Delhi hotels lose out to Gurgaon, Noida

Delhi’s top hotels are losing out to their counterparts in Gurgaon and Noida, recently released statistics show.

Delhi’s top hotels are losing out to their counterparts in Gurgaon and Noida, recently released statistics show.

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The city’s top luxury hotels, including Le Meridian, Eros, Hyatt Regency, Taj, Grand and Aman, have seen a decline in occupancy in the first five months of this financial year in comparison to the same period last year, according to Delhi government figures.

The decline, said Delhi government officials, ranges between three per cent and 12 per cent. They attribute the trend to the opening of several luxury and branded hotels in Gurgaon, Noida and Greater Noida.

“The slowdown in global economy has affected hotel business worldwide. Delhi’s traffic scenario has worsened matters. People who travel for business purposes prefer to stay close to their offices rather than staying in Delhi and waste time travelling between Delhi and the satellite towns,” said a senior Delhi government official.

Sardar Patel Marg and National Highway 8, the roads that link Delhi and Gurgaon, are among the most congested roads of the Capital. Traffic moves slowly on the Ring Road, near the Ashram crossing and DND, which connect Delhi and Noida.

Shobha Shroff, who works for a US-based travel company and comes to Delhi to train staff for three months a year and stays in five-star hotels, agrees. “For the past four years, I stayed in Delhi but now I stay in Gurgaon, which saves me two hours every day,” Shroff said.

The hotel owners in Gurgaon could not have agreed more. Crown Plaza, Westin, Trident, Radisson Suite, Pullman, The Fern Residency and City Mart are some of the brands with hotels in Gurgaon.

They have been successful in pulling customers, both domestic and international.

Raddison Blu, Mosaic Hotel, Park Plaza Hotel and Jaypee Green Spa and Resort are some luxury brands in Noida and Greater Noida.

Industry insiders, however, said it was more than just mad traffic and long snarls that have affected Delhi hotels.

“A marginal drop in numbers could be due to new inventory coming up in Gurgaon and to some extent in Noida,” said Akshay Kulkarni, regional director (Hospitality) South and Southeast Asia, Cushman and Wakefield.