Karan Sehgal rPANAJIr rAs a result of this, a set of hotels are actually expecting to post profits during the months of July and August, while another set of properties appeared content that they would be able to break-even this monsoon, meaning their revenue would equal their costs. rShivam Verma, general manager, Royal Orchid Beach Resort & Spa at Utorda, said, “We are expecting 70% occupancy in July and 75% in August. All kinds of travellers are contributing towards this occupancy, right from corporate travellers to free-individual tourists (FITs). r“Besides, the fact that we are close to Verna Industrial Estate also helps us in getting corporate clientele” rInterestingly, hotels are expecting reasonably high occupancy rates during July even when there is not a single long weekend during this month. rThe nearest long weekend is in next month, from August 12 to August 15, which is when hotels in Goa are likely to have high rate of booking. rBhushan Bordekar, general manager, Windsor Bay in Calangute, said, “July is looking good for us, as we are expecting 80% occupancy during this month. Lot of discounts on travel websites like Make My Trip are also helping us in getting more tourists. We are almost sold out till July 15.” rRalph de Sousa, chairman of de Souza Group, said, “A lot of youngsters are actually driving down to Goa from Kohlapur and Pune.” rOther hoteliers also confirmed that group of youngsters in high numbers are visiting Goa this monsoon. Such tourists stay in the state not only on the weekends, but also during the weekdays. As for families with school going kids, such segment prefers to visit Goa during weekends. rDe Sousa further informed, “The occupancy rates for premium properties are expected to be around 70% in July and August.” r“These are properties with more than Rs 7,000 per night tariff. Their vast marketing networks help them in achieving high occupancy rates during monsoon.” rThese are mostly four-star or five-star hotels, which are managed by leading Indian and MNC hospitality brands. Mid-range hotels, with Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 per night tariff, are expected to have 60-70% occupancy rate this monsoon. rAffordable segment, with less than Rs 3,000 per night tariff, is expected to have an occupancy rate of 50-55% during monsoon. But, overall, all hotels are expecting higher occupancy rates this monsoon than earlier.
Monsoons bring ‘windfall’ for hotels
Until a few years ago, hotels used to struggle during monsoons and would invariably fail to recover their costs. But, this year, the trend has changed, as a number of hotels are expecting reasonably high occupancy rates.
