Hotels hosting numerous official guests during the State legislature’s winter session in Belgaum are urging the government to either shift the monsoon session to Belgaum or establish a permanent schedule for the winter session, deviating from the customary practice.
The reason is that December is the wedding season, and hotels and resorts face challenges in leasing out their rooms for a minimum of 10 days during this month, as the government occupies the rooms to accommodate officials, MLAs, MLCs, media personnel, and other guests.
According to the hotel owners in Belgaum the lack of room availability has compelled numerous wedding parties to choose venues outside Belgaum, like Hubballi and Dharwad. Furthermore, caterers and owners of marriage halls are also witnessing a decline in their business.
Members of the Belgaum Hotel Owners’ Association, in collaboration with some individuals from the Karnataka Hotel Owners’ Association, recently held discussions with Speaker U.T. Khader in Bengaluru, expressing their apprehensions. They plan to meet the Speaker once more in Belagavi during the session to emphasize their request.
As per the reports, Belgaum boasts over 80 hotels with a total of more than 3,000 rooms. They are urging the government, when acquiring rooms, to permit hotels to independently lease out a minimum of 10% to regular guests. Emphasizing that the monsoon is the off-season, they argue that holding the legislature session in this northern city during that period would not incur any losses.
