Gujarat: 150 cap for indoor weddings unfair, say hoteliers
The government has provided a relaxation of up to 300 persons for events held at outdoor venues.
Hoteliers across Gujarat are irked with the state government's decision to continue imposing a cap of 150 people at weddings held indoor.The government has provided a relaxation of up to 300 persons for events held at outdoor venues.
According to hoteliers, it will pose an unfair competition between venue owners who operate both indoor and outdoor spaces and eat into the business of hoteliers and banquet hall players.
Narendra Somani, president, Hotels and Restaurants' Association (HRA), Gujarat, said, "Hoteliers and banquet hall owners will be at a major loss with this government decision.
The rules should be made uniform so that no unfair advantage is given to a section of industry players. Hotels are already battling steep decline in revenues with the third wave of Covid-19 cases and such rules will further dent their business. We have sought an appointment with the Gujarat chief minister, Bhupendra Patel, to represent the issue on behalf of the hotel industry."
With weddings being capped to 150 persons, the volume of business is lost by indoor venue owners. "Since January, when the restrictions for gatherings were imposed, the volumes have remained down. Hoteliers do not get enough margins when catering to smaller crowds. However, we hope that as the cases begin to recede further, the government will start easing the restrictions," said Jay Sudhakaran, general manager, Novotel Ahmedabad.
