Jam-packed!

Official websites of SoBo five-stars claim they are booked in the week surrounding the World Cup final. Regular guests are being requested to reschedule their arrival after April 2

Jam-packed!

Official websites of SoBo five-stars claim they are booked in the week surrounding the World Cup final. Regular guests are being requested to reschedule their arrival after April 2

The Taj Mahal Palace & Towers. Pic/ Shadab Khan

For Rajeev Rai, a Delhi-based HR professional, booking a room at a SoBo five-star has cost him additional money. "I am a die-hard cricket fan. Unfortunately, I failed to make a pre-booking.u00a0 I was asked to pay Rs 35,000 for a regular deluxe room. That's peak season rate."

Official websites of Intercontinental and Marine Plaza at Marine Drive, The Trident at Nariman Point, and the Taj Mahal Palace & Towers in Colaba as well as The Ambassador in Churchgate announce that their rooms are all sold-out.

Come another time
A three-star hotelier from Colaba requesting anonymity said he has had no choice but to request frequent guests to alter their travel plans and arrive after April 2. "We don't want our guests to get disappointed, hence the request. Due to the World Cup finals, room occupancy has touched 100 per cent," he said.

The official website of Trident Hotels and The Oberoi stats no rooms are available on April 2. But a suite that comes at Rs 80,000 a night is up for grabs if you can afford it. A spokesperson from The Trident confirmed that most rooms were booked.

Trident's neighbour, Hotel Marine Plaza houses 68 rooms including suites and deluxe rooms. Hotel officials confirmed 100% occupancy for April 2. "Bookings for the week around the finals began almost four months ago," said Sanjeev Shekhar, GM, Hotel Marine Plaza. Colaba's most prestigious five-star, The Taj Mahal Palace & Towers which houses 560 rooms is fully booked on April 2. When Sunday Mid DAY tried booking a room online, no rooms were available.

Room rates soar
According to sources, rates for deluxe rooms at five-star properties have gone up from Rs 15,000 to Rs 35,000 a night. "The cricket season has come as a big boost to business hotels which see a drop in occupancy by the end of March," said a suburban hotelier, who has raised room rates from Rs 8,000 to Rs 14,000 for a regular deluxe room.

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