The sentimental check-in

The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and Trident are finally opening. Now it is time to check-in! But who is checking in? Travel is low and it is Christmas, when most corporates don’t come to India anyway. Also, travel advisories from countries are keeping people at bay from an Indian holiday! Well, after the rescue operation was over and Kasab behind the bars, senior high-profile journalists of major dailies, etc. were flooring pages with articles about their sentiments attached to the TAJ. And, also with their wish to check in as soon as it opens.

I find it difficult to digest why you would need to display your affection for the hotels and reserve before hand by claiming so publicly. Though, that is a subjective preference, I must agree. Yet, I really don’t know what the other hotels must be thinking about it considering their opportunity is lost due to the terror attacks, as the conventional peak season is Nov-Mar, which is predicted to remain low this time around. On the other hand, people will be flocking into these two attacked hotels compensating them for the room night losses they had to bear apart from the interests crown would have to wine, dine and swing there to check out some obvious signs. Good for the Tata’s and Oberoi’s; occupancy is definitely going to be high in this season for the two.

Nevertheless, wish all the hotels a very Happy Christmas and New Year ahead.

Allowing them to bloom

Socio-business-environmental approach

Hotels use lots of flowers। At a few ITC hotels, instead of throwing these flowers on a daily basis, they are passed on to an NGO it has tied up with। The NGO after collecting it from the hotels, drop them at the doorsteps of people with multiple disabilities with their capabilities restricted to separating petals from the stem of the plant part the whole day। These petals so separated are collected and sent to concern authorities for extraction of organic colours from it, which are sold to the textile industry.

In this way, not only wastes (wilting flowers) are converted into environment friendly colours but in the process pass on the benefits to the people with multi functional disabilities. This is being practiced at ITC Maurya and Sheraton Hotel in New Delhi as pilot project. This initiative is earning the differently abled people Rs 1800 a month, which is also giving them a dignified reason to live on. The project has also been taken up by India Habitat Centre and a few more hotels for the good of the society.