- 22K more hotel rooms needed for CWG.
- 18K hotel keys across twin cities.
- 3,694 keys across 22 five-star hotels.
AHMEDABAD AND GANDHINAGAR may need about 22,000 more hotel rooms to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and 2029 World Police and Fire Games, according to a new study. The twin cities have about 18,000 hotel keys, compared with an estimated requirement of 40,000.
The assessment, “Enabling Hospitality, Tourism, and Mobility Infrastructure for CWG in Ahmedabad,” maps existing hotel room inventory and estimates the expansion needed. Harsh Shah, a student in CEPT’s Master’s in Urban Housing program, prepared it under the guidance of faculty members Sejal Patel and Amruta Patel, with TA Vidhi Mehta.
“According to our estimates, occupancy for 5-star and 4-star hotels, along with boutique hotels, ranges from 60 percent to 68 percent,” said the researchers, according to The Times of India. “Even under conservative estimates, the demand-supply gap is 65 percent for luxury hotels, 60 percent for budget hotels, 70 percent for airport hospitality and 90 percent for meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions venues.”
The study estimates that the twin cities have 3,694 keys in 22 five-star hotels, 1,557 keys in 24 four-star hotels, 790 keys in 18 resorts and 620 keys in 16 boutique hotels. About 141 properties are also listed on Airbnb, with the rest of the supply in three-star and lower categories.
The assessment focuses on the premium segment, where the average daily rate is Rs 5,000 or more. It estimates a need for about 40,000 keys and identifies supply gaps across hotel segments, airport hospitality and MICE venues.
CEPT University dean Sejal Patel cited past sporting events to illustrate hotel capacity growth in host cities.
Barcelona increased hotel room capacity by about 300 percent in five years for the 1992 Olympics, while Doha added about 70,000 beds in four years through a public-private partnership for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Sejal Patel said new capacity should also be planned for use after the events.
Shah proposed a real estate investment trust modeled on Singapore’s hospitality trusts, with a sports hospitality REIT category created by SEBI to attract institutional capital over five years.
For Ahmedabad, the assessment proposes TDR-plus mechanisms in selected zones. It also proposes using public-private partnerships to develop hospitality infrastructure.
Delhi, India’s luxury hotels are seeing limited room availability and higher rates ahead of the BRICS Summit. Some major hotels have no rooms available on certain dates, while others are charging six-figure rates per night.
