Low response from customers worries hoteliers

Aurangabad, Sept 23: Even though the Covid-19 cases are on the rise, the government has permitted hotels and lodges in the state. However, customers are not ready to come to hotels. Hence hoteliers have to cover the expenses out of their pocket. According to the hoteliers they have reported a loss of about Rs 250 crore in the last six months, and it will take two years for the business to recover.
There are around 150 hotels in the city with six and three-star hotels. Many star hotels are waiting for customers as the coronavirus has completely banned foreign tourists. Meetings, conferences, corporate parties and gatherings have also been cancelled due to the growing prevalence of Covid. Many citizens have stopped eating outside, significantly affecting the hotel business. Sunil Chaudhary, secretary of the hotel association, said, "It will take two years to recover from the losses. This is a disastrous situation for the industry. The tourists will not be arriving for the next couple of months. Therefore, we have no choice but to wait until October 2021. Even so, it is doubtful whether a tourist or a customer coming to the hotel will take the service of the hotel immediately. Therefore, it is likely to take at least two years for this business to flourish. Even if the virus diminishes, foreign tourists and local tourists will not step out till normalcy returns. The business is mostly dependent on daily customers, but they too have stopped coming to restaurants. The hotel sector hoped to get some relief from the government," Chaudhary said.
The government allowed the hotels to start six months after the pandemic began. Gradually the industry seemed to recover. Today, only 10 per cent of the customers are coming. All the facilities have to be maintained for the convenience of the customers. However, the income doesn''t cover up even minor expenses. Hoteliers have to pay out-of-pocket for the light bills and staff salaries. The biggest blow is to star hotels. These hoteliers are literally struggling to balance their daily expenses.