Roads leading to the city have been witnessing long traffic snarls as the capital city region prepares to welcome a slew of dignitaries for the swearing-in ceremony.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S. Giri
All roads in Vijayawada were chock-a-block on June 11 (Tuesday), as hotels reported 100% occupancy on the eve of TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu’s swearing-in as Chief Minister which is scheduled to be held at Kesarapalle near Vijayawada on June 12 (Wednesday).
Around 250 hotels in the city, each having an average of 40 rooms, are booked to full capacity, with demand still growing, said Vijayawada Hotel Owners’ Association president P.V. Ramana. “We have set aside 250 rooms upon being instructed to do so in order to accommodate government officials, Ministers and visiting dignitaries,” he added.
“Some star hotels are charging as high as ₹30,000 per night, and still, there are many takers. Usually, the prices range between ₹5,000 and ₹7,500 at these hotels,” Mr. Ramana said.
Most of the visitors made online bookings for the rooms for two days (June 11 and 12) immediately after the date of oath-taking became known.
The boom in the hotel business after a long time has come as cheerful tidings for hoteliers in the city. “In contrast to the grim situation that we were in during the last five years, we have been seeing a 80% occupancy rate every day at all hotels since the election results were out on June 4,” Mr. Ramana said.
He said the number of hotels in the city today would have been higher had the owners not leased them out. “Most of the hotels in the city had come up towards the end of the TDP rule. However, the lull in the construction activity during YSRCP rule had affected the hotel business. The pandemic only aggravated the situation. We were running hotels with 40% occupancy until last year. Many who could not afford to keep them running due to poor returns rented them out,” Mr. Ramana said.
Now, there has been a turnaround as the city is finding it difficult to meet the demand as thousands are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony, he said. “We are hoping that with the renewed focus on Amaravati, hotels in Vijayawada and Guntur will see a good business in the next five years,” he said.
