BENGALURU: One of the most sought after hotels in the heart of the city — the Kumara Krupa Guest House — will soon throw its doors open for tourists again. But the fear of Covid-19 looms large and the management is worried.
Kumara Krupa Guest House, on Kumara Krupa Road, which was opened for tourists last year at affordable rates, was taken over by the government when the novel coronavirus struck. The government converted part of it into a Covid Care Centre (CCC). It is another matter that no patient has ever stayed at the centre. In other words, all the CCC rooms have remained empty.
Of the 180 rooms in the seven-floor building located behind the heritage building, 100 were kept aside for CCC and the remaining were used to house legislators and officials. During this time, even officials were reluctant to stay there. The management of the guest house is rather worried after assessing the ground reality and learning that most hotels are nearly dry with no tourists.
“Of the remaining 80 rooms, we opened only 30% as an additional security measure. Some officials were housed, but they were also apprehensive. Even though all protocols were followed, they were scared. Now we are worried that there will be fear even when the property is completely opened for tourists again,” an official said.
Karnataka State Tourism and Development Corporation’s (KSTDC) takes care of Kumara Krupa Guest House and others including Bagamanagadala Guest House in Madikeri and hotels in Chitradurga and Yegachi in Belur. While the properties in Bagamanadala and Belur have been handed back to the KSTDC, the Madikeri and Chitradurga hotels are still being used to house medical staffers and officials in quarantine.
“Citizens need not fear as all properties are well sanitised. It is not at the hotels where people will contract the virus, the risk is more during the journey. All rooms are well sanitised, all the items of bed linen are hygienically cleaned,” KSTDC Managing Director Kumar Pushkar told TNSE.
He said that they were waiting for government orders to take back the rooms and hotels which were converted into CCCs. The department will take at least one month before opening them back for people, especially in the case of Kumara Krupa Guest House, where many VIPs visit and special attention needs to be paid, he added.