Owners of wedding resorts feel pinch, look for alternatives

Gaurav Kanthwal

Tribune News Service

Zirakpur, April 29

To make the marriage memorable, they had arranged a helicopter ride on the departure ceremony, but on the day of their wedding, the couple quietly sat in a car and left for home. All they had were parents and kin to celebrate. Best laid plans of many couples have been ruined this marriage season. So have the dreams of resort and banquet hall owners, who had waited for the marriage season with rose-tinted glasses.

“Both bride and groom were NRIs. They could not wait till November, so they decided to solemnise it,” said AKM Resorts owner Rajeev Chhabra. “Those who are okay with small ceremonies are still going for it, but majority of the events and marriages have been put on hold,” said Chhabra.

It seems the post-Covid life would need everyone to make some compromises in life. And the business community is slowly getting a grip on the situation. Those in this business for years predict that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the dynamics. Wedding resorts and banquet halls will face stiff competition from hotels now. “This will be the new norm from now onwards. People will prefer small gatherings and for that hotels are a good option,” said Girish Dogra, general manager, The Wedding Resorts.

Sohi Banquet lease owner Samuel Massey said, “As far as banquet halls are concerned, this wedding season is ruined. Most of the marriages and events have been postponed till October-November. People will be apprehensive to hold big gatherings and the guests would be wary whether to go or not in winters. The hotel-restaurant industry is in a wait-and-watch mode.”

“On an average, banquet halls charge between Rs 40,000 and 50,000. And in case an event is cancelled, the amount is returned with some deductions,” said the businessman.

The hotel and restaurant industry is the worst-hit sector in the Covid-19 pandemic and the industry insiders feel that even after the lockdown there is a long battle for survival ahead.

“Staff salary, generator fuel, regular expenses, electricity bill. Everything is same, only the earning part is nil. Every businessman will have to work out a new strategy to deal with it,” Dogra said.