The Hindu Business Line : Centaur Delhi tries to reach for the stars

EVEN as the Centaur Hotel Delhi gets ready to take its last bow in public gaze, it is leaving no stone unturned to play host to the best of the Indian silver screen.

The hotel, which is already on the road for divestment, will house a bevy of tinsel towns stars who have won the Government's National Awards for films including best actor Vikram, actress Jasmine and Dada Saheb Phalke award winner Mrinal Sen. They will be among the scores of film personalities descending on the Capital on February 1 and 2 for the national film awards ceremony.

The organisers have booked more than 120 rooms and suites for the filmi people.

Centaur is the brand name of the hotel chain run by the Air India subsidiary, Hotel Corporation of India. The group used to operate five hotels - two in Mumbai and one each in Delhi, Rajgir and Srinagar. While the properties in Mumbai and Rajgir have already been divested, bids have been invited for Delhi Centaur.

For the hotel in Delhi, the journey has been much like that of an anxious newcomer waiting for the elusive hit. Despite being on the sell-off block for close to a year, the Centaur group has notched up improved sales. The operating revenue grew by 22 per cent during the first quarter and by as much as 35 per cent during the third quarter of the current financial year ending March 31, 2005.

Hotel Corporation of India officials indicated that Centaur was likely to report a profit of close to Rs 5 crore during the year against an operating loss of Rs 11 crore reported last year. This is despite the fact that the hotel has gone slow on marketing itself as it is in queue for disinvestment.

Nevertheless, it has taken a number of steps to attract fresh business including renovating more than 100 rooms and providing more amenities for the guests in the rooms.

Besides a voluntary retirement scheme that has brought down the manpower costs by 30 per cent, it also merged the service department of the flight kitchen and the hotel.

Officials said some investment in renovating the property and aggressive marketing would enable it to generate additional revenues.

The hotel, which was the pride of the Capital during the 1982 Asian Games, is once again trying to reach for the stars.

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