Post the ban on sale of liquor 500 meters from highway, hotels in Chandigarh are witnessing a drop in bookings for corporate meetings and social functions.
Most of the finest hotels in Chandigarh fall on Madhya Marg which comes under the 500 meters rule of liquor ban.
Top hotels, including JW Marriott Sector-35, Western Court Sector-43 and Hotel Maya Sector-35, have been served a notice to not offer alcohol on account of their closeness to the highway.
“Our hotel used to be the hub for all the corporate meetings, but we no longer have the same amount of bookings. This is not only loss of business, but also loss of face,” says Santosh Singh operation manager at Western Court Sector-43.
“The bookings have decreased by 40 per cent, including the restaurants. The corporate meetings used to be our highlight, despite the ban we are providing fewer packages to our regular customers,” Singh added.
Hotel Maya, which falls on Madhya Marg, has also lost its bookings because of its distance to the highway. Earlier, the hotel used to get 15 to 20 bookings in a month, but now clients are skeptical about the bookings for their events due to the liquor ban.
“Social-business cultural norms accept responsible drinking. In the hospitality industry that is the way people socialise. Due to few cancellations the management is coming up with non-alcoholic drinks menu to guests,” said Parteek Kumar, Banquet Manager, Hotel Maya Sector-35. Hotels are already reporting about 30 per cent drop in their sales and preparing to lay-off staff after next Supreme Court hearing in the case this July.