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Thursday, Mar 04, 2010
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Hospitality industry regaining momentum

Staff Reporter

The food and beverage industry is slowly but surely looking up, say hotel owners

Hyderabad: With the dark clouds of recession showing signs of fading away slowly, the hospitality industry too is inching forward, nevertheless.

It was only a few months ago that restaurants in the city were crying foul over the economic downturn and its impact on the city's hotels.

However, if the same is to be assessed now, hoteliers say the scene is changing gradually. “The markets were down, but since the last few months, there has been a growth in the food and beverage industry. Primarily because the jobs are back and bookings have begun for in-house conferences, which would pick up after April,” points out Karan Mor, Area General Manager, The Grand Solitaire.

Occupancy on the rise

Moreover, room occupancy in hotels is also on the rise. “There are a few more five star hotels coming up in the city soon and room occupancy has also gone up by 17 per cent,” says Mr. Mor.

Given the fact that the new hotels are being launched in the city, a lot of restaurants too are revamping their menus to allure customers. “Compared to the previous months, restaurants are doing better. A lot of people are seen walking into the restaurant for lunch and midnight buffets,” says Joydeep Majumdar, Manager, Food and Beverage, Hotel Green Park.

But this is not all. Though hotels are enjoying their share of families and corporate customers, the political turmoil still remains a deciding factor. “During the past few months, most of the business conferences which were supposed to be held in Hyderabad were either held at Vishakapatnam or Tirupati, due to political disturbances.

Though new hotels are being inaugurated, we are waiting for the outcome of Sri Krishna Committee, which will be a major factor for the hospitality industry in the twin cities,” adds Pradeep Dutt, Secretary, Hotels and Restaurants Association of Andhra Pradesh.

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