Govt hotels at Patnitop a big turn-off for tourists

Sumit Hakhoo

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Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 22

At a time when the Tourism Department has launched a media blitz to attract tourists to the scenic hill resort of Patnitop in the state, the stinking and dirty rooms at hotels run by the J&K Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) are a big turn-off for visitors.

Staff posted at Hotel Alpine and Hotel Maple, overlooking the alpine meadows surrounded by the majestic Himalayas, have been using air fresheners to get rid of the foul smell in rooms on the complaints of tourists.

Same is the condition of the huts constructed along the pastures. Majority of these huts are in a dilapidated condition. The mats and beddings are dirty, something which tourists come to know after paying a hefty amount.

“We booked a room at Hotel Alpine at Patnitop, but on checking in, we realised the room was stinky. When we called the hotel staff, they expressed helplessness and used air fresheners. We had no option but to stay in such conditions,” said Rahul Kumar, a tourist.

In the absence of scientific disposal methods, plastic waste and empty bottles are disposed of in the hotel corridors or simply thrown out. Bathrooms have not been repaired for years.

Sources said while crores were being spent on promotion campaigns across the country, the JKTDC gave least attention to the basic infrastructure.

To attract Vaishno Devi pilgrims, Patnitop, along with Mantalai, Sanasar, Batote and Kud, has been proposed to be promoted as a tourist circuit. Patnitop is managed by the Patnitop Development Authority.

Meenakshi Kaul, general manager, JKTDC, said she would look into the complaints. “I’ll see where the problem lies. It may be due to wall-to-wall carpeting in the rooms,” said Koul.

The JKTDC runs 37 restaurants and cafeterias across the state. At the majority of places, the infrastructure is in a shambles.

Poor infrastructure

• Staff posted at Hotel Alpine and Hotel Maple have been using air fresheners to get rid of the foul smell in rooms on the complaints of tourists
• Same is the condition of the huts constructed along the pastures. Most  are in a dilapidated condition. The mats and beddings are dirty
• In the absence of scientific disposal methods, plastic waste and empty bottles are disposed of in the hotel corridors or simply thrown out