Planning to spend new year in hotel? Forget it

NEW DELHI: Checking in at exotic hotels to usher in the new year from happening holiday destinations has become next to impossible for late planners, with rooms booked to capacity across the country.

Hotels in Lakshadweep, Goa, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Ooty or even Kochi are refusing to entertain booking queries and adding insult to injury is the fact that even getting to these
places in a hurry is unthinkable for the average Indian as air fares have shot up through the roof.

Even covering the over 500 km distance between Mumbai to Goa by a budget carrier could cost a princely sum of Rs 28,000 per person with fares fluctuating as per the demand.

But reaching the destination alone does not ensure a place to stay, as hotels have closed bookings till January 15.

When contacted, a front-desk executive at Taj Exotica Goa said the last booking closed at Rs 60,000 for a room per night. Whereas a standard double room at the hotel costs just Rs 25,000 per night plus taxes.

The story is virtually same at all major holiday destinations. A standard double room at a five-star accommodation in Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Ooty or Kochi would cost anywhere between Rs 11,500 to Rs 26,000 per night, industry sources said.

"During this time, only about 25 per cent of travel is done for business, while most of the holidays are sponsored by respective business houses, including Insurance, Bank MNCs, Airlines, Construction agencies, BPO, as 'Incentives Tours'," Indian Association of Tour Operators President Subhash Goel said.