The Hindu Business Line : Tsunami hits Chennai hotels' New Year plans

THE killer Tsunami tidal wave, which hit the coasts of Southern India on Sunday, leaving thousands dead, has also impacted New Year celebration plans. While most of the leading hotels in Chennai have called off their planned New Year parties, several others have toned it down considerably.

Says the General Manager of a leading four-star hotel in Chennai, "We have taken this decision as a mark of respect for the thousands who have lost their lives. Moreover, the general mood of the people in the city is also not to celebrate as they have in some way or the other been affected by this disaster."

While most hotels said that they would carry on with their special New Year food and beverage activities, they have cancelled the various theme parties and the musical extravaganzas that were planned. "We have also switched off the illuminations which had adorned our buildings," says the GM of yet another Chennai-based four-star hotel.

Similarly, a leading five-star hotel in the city has decided to stop all its advertising for its New Year celebrations. "Since we do expect guest walk-ins on the night of December 31, we will have celebrations, but it will not be to the extent we had planned," says the GM of this hotel.

On the other hand, a few leading hotels refused to comment on their New Year plans and said that they would prefer to wait and watch the situation.

As far as occupancy rates are concerned, the GM of this five-star hotel in the city, which also has a number of seaside properties along the Southern coast, says that the reservations are unaffected as of now and nobody has cancelled as yet. "Our properties did undergo damage but everything was restored within an hour," he says.

However, industry observers feel that the occupancy rates in the coastal resorts would definitely take a beating for some time to come. "People would instead prefer to holiday in hill resorts," says a Chennai-based observer.

More Stories on : Hotels | Natural Calamities | Tamil Nadu

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Jayalalithaa meets Home Minister, seeks aid — Relief operations stepped up in TN

Reliance board clears buyback, backs Mukesh — Anil abstains from voting

Buyback inappropriate at this stage, says Anil

`Tax structure will be industry-friendly'

Tsunami hits Chennai hotels' New Year plans

Govt asks insurance cos to provide immediate relief

No spiralling of drug prices, says Kamal Nath

Geophysicists body to discuss seismicity

Banking stocks shine on cautious day

BoI, Union Bank boards meet; `merger proposal not discussed'

Tsunami may hit non-life insurers