Cricket fans swamp Indore hotels

As Indore gears up to host the seventh India-England one-dayer on April 15 at the newly-constructed Usharaje Stadium, occupancy rate and average room rates (ARRs) of city hotels are shooting up.

The official host for the cricket team, Hotel Fortune Landmark of the Welcome Group, has decked up the entire hotel with a cricket theme.

Other prominent hotels such as Sayaji, President, Shreemaya Hotel, Hotel Planet, Amaltas, Amar Vilas, Balwas, Samrat, Vishram are reporting 100 per cent bookings for three days.

Besides hotels, lodges situated near the city bus stand, railway station have also been booked by cricket enthusiasts. Even the eateries near the stadium are reporting advance bookings.

Hotels in nearby towns Ujjain, Dewas, Dhar, Badwaha, Sanawad and even in small towns located at 50 km distance from Indore are also fully booked.

Mukesh Arora of Shreemaya Hotel said, "There are no rooms available in our hotel and the occupancy level has reached 100 per cent for April 13,14 and 15. We have received bookings from across the country."

Usually, hotel's occupancy level is about 70 per cent with majority of the clients being business travellers, he added.

Even the mid-level hotels have hiked their rates owing to the cricket rush.

Some are even planning churning out dishes named "silly points", "caught behind" and "bouncer" to make the visitors feel at home. Shreemaya has launched an eight-day Grand Cricket Festival.