Hotel room rates in Ahmedabad have skyrocketed, nearly ten-fold in some cases, for October 15 after the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the fixtures for the ODI World Cup, showing that India and Pakistan would face off in Ahmedabad on that day. Rates on various hotel booking websites suggest that unprecedented demand may have led to the sharp surge in room tariffs for October 15, when the arch-rivals will be playing at the Narendra Modi stadium.
Room rentals have gone up nearly 10 times, with some hotels charging close to Rs 1 lakh, while many are already sold out for that day. On normal days, room rent in luxury hotels hovers between Rs 5,000 and Rs 8,000 in the city. It has jumped to Rs 40,000, and Rs 1 lakh in some places, for October 15.
According to the hotel booking portal ‘booking.com’, the rent for one deluxe room for July 2 is Rs 5,699 at Welcome Hotel by ITC Hotels in the city. But, the same hotel will charge Rs 71,999 if one wants to stay for a day on October 15. Similarly, Renaissance Ahmedabad Hotel on SG Highway, which now charges nearly Rs 8,000 for a day, is showing the per-day room rent at Rs 90,679 on the match day in October. Pride Plaza Hotel on SG Highway has upped its rental to Rs 36,180 for that day. The Cama Hotel on Sabarmati Riverfront, an otherwise budget-friendly hotel that would charge little over Rs 3,000 for the upcoming Sunday, has hiked its rental to Rs 27,233.
Owing to the unprecedented demand, rooms are not available for October 15 at ITC Narmada, Courtyard by Marriott, Hyatt, and Taj Skyline Ahmedabad, all five-star hotels in the city. The surge in prices is in response to the high demand from Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) as well as upper-middle-class cricket fans living in other states. Hoteliers increase their tariff when there is high demand for a particular period, and they expect full occupancy despite the higher rates. Once the demand drops, room rentals are expected to come down. NRIs and upper-middle-class cricket fans, who prefer luxury hotels, plan in advance and have already started booking rooms in the city hotels, resulting in no occupancy in some hotels. Budget hotels in the city have yet to witness a surge in prices because middle-class cricket fans, who prefer such hotels, make a decision to come for the match at the last moment. The surge in prices is expected to subside once the demand decreases.
