Hotel industry deserves representation in the central ministry: Sanjay Sethi

The pandemic has not only invoked major challenges but has lime-lighted already prevalent issues that the industry was facing. The same is true for the hospitality sector. Sanjay Sethi, MD & CEO of Chalet Hotels speaking at the recently held BW HOTELIER Breaking The Pandemic WebBlast – ‘Overcoming Challenges: Hotel Owners’ shared that the industry needs to push for a single hospitality body in the country.

There is an umbrella body with travel, airlines, and hotels clubbed together. However, Sethi argued that the hospitality industry is not getting the visibility that is needed. “We are very fragmented as an industry.The hotel industry is always clubbed and got lost in the whole tourism framework,” he asserted.

Even taking a step ahead, the CEO of Chalet Hotels said that if he was to decide, he would get a Minister of State for the hotels. He argued, “Within the tourism ministry I think hospitality deserves a place - given that the employment we create, the contribution to the state exchequer, we deserve a place in the centre.”

Sanjay Sethi further informed upon various positives that happened for the industry in the last couple of years. “We have had some success, as in the last five years we have had two policy changes in the parking norms in Maharashtra for example, both better for the industry,” he said. Reportedly, they have had FSI (standard floor space index) increase in Mumbai significantly over the last five years. 

Sethi shared, "They have also had some movement on the ease of doing business whether it is excise licenses or other licenses - there is a lot of automation and online processing happening.”

“Right now my focus as a hotel company is to work with state governments to get us some relief on the electricity costs, property tax, excise duty, and finally labour laws. All four of these are state subjects,” he added.