The Hindu Business Line : Srinagar Centaur becomes operational

IN a move which is likely to benefit not only Air India but also tourists going to Srinagar, the Centaur Hotel in the city has now become operational offering visitors not only rooms but also convention facilities.

Senior officials of the Hotel Corporation of India (HCI), the 100 per cent subsidiary of AI which runs the hotel, told Business Line that more than 160 of the 252 rooms that the hotel has were now being commercially exploited.

Besides, the convention centre had also been spruced up and had hosted several high profile events in the recent past, which had been attended by the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister among others, officials indicated.

While close to 72 rooms are being provided to various Government agencies including the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), Life Insurance Corporation, State Bank of India and Bank of Baroda, rooms are also being made available to tourist groups.

In addition, HCI had recently launched packages for guests that include a two-night stay not only in the Srinagar hotel but also offer the option of spending time in a houseboat on the Dal Lake and travelling to either Gulmarg or Pahalgam for a one-night stay.

Besides to attract the locals, the hotel has started marketing weekend packages offering not only lunch but also a dip in the pool for those taking up the offer.

"The Srinagar hotel is doing very well and is totally sold out till June this year. Going by current trends we should be in a position to generate an additional revenue of between Rs 80 lakh and Rs 1 crore in the next few months," sources said.

HCI used to run five hotels including two in Mumbai and one each in Delhi and Rajgir (Bihar) apart from the hotel in Srinagar.

While the hotels in Mumbai and Rajgir have been sold the process has begun for divesting the Delhi property. Interestingly, the Srinagar hotel is also to be divested and handed over to the State Government.

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