Hotel Blues

The recent terror attacks 038; global meltdown has brought the hotel 038; restaurant fraternity closer

Just when you thought it couldn8217;t get worse, it does. First, there were the horrific Mumbai terror attacks and then came news of a global financial meltdown which is continuing to have ripple effects in India too. 8220;The bad news just doesn8217;t end there,8221; rue the men we find sitting in a conference room at Hotel Aroma with stacks of files and sheets in front of them. They are members of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India currently working out strategies and proposals in the wake of the current crisis. 8220;Have you heard the latest,8221; questions the association8217;s President Vijai Pande, a leading hotelier from Kanpur as he hands you over a set of papers. Among them is a letter addressed to Haryana8217;s Minister for Tourism, Kiran Chaudhary that states their grievances. 8220;These are hard times for our industry and the recent spate of taxes imposed is making matters difficult,8221; explains Pande who speaks for nearly 1,500 members of the association. 8220;What8217;s disappointing in the current scenario where hospitality industry is among the worst hit is the fact that we8217;ve got no breathers from the government,8221; pitches in the association8217;s honorary secretary SM Shervani, MD of Shervani Hospitalities Ltd.

Given the situation, the hoteliers are hoping to draw the government8217;s attention towards relaxation of taxes such as luxury tax, VAT on food and beverages, service tax. Another issue that the fraternity is looking to take up is with regard to matters of security. 8220;To make sure another Mumbai Taj incident doesn8217;t happen again, hotels will have to invest substantially in security equipment and additional manpower. So we are being fair in asking for subsidies from the government,8221; chorused the members.