Wedding bells to the rescue of five-star hotel chains amid pandemic

But the celebrations remain scaled down owing to pandemic-related restrictions

Five-star hotel chains in India are counting on weddings to see them through in a pandemic-hit market. Though on a smaller scale, most hotels are seeing a recovery in bookings and enquiries for the wedding season in November and December. They are also relying on couples who had earlier planned destination weddings but are now considering options within the country. Take, for instance, the Indian Hotels Co Ltd (IHCL). Since hotels re-opened in June, the Tata Group’s hospitality arm has seen bookings touch 70-80 per cent of pre-Covid days.

The months ahead look promising, with the booking register running busy from September to December. “If there’s any business enquiry, it’s for weddings,” says Renu Basu, senior vice-president-global sales and marketing at IHCL. The scale, however, she adds, is much smaller, given the government’s guidelines limiting the congregation for social gatherings to 50.

One of the reasons why wedding, as a business segment, has remained relatively resilient even in the current situation is the high importance given in India to the date on which one ties the knot. The event has strong regional influences, Basu points out. There are also many instances where people have got married at home, hosting small ceremonies, and are now looking to celebrate with close family, she adds…Read More