Ahmedabad: At a time when occupancy was already high due to business events, hotels across the city ran out of rooms on the night of July 23 as torrential rain and widespread waterlogging stranded travellers, disrupted transport and even pushed locals to seek overnight accommodation.The city was hosting an investment summit attended by a UAE ministerial delegation, along with a bridal exhibition and a fashion and lifestyle expo, which had drawn exhibitors and visitors in large numbers. Hoteliers said this had already created a “compressed” market with limited inventory before the downpour triggered a fresh surge in demand.Prashant Chaddha, general manager of Le Meridien Ahmedabad, said the combination of business events and weather-related disruptions left hotels with little room to accommodate fresh bookings. “There was already compression in the market because of the investment summit and other events. The rain added to the demand as guests extended their stays,” he said.Flight diversions, cancellations and train disruptions forced many visitors to postpone departures, said Narendra Somani, president, Hotels and Restaurants’ Association (HRA)-Gujarat. “Many guests extended their stays because they could not travel. We also received four walk-in guests late at night who could not reach their homes because of flooding,” he said.Inundated roads also drove Ahmedabad residents to hunt for rooms. Maushami Barua, a professional stranded near SG Road, spent hours searching for a place to stay. “As the roads opened, I tried driving to accessible hotels, but every place was full,” she said. “At a hotel near Thaltej, the manager told me that many travellers from Rajasthan had extended their stays because of the rain. At another hotel near Iskcon, we were told the property had filled up with people who checked in because they could not travel any farther or reach home.”With flights diverted, trains delayed, and roads submerged in several parts of the city, industry representatives said the convergence of business travel, weather disruptions, and emergency check-ins led to an occupancy spike rarely seen outside the peak wedding and festive season. Several properties reported operating at or near full occupancy, making it one of the busiest nights of the year for them.
