Pune: Hotel room tariffs have surged sharply across several popular domestic and international destinations, with some properties witnessing rates almost doubling over the past month and a half, according to travel industry players.The steep hike spans all accommodation categories, with five-star properties frequently quoting room rates between Rs15,000 and Rs25,000 per night. Santosh Gupta, owner of Shri Vinayak Holidays, noted that the spike is highly visible even in business hubs like Pune, which is not a conventional holiday destination.“Hotel room rates in Pune have almost doubled. Five-star properties are currently quoting Rs15,000 to Rs20,000 a night, while three-star hotels are charging around Rs7,000 to Rs8,000—rooms that were easily available for Rs3,000 to Rs4,000 earlier,” Gupta said. He added that select premium properties have seen even steeper climbs, jumping from Rs12,000 to as high as Rs25,000 on peak days, forcing travellers to hold out for last-minute discounts.Nikhil Thakurdas, CEO of Odyssey Tours and Travels, attributed the latest surge to escalating global geopolitical tensions, a weakening rupee, and rising operational costs. “Post-Covid, airfares and hotel rates stabilised at a high baseline. However, with the current global turmoil, the oil crisis, and volatility in the Middle East, that baseline has shifted even higher,” Thakurdas said. He highlighted that currency depreciation is severely hitting outbound tourists. “A $200 hotel room that was calculated at around Rs84 to the dollar a year ago now costs nearly Rs20,000 a night as the rupee edges closer to the Rs100 mark. Purely due to exchange rates, international stays have become significantly more expensive.”Domestically, the floor price for luxury has hit unprecedented levels. According to Thakurdas, base rates of Rs20,000 and above are the new normal for standard five-star hotels, while ultra-luxury properties are commanding Rs50,000 to Rs60,000 per night, even during traditional off-season windows. This 10% to 15% baseline increase over the past six months is being driven by the inflated costs of fuel, LPG, food, and hospitality inputs. Leisure hotspots like Goa, Kerala, and Rajasthan are seeing steady inflation, while exceptional events—such as international summits—are triggering four- to five-fold spikes due to delegation arrivals.Vijay Thakkar, director, Hasmukh Travels, said five-star hotel tariffs have already jumped by 10% to 15%, with rates expected to climb even higher during the upcoming festive period. “In Mumbai, a property that previously commanded around Rs15,000 to Rs17,000 a night is now quoting up to Rs20,000 or Rs21,000, depending on occupancy, availability, and weekend demand,” Thakkar said. Goa is also bracing for a significant seasonal spike. According to Thakkar, four-star properties available for Rs6,000 to Rs8,500 per night during the summer have risen to Rs8,500–Rs12,000 for Oct, with another steep hike expected during Diwali. A similar trend is unfolding in Udaipur, where three-star hotel rooms priced at Rs5,500 to Rs6,000 per night are expected to touch Rs7,500 in Oct, marking a 20% to 25% increase. However, the sharpest escalation cited by Thakkar is in Coorg, where a luxury five-star property previously priced at Rs25,000 a night is now quoting approximately Rs40,000 for the Diwali window.Rishikesh Pujari, director, Vihar Travels, pointed out that the premium historically charged for festive windows has expanded drastically. “A typical festive hike used to be around 20% to 30%. Today, hotels are charging 50% more,” Pujari said. In Munnar, a three-star room package that normally costs Rs6,000 is priced at Rs9,000 for Christmas. The fear of missing out has triggered an early rush, with Pujari noting that 80% to 90% of Diwali inventory in spiritual hubs like Rameswaram—where room prices have shot up from Rs5,000 to Rs9,000— entirely booked out two months in advance.Corroborating the trend, industry expert Nilesh Bhansali said year-on-year hotel tariffs across major Indian leisure destinations have scaled up across the board, with Rajasthan seeing a 12% to 15% hike and metro business hubs like Mumbai recording steady increases of 8% to 11%.
