Himachal partners with 50 travel portals for HPTDC's profit push as it halts lease of 6 hotels

In a bid to enhance its profitability, the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) has tied up with travel portals to facilitate online bookings for its 50 properties across the state.

The move comes amidst the Cabinet's decision to hand over 14 of its hotels and restaurants to private players on an operate and manage (O&M) basis, taken in June earlier this year.

For the time being, six of these 14 hotels have been excluded from the list of properties to be leased out.

Efforts are being made to turn the HPTDC into a profitable venture amidst stiff competition from private players. The HPTDC has been a brand name with properties at prime locations in every part of the state for decades when private hotels were sparse and few.

In fact, the HPTDC hotels were the only ones a few decades back in the more remote areas like Kinnaur and Chamba.

Encouraged by the Rs 107 crore profit that the HPTDC was able to make last year, several initiatives are being taken to turn it into a profitable entity.

"In today’s times of stiff competition, we need to offer quality services to our guests. Our endeavor is to offer professional services to customers at our properties which are located in the most prime locations," said Raghubir Bali, Chairman of HPTDC.

Admitting that some of the HPTDC hotels were in dire need of a facelift, he said efforts were underway to get funding from the state government to give them the much-desired makeover.

He added that the decision to lease out the six properties of Roscommon Old (Kasauli), Sarvari (Kullu), Apple Blossom (Fagu), Lakeview (Bilaspur), Mamleshwar (Chindi-Mandi), Chanchal (Rohru), and Wayside Amenity (Bhararighat-Solan) had been put on hold for the time being.

"We have received a letter from the government stating that six properties would not be leased out, but eventually, it is the cabinet which will have to give a nod for this," said Bali. Since the decision to rope in private players for 14 HPTDC properties was taken by the cabinet, any amendment to it will require cabinet approval, he added.

The Cabinet is scheduled to meet on September 15.