Planning a Mumbai stay this week? Jewellery expo sends hotel prices soaring

Hotels across Mumbai especially those near the airport and in BandraKurla Complex BKC are set to see a decrease in room availability and an increase in prices amid heightened demand ahead of a major jewellery trade exhibition to be held in the city from August 5 to 10The sixday event organised by the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council GJEPC will be held simultaneously at the Jio World Convention Centre in BKC and the Bombay Exhibition Centre NESCO in GoregaonA senior hospitality executive said ldquoThe event is expected to attract 10000 to 20000 exhibitors buyers and trade visitors from India and abroad triggering heightened demand for hotel rooms across the cityrdquo Fivestar facilities Sofitel Mumbai BKC and Trident Bandra Kurla are already marked ldquofully bookedrdquo on the eventrsquos official hotel booking portal and are simultaneously listed as available but with apparent surge prices on online platforms such as MakeMyTrip and AgodaAurika Mumbai by Lemon Tree Hotels PicBy Special ArrangementlsquoThis is a busy windowrsquoAbhineet Chandra director of operations at Aurika Mumbai by Lemon Tree Hotels said ldquoWe are experiencing high demand from August 3 to 8 This is one of those select few yearly windows when hotels across the city see surplus demand due to large events This time the demand is driven by the gem and jewellery eventrdquoSpontaneous accommodation hitThe cost of a room at Fairmont hotel in Andheri East is Rs 18000 for August 6 File PicAshish RajeIndustry observers said such largescale business events provide a significant boost to Mumbairsquos hospitality sector benefiting hotels restaurants transport operators and other allied services However they also make it difficult for consumers to find spontaneous accommodation booking a place to stay at the last minute near the cityrsquos commercial hubs during the exhibition periodlsquoBeneficial for hospitality industryrsquoTravel agents and hospitality industry executives said the annual jewellery exhibition routinely creates one of the biggest spikes in hotel occupancy in Mumbai It is one of the few such events which are hosted at the cityrsquos most desired venues Rooms are often blocked by exhibitors and international buyers months in advance leaving little availability for lastminute corporate travellers or tourists ldquoHotels across various budgets see maximum bookings paired with demanddriven surge pricing during these events Every year this jewellery exhibition takes place around these dates in August and leads to heightened demandrdquo said a senior hospitality executiveAgent speakVikrant Hankare director Rajas TravelslsquoOccupancy at hotels in and around BandraKurla Complex has increased Currently fewer rooms are available in premium categories One factor is these events Another factor is the limited number of hotels in BKC Whenever large events like these take place the availability of hotel rooms decreases even we in the B2B line have to plan ahead Otherwise we also end up with surge pricing and unavailability of roomsrsquoConsumerrsquos accountA suburban Mumbai residentlsquoIrsquove been recovering from a recent back surgery I had to move out of my home to a nearby hotel in Vile Parle for a fortnight as major elevator repairs were scheduled at my building On approaching various hotels I was told that rooms were available for my entire stay except the nights of August 5 6 and 7 When I showed one of the hotels that rooms were available for these three nights on various travel websites I was told that the rates for those particular dates would be exorbitant They were well over 50 per cent of the normal tariff At last I had to book another hotel for these three days where a room was available but at surge pricingRs 23600Booking rate for a room for two for August 6 at the Fairmont hotel on SundayRs 54754Booking rate for a room for two for August 6 at Sofitel on SundayStarting prices for a room for two on MakeMyTrip on SundayHotel August 3 August 6 August 9Sofitel Mumbai BKC Rs 13098 Rs 54754 Rs 15930Fairmont Mumbai near T2 Unavailable Rs 23600 Rs 15340Taj Lands End Bandra West Rs 13467 Unavailable Rs 17037