The domino effect of the Mumbai terror siege has reached even those big hotels that were not anywhere near the attack sites. The hotels have cancelled, or are considering cancelling, New Year’s Eve celebrations featuring Bollywood divas. Katrina Kaif’s Rs 1 crore performance at JW Marriott, Juhu, is off, both due to security concerns and the prevailing mood. Kat says, “The authorities have decided to call off the show in the interest of safety. Keeping in mind the current situation, there are more important matters to be taken care of.”
Priyanka Chopra, flooded with offers in the pre-attack period, had not committed herself to any year-end show, but had kept her options open in case something that was to her taste came up. Now, she is totally closed to the idea. A source says, “She wants to keep it very quiet this New Year.”
The show at Renaissance Hotel, which was to have Neha Dhupia charging Rs 25 lakh, is also off. Neha confirms, “This is not the right time.” Item queen Malaika Arora Khan will not shake it either. She told a Mumbai publication that she is out of the country, and even if she were in India for New Year’s Eve, she would scrap her show as a mark of respect. It’s not yet all over for Bipasha Basu’s blockbuster Rs 1.5 crore performance at Sahara Star hotel, but “with all the cancellations of New Year’s events, this, too, seems dicey”, says a source.
Big hotels in Delhi are waiting and watching. Akhil Mathur, director, marketing communications, Le Meridien, says, “We’re in a dilemma. It’s partly because of the public sentiment, partly because of the recession, and also because we are under renovation. If the city moves on and the mood picks up, we’ll go ahead. But it depends.” At ITC Maurya, nothing big is planned, informs Richa Sharma, GM, corporate communications. A spokesperson from The Oberoi Group says their hotels “will not celebrate Christmas and New Year”.
{{/usCountry}}Big hotels in Delhi are waiting and watching. Akhil Mathur, director, marketing communications, Le Meridien, says, “We’re in a dilemma. It’s partly because of the public sentiment, partly because of the recession, and also because we are under renovation. If the city moves on and the mood picks up, we’ll go ahead. But it depends.” At ITC Maurya, nothing big is planned, informs Richa Sharma, GM, corporate communications. A spokesperson from The Oberoi Group says their hotels “will not celebrate Christmas and New Year”.
{{/usCountry}}Inputs from Rahul Sabharwal