As Mariott debuts at Aerocity, others get ready to launch

JW Marriott has managed to get its clearances including trickiest one from Delhi police

One of the largest hotels in Delhi’s Aerocity, JW Marriott is also the first one to be inaugurated. The neatly covered-up building has shed its protective wrappings. It is to be formally unveiled this week. Unlike many hotels still struggling to cross that final security hurdle, the 500-room JW Marriott has managed to get all its clearances, including the trickiest one from Delhi Police.

Even after the high-powered Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) made provisions for the five to seven hotels facing the runway to shield their windows with shatter-proof and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)-approved glass, the going has not been easy for several other hotels.

For instance, Lemon Tree and Red Fox were given a list of requirements, besides the special glass, as a prerequisite for security clearance. This ranged from scanners and view-cutters to additional cameras at various locations in the hotel building. While it is learnt the hotels have got all the required fixtures in place, Delhi Police is yet to find time for an inspection to give a final go-ahead.

“There is a complete lack of concern from the authorities. All projects including JW Marriott have gone through delays in Aerocity,” said a senior hotel company executive who did not wish to be named.

Other runway-facing hotels include Hyatt Andaz and Dusit D2. While these hotels would have to comply with the requirement of putting a protective film on glass windows and get it approved by the DRDO, the police clearance would be mandatory for all 16 hotels coming up on the 43-acre plot in the Delhi international airport area.

“The good thing is for all the upcoming hotels, there would be a clarity on what exactly needs to be done on the security front to get the clearances in time,” said the senior executive.

Next, Lemon Tree and Red Fox are expected to open by the beginning of December followed by Accor group’s Ibis.

“These are patches of fixes by the government. Aerocity alone cannot make Delhi a hub. Policies have to look beyond capacity addition. We have to remove the bilateral bottlenecks,” said Suraj Nair, senior vice-president (strategy and planning) at Thomas Cook India.

The first of its kind project in India, will add another 5,100 rooms to the existing inventory of over 11,000 branded rooms in Delhi and NCR. The total investment in Aerocity is estimated around Rs 8,000 crore.