Delhi’s luxury hotels are seeing a sharp squeeze in room availability ahead of the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit, with visiting heads of state, senior officials and representatives of international organisations taking over some of the capital’s most prominent properties.
The summit is scheduled at Bharat Mandapam on September 12 and 13, with 25 delegations expected to arrive in Delhi from Friday, September 11. At least eight of the 11 BRICS member countries are expected to be represented by their heads of state.
ITC Maurya room costs nearly Rs 3 lakh
The impact is visible in hotel room prices and availability. A search on ITC Maurya’s online booking platform showed a room available for September 12 at Rs 2,95,000, including taxes. The room category was listed as assigned on check-in, and a call to the hotel confirmed the availability.
Several other luxury properties, however, showed no rooms available for a September 12 check-in. These included The Oberoi New Delhi, Taj Palace, Taj Mahal Hotel and The Leela Palace.
More than 3,000 rooms across Delhi’s luxury hotels have been booked for foreign delegations, outreach invitees and heads of multilateral organisations, according to a CNN-News18 report.
Which BRICS delegations are staying where?
The Taj Mahal Hotel on Mansingh Road is hosting delegations from Uruguay, the Philippines, Cuba, Belarus and Vietnam. The hotel is also accommodating the heads of the World Health Organisation and the World Trade Organisation, the report said.
The Oberoi New Delhi on Dr Zakir Hussain Marg is hosting delegations from Brazil, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and Indonesia.
At The LaLiT New Delhi near Connaught Place, African delegations including those from South Africa and Burundi are staying during the summit.
Le Méridien New Delhi at Windsor Place is another key base for visiting officials. The United Nations Secretary-General, the presidents of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and New Development Bank, along with delegations from Uganda, Nigeria and Malaysia, are staying at the hotel.
Iran delegation at Shangri-La’s Eros
Shangri-La’s Eros Hotel on Ashoka Road has been designated as the accommodation for Iran’s delegation.
With thousands of rooms occupied by international delegations and officials, several of Delhi’s luxury hotels are operating with heightened security measures as the city prepares for the arrival and movement of global leaders.