It's triple or nothing for hotels this I-Day

In a dampener for those planning trips on the extended weekend, hotels aren't accepting bookings for less than three nights and four days and that too at exorbitant rates

IF you are planning to make the most of the August 13-15 extended weekend by going on a trip to the hill stations around the city, you'd do well to know that hoteliers and tour operators, too, are waiting to cash in on the break.


Hotels in places such as Matheran, Lonavla, Mahabaleshwar
and Malshej Ghat are already booked for the long weekend

Not only are hotels refusing to accept any advance bookings for less than three nights and four days to ensure that they can charge people extra at the last minute, the rates of rooms have gone up for advance bookings as well.

Confirming this, Suhas Padte, owner of Vigneshwar Travels Ltd at Fort, said, "Since Independence Day will be a Monday this year, the booking for the long weekend is almost full already.

Looking at the mounting demand, hotels have asked us not to entertain guests for short trips and have made a three day-four night stay compulsory. They are making the most of the long weekend and are overcharging the guests."

Padte added that hotels in places such as Matheran, Lonavla, Mahabaleshwar and Malshej Ghat are full for the long weekend. "Many hotels in Mahabaleshwar prefer to remain shut during the monsoon season.
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The ones which are open are waiting for last-minute bookings so that they can quote high prices for rooms," he said.

Padte said that the rate of an average air-conditioned room has gone up from Rs 1,800-Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500-3,500. Renting a car has also become more expensive with rates going up by more than Rs 500 per trip.

Echoing Padte's views, Sunil Salva, owner, Neeta Tours and Travels, which runs a Volvo service as well as a few hotels in Maharashtra's hill stations, said, "We are also not accepting any bookings for short trips for that weekend. A three night-four day trip is compulsory.
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We usually see a lull in bookings during the monsoon season but we have bookings well in advance for the long weekend and hoteliers are cashing in on the demand by hiking room rates."

Vacationers suffer
Manish Malhotra, a software engineer from Andheri, said the high rates quoted by hotels have made him rethink his holiday plans for the extended weekend.
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"Every tour operator is quoting high rates for a trip to Mahabaleshwar. A three-night, four-day trip, which usually costs Rs, 10,000 is not available for less than Rs 17,000 during that period. I think the wise thing would be to cancel my plans," he said.