Hyatt Regency shuts till ‘further notice’, industry honcho says 'no help from govt'

Hotel Hyatt Regency at the airport. Pic/Ashish Rane

Global hospitality firm Hyatt Hotels Corporation has suspended operations at Hyatt Regency hotel in Mumbai, and said the property will remain closed till further notice. Hours after the news was out, industry stalwarts chorused in unison: ‘we hate to say it but say it we will, we told you so'. The fiery industry honcho, Gurbaxish Singh Kohli said, "We have made so many representations to the tourism minister, the finance minister, the prime minister, unfortunately to zero response." Kohli said they have been met with the attitude, "it is like telling our industry, you survive somehow, dig your own well and the oil will come out."

Obituary of the industry

For Kohli, this is writing the obituary of the industry. To those giving a ho-hum reaction to this news, so many eateries and hotels have closed, Kohli says the sheer stature of the chain "should be a smack, a wake-up call. I hope the government representatives now smell the coffee." He said the industry accounts for "at least 8 to 12 per cent of employment nationwide. With closures, you are going to see humongous unemployment. We want the Centre to put aside inhibitions, egos, and look at this not as some ‘elitist' or niche sector; it is not. We have been at the forefront on the pandemic help lines. We had our kitchens open to feed the needy, we want to support our country. We will do all we can to help, but we need support too. If a stimulus comes in too late, then it is just like [the saying goes] justice delayed is justice denied. Stimulus delayed, is stimulus denied," finished Federation of Hotel and Restaurants Association of India vice-president.

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Industry stalwart Pradeep Shetty said there has been an "absence of, or no clear-cut stimulus". For him, establishments shutting down is not surprising given the fact that "at least 30 per cent big and small hospitality, food & beverage spaces did not reopen after the first lockdown and the second wave was even more severe." He added, "This industry employs an unskilled worker for cleaning and swabbing, a gardener to tend the lawns to an Oxford-returned CEO in its ranks" which is a standout reason to ensure survival.

Collapsed

"Today, an entire ecosystem, flight, travel, corporates who have virtual meetings and work from home has collapsed, and places closing their doors are a big fallout of this. We need to recognise that it is not just another shutdown, but the flailing and keeling over of this industry if not propped up though government intervention, that is going to have a huge impact on society as a whole," signed off the senior vice-president of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India.

Workers said the management has assured them that it is short-term. "There seems to be a delay in payment to the banks by the parent company," said an employee requesting anonymity. "We have been told this is a temporary hiccup and that it should be resolved in a matter of 10 days. We are keeping our fingers crossed."

Bad news Monday

The notice put out by the hotel

The operations of Hyatt Regency hotel in Mumbai has been temporarily shut down in the absence of funds. The announcement was made on Monday. Sunjae Sharma, vice president & country head - India for Hyatt, said in response to a query from PTI, "As a result of no funds forthcoming from Asian Hotels (West) Ltd, the owner of Hyatt Regency Mumbai, to sustain the operations of the hotel, a decision has been taken to temporarily suspend all operations of Hyatt Regency Mumbai. The hotel will remain closed until further notice. Future reservations through Hyatt booking channels will remain temporarily unavailable. At Hyatt, our guests and colleagues are a top priority, and we are working with the hotel's owner to resolve this."