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Punam Mohandas.

The hot topic of discussion this past month has of course, been the Budget, which has fizzled out miserably, at least as far as hoteliers are concerned. The tax deduction under the Section 35 AD of the IT Act also brings with it a level of ambiguity.

Thus, although the FM’s speech talks about hotels under two-star and above category, a reading of this section clearly establishes that the deduction is available only to the two-star category. That being so, the positive relevance of the announcement is completely lost.

Past the blarney, none of the constantly voiced demands have been acceded to even now and industry veterans make no bones about their disappointment.

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One could be surprised at this seeming governmental apathy in according the hospitality industry a much-needed infrastructure status, although Captain CP Krishnan Nair hits the nail on the head when he says that this is because hotels are still perceived as a luxury product.

Speaking of the indefatigable chairman of the Leela Group, his energy knows no bounds. Having been on a roll this year as far as awards are concerned, both national as well as global honours; in the process of creating one of the most expensive hotels (Chanakyapuri, New Delhi); he now has his sights set firmly on creating a three-star boutique chain in all the pilgrimage centres in the country.

This is a man who believes that Indian hoteliers may be enamoured about international brands, however, they are perfectly capable of running the show themselves and should be more confident than they are. The best hoteliering is in India, he says.

In a refreshing change, Nair also talks about focussing on India, where the opportunities are, rather than make a beeline for foreign shores.

The event for the month is, but obviously, the much-awaited HICSA (page57). The sixth edition is generating a buzz in terms of the number of CEO’s from across the globe coming together under one roof, plus, a host of announcements concerning new projects, arrivals of international chains, partnerships and much more, is expected. Do watch out for the daily newsletters Hotelier India is putting together for the event.