The summit is expected to be attended by state of member countries along with political, cultural and business delegations. Hotels in and around central and South Delhi and Aerocity are completely booked. Teams at these hotels are working round the call to create a memorable experience for visiting dignitaries.
Most prominent hotels – ITC Maurya, Taj Palace, Taj Mahal, The Oberoi, The Lodhi, The Imperial, Le Meridien, Shangri-La Eros, Hyatt Regency, Leela Palace, The Lalit and The Claridges – are almost fully booked from September 7-11. Hotels in Aerocity too are likely to be sold out on those dates as some heads of state might stay there due to availability of presidential suites.
Santosh Kumar, country manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia at Booking.com has noticed New Delhi becoming one of the most searched destinations on their platform. “The G20 Summit presents an excellent opportunity to showcase our culture, heritage and hospitality. We are seeing New Delhi becoming one of the 5 most searched destinations as compared to the same time last year,” he said.
Explaining the situation, a hotel spokesperson said that this will be the first time when every hotel will be hosting two to three state heads and the group that will be accompanying them. This requires elaborate arrangements. Explaining further, he said that most hotels only have one or two presidential suites as they usually only head of state or small delegation from a country would stay at a hotel.
Several delegations, media and security are expected to arrive early for the summit. Most hotels have been fully booked from September 4-11. Some hotels have also been requested to take their inventory off booking sites for these days as embassies are booking entire hotels due to security reasons. Summit is due to take place on September 9-10. Talking to TOI, Travel industry stalwart Ankush Nijhawan of Travel Boutique Online says this summit will put Delhi on the global tourist map. “Hotels are full and pricing is high on those dates due to demand. This is a chance to showcase the fabulous Indian hospitality. This will help inbound tourism with more foreigners visiting India for leisure travel after G20,” he explains.Many hotels have been asked to strengthen their security infrastructure to match the requirements of high-profile visitors. Local security agencies, Delhi Police, ministry of external affairs and embassies have been conducting regular safety and security drills, collecting details of employees who are going to be working during the head visits. Hotels are also stocking up their inventory and manpower to ensure that they do not need anything from outside on those dates.
Making every bit of the opportunity, hotels are also preparing special Indian menus focusing mainly on millet dishes and trying to deliver the best of culinary experiences to the guests.
Some properties known for multiple diners, such as Hyatt Regency, are also coming up with special menus of signature dishes from their different F&B outlets. While The Claridges has planned a special Indian thali with dishes from across the country for the guests, some hotels are also working on dishes from the visitors’ countries to make them feel at home. Special customised in-room amenities are being organised and traditional Indian welcome being planned to leave a lasting impression. Hotels like Le Meridien are planning experiences for the accompanying spouses to give them a feel and flavour of the country for many of whom, this may be a first visit.
Many hotels are writing to their regular members that their gym or spa facilities and restaurants and coffee shops might not be open for outsiders. A hotel manager said there are strict protocols in place but the industry is eagerly waiting for the summit as September is usually when their busy season starts and they couldn’t have asked for a better start.
