Wedding Hall Rent Becoming Costlier
Rising maintenance costs may turn wedding hall rent costlier. The moment a marriage if fixed, the hunt for a good hall begins. But, is the rising cost of maintenance leading to an increase in rent and thereby turning good marriage halls too expensive? Not much, say managers of halls in and around the city. “There is a 20 per cent rise in the maintenance expenses. This is bound to have an impact on the rent,” says R. Jayaraj, the manager of Kamalam Duraiswamy Hall at Ram Nagar in the city.But, every effort is made to ensure that the family that hires the hall is not overburdened. “From the time of the marriage parties entering the hall and leaving it after the wedding, they are our responsibility. So, we not only make things comfortable for them, but also absorb some of the impact of rising costs.” The cost of labour, wages for the watchman, cleaning charges and diesel cost have all increased by 20 per cent in under a year.
The cost of brass utensils provided by the halls has increased from Rs. 150 a kg to Rs. 400 a kg.Halls have to buy new items and this is the cost they have to incur. Hygiene is another important aspect halls have to invest in very heavily. “So, some of the cost is bound to get reflected in the rent,” he says. The manager of a hall at Ganapathy says there are plans to increase the rent from the existing Rs. 16,000 a day because of the increase in the Property Tax. The wages for labour has increased from Rs. 80 a day to Rs. 200, he points out. When people spend huge sums on decoration for just a few hours, they will be willing to pay a high rent for a well-maintained hall with all the required amenities, he says. The cost may impact the wedding parties’ budget, but people will still pay.
As for amenities, the manager points out that a load of drinking water (9,000 litres) is required when a wedding party has more than 400 members from both the bride and groom’s side. Water charges for commercial use are high, he says. The manager of another marriage hall on Pollachi Road says some halls, including his, have not increased the rent because the customers arrange for everything, including decoration and utensils.
