It's easy to apply for hotel license now

Hotels without a bar but with alcohol outlets will now be able to apply for license, without a bar permit

Hotels across the country that do not have a bar, but have alcohol outlets will now be able to apply for a hotel license with the Centre without a bar license. The move, part of the changed guidelines released by the Ministry of Tourism on Wednesday, was in reply to complaints received from hoteliers in prohibition states like Gujarat, which were facing difficulties in categorising within the mandated classifications.

As per law, people in Gujarat are prohibited from storing, producing, selling and consuming alcoholic beverages. The rule was relaxed in 2014 when the state excise department allowed hotels in the state to issue liquor permits to people who have checked in the hotel and also allowed online permits to visitors of the state. However, hotel-owners who had liquor outlets in their premises faced the problem of applying in the alcohol category, which mandated a bar license.

"We received complaints from the hotel industry in Gujarat, since bar licenses are restricted there, and they needed to apply for one to sell alcohol in an outlet in their premises," said Bibhuti Bhushana Dash, director at the ministry's hotels and restaurant division.

To remove this ambiguity, the amended guidelines have now made it clear that liquor shops and stores in the premises of the hotel other than bars will not be considered for classification under star hotels "with alcohol" category.

Apart from that, some of the amended changes include the imposition of a deadline of 90 days to iron out any discrepancies or problems in the hotel's application for classification with the government. Earlier, without any deadline, hotels took their own time for the application process creating backlogs.

Apart from that, it is now mandatory for a hotel to display its classification status in the premises and on the websites.

THREE CHEERS

• The move was in reply to complaints received from hoteliers in prohibition states like Gujarat.
   
• As per law, people in Gujarat are prohibited from storing, producing, selling and consuming alcoholic beverages.
   
• It is now mandatory for a hotel to display its classification status in the premises and on the websites