Paying guest concept picks Up !!
Paying guest concept has come knocking at the doors of this textile and engineering city at last.The concept is being tried in the city for the first time coinciding with the six-day International Industrial Trade Fair (Intec 2008) which opens up here on February 1.The Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (Codissia) is trying out this concept after the shortage of hotel rooms experienced in Coimbatore during the 2006 edition of the Intec, a fair touted as the second largest in the country covering engineering and automation sector.The response for the ‘paying guest’ advertisement released in the local newspapers by the organisers has received an encouraging response.“Till now, nearly, 15 people have come forward to offer rooms in their residences for short duration stay, for a rent.The rental ranges from Rs 1000-2000 a day. Around 80 rooms are thus available. Besides, some have also come forward to offer their cars for transportation, “ said chairman, Intec 2008, K V Ganapathi.The Codissia Trade Fair complex at Avinashi road will have a travel desk this time where the visiting delegates can get help on the availability of rooms and the contact numbers. Codissia is to serve as a facilitator. The negotiations has to be done by the visitors.There are many big residences with one or two inmates and lots of rooms remaining vacant. They are the ones who are willing to lease out the rooms. “The concept is being introduced and we're sure that it will pick up in the days to come,” said Codissia vice-president K Ilango.The growth of the hospitality industry has not been on a par with the kind of growth this industrial city has been witnessing the last few years.
The number of hotel rooms are less.Ajeet Kumar Lal Mohan, secretary and director of hotel management, AJK College of Arts and Science told this website's newspaper that the situation is very bad in Coimbatore. There are many on going projects. Star hotels like Radisson and Taj are coming. But it will take at least two years for all these projects to become a reality.As it is, Coimbatore has only one four- star hotel and around four, three - star hotels. The room availability in the four star hotels is around 150, and 350 (approx) in all the three-star hotels put together. So, the average hotel rooms available (Rs 1000 and above category) is only 550-600.This in no way is sufficient to meet the demands thrown by an international fair of the magnitude of Intec 2008. Apart from this, there are regular business visitors, tourists who land in Coimbatore before proceeding to destinations like Ooty, Munnar and Kodaikanal.Taking all these into consideration, to meet the demand alone, there is a need for at least another two, four-star hotels and four, three-star hotels, he felt.
