The upcoming ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 to be hosted in India from October 5 to November 19 is already resulting in a high number of room bookings and some hotels are expecting to be sold out during match days.
The tournament will be held across 10 cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamshala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune.
"This is the World Cup, and we anticipate 100 percent occupancy during these dates," said Abinash Ashok, associate vice president, Suba Group of Hotels, which runs a chain of budget hotels under the Click Resorts brand.
Hoteliers expect 85 percent occupancy levels during the period when the tournament will be held.
Around 80 percent of rooms are already sold out for key match days and tariffs are also soaring, especially for hotels located near the stadiums, said Sachin Lagad, head of sales, Kamat Hotels India Ltd, which operates several luxury properties. "I am anticipating a sold out position during the ICC World Cup for the days when matches are in Mumbai and Pune."
Pune is expected to see a huge influx of fans, resulting in huge demand for hotel rooms, said Ramandeep Marwah, general manager, Hyatt Regency, Pune. "The city will host the India versus Bangladesh match on October 19. We are seeing bookings from individuals, corporates and international travellers. Fifty-over cricket world cup is happening after a gap of 12 years in India, and it's going to be huge. Rates and demand are going to be high this year for sure. Room charge will vary from Rs 25,000 to over Rs 50,000 a night. And closer to the date, the prices will be higher."
The big draw: India-Pakistan match
The India-Pakistan match is a star attraction. "We have already got room bookings for the India-Pakistan match dates at our Ahmedabad hotel. Enquiries and bookings are also started for our hotels in Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Kolkata. It is expected that most hotels in these cities will get sold out on match dates," said Kevin Ashley Martis, general manager, sales and marketing (Western India), The Fern Hotels & Resorts.
Room rates are 20 times higher for the India-Pakistan match on October 15 in hotels like Lemon Tree in Ahmedabad with rooms going for over Rs 59,000 compared with Rs 2,086 on July 4. At other hotels like Pride Plaza where rooms in July are available for Rs 4,000, the tariff for the Indian-Pakistan match date is around Rs 75,000 for a night. ITC's Welcomhotel is reportedly charging Rs 72,000 on October 15 for a room that is available for Rs 5,699 now.
Rooms are not available in many premium hotels including ITC Narmada, Courtyard by Marriott and others like Hyatt and Taj Skyline in Ahmedabad for October 15.
Hotels in cities where India is playing have seen greater growth compared to non-India matches, said Bharatt Malik, senior vice president, flights and hotel business, Yatra Online. "Hotels in Ahmedabad have seen a jump of 70 to 90 percent in occupancy during the period (October and November), especially due to the India-Pakistan match scheduled (on October 15). Delhi hotels have witnessed a jump of 15 to 20 percent," he added.
He said that the high demand for accommodation is behind the soaring room rates. "On the match dates, the rates for 4-5-star hotels have surged by 10-15 times. Currently, 4-5 star hotels are ranging between Rs 5,000-7,000 per night. For match dates, the price for 5 star hotels are between Rs 70,000-90,000 in Ahmedabad and 4 star hotels are above Rs 50,000."
He added: "Even 3-star and lower category hotels have witnessed a doubling in their room rates. Currently, 3-star hotels are selling for Rs 3,000, and around match dates in Ahmedabad it is selling at over Rs 30,000. For the rest of the cities, prices have inflated by 20-30%."
Royal Orchid Hotels chairman and managing director Chander K Baljee expects rates at three times the usual during the tournament. "We are expecting more traction during some of the major matches like India-Pakistan, India-Australia, Pakistan-Bangladesh, India-New Zealand, India-England, India-South Africa," he said.
Kamat Hotels' Lagad sees an influx of foreign cricket aficionados. "There is a good number of international travellers visiting India to witness the World Cup. This will have a positive impact on the tourism industry in India as the travellers will also plan local tours after the matches. Apart from the travellers, there are sponsors, teams and support staff that will travel to India this year... The inquiries have already started flowing as people are booking their air travel and hotels well in advance," he said.
Sports driving demand
"While our hotel has been hosting sports teams for several years now, cricket remains the dominant sport with the most significant impact, said Abhishek Sahai, General Manager, Conrad Pune. But he added that other sporting events such as the ISL (Indian Super League) and Pro-Kabaddi League also generate a noticeable level of interest in the city.
Along with cricket, other sports tournaments are also driving hotel bookings this year. "The business contribution from sports tournaments has already reached 80 percent of the pre-Covid period," said Suba Group of Hotels' Ashok. "While cricket is the most celebrated sport in India, the government and the Sports Authority of India are actively promoting sports events in major cities, and hotels are benefiting with increased occupancy and dynamic rate strategies to optimise revenue and occupancy," he said.
Bengaluru has become home for a lot of sports, noted Rajan Malhotra, commercial director, Conrad Bengaluru.
"Major sporting events including IPL (Indian Premier League), Indian Football League, T20 matches or even local Pro Kabaddi often attract a large number of participants, spectators and media personnel, leading to increased demand for accommodations," said Baljee.
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