varanasi, from where guests can reach Lucknow within three to five hours. According to our estimates, more than 50,000 guests are expected to visit the expo,” said a senior official of the state government.

The room tariff of five-star hotels, which usually remains around Rs 10,000, has shot up to Rs 65,000-70,000.

Officials of more than 1,700 companies manufacturing defence equipment are expected to come for the defence expo. As these firms will be getting companies and buyers on the same platform, they are coming with big delegations to market their products, said sources.

The district administration has also booked over 500 rooms across the city for higher officials and ministers who would visit the expo.

One of the leading hotels in the city is fully sold out from February 3 to 10. Even online portals are not taking bookings of this and other five-star hotels.

“All hotel rooms are booked from February 3 to 10. We have planned to give best services to our VVIP guests,” said manager of a five-star hotel.

Shyam Kishnani, joint secretary, Uttar Pradesh Hotel and Restaurant Association, said: “Room tariffs have shot up. Even the Railways, Air India and other private airlines charge dynamic fares but when it comes to hotels, people start complaining about it. We don’t have any mechanism to check the increasing rates when the demand is high. Usually, we have regular tariffs for eight months in a year, the hotel trade booms only for four months in the state capital.”

Hotels in Kanpur, Agra also booked

*“Besides hotels in the state capital, rooms have also been booked in Kanpur, Agra, Prayagraj and Varanasi, from where guests can reach Lucknow within three to five hours. According to our estimates, more than 50,000 guests are expected to visit the expo,” said a senior official of the state government.

*The room tariff of five-star hotels, which usually remains around Rs 10,000, has shot up to Rs 65,000-70,000.