The ITC Maurya, the hotel of choice for POTUSes and other heads of state when they’re in the Capital, has been catering to a different sort of visitors these days. Anil Chadha, Chief Operating Officer, ITC Hotels, says, “ITC Maurya and Sheraton in New Delhi have been providing over 1,500 meals daily for distribution to migrant workers. Leveraging its rich expertise in food and hospitality services, ITC Hotels is providing extensive support to both central and state governments across different cities during this pandemic. The key initiative has been food distribution across cities based on the requirements of the local administration as well as hospitals.”
Indeed, as India, along with the rest of the world grapples with the pandemic, luxury hotels – usually a bastion for the rich and the powerful – are pitching in to help; from feeding essential workers as well as migrants, who have lost their daily wages, to providing rooms for healthcare professionals who are unable to go home due to fears of the virus they’re fighting to contain being spread to their loved ones.
The Lalit in New Delhi opened its doors for doctors who are working for Lok Nayak Hospital and GB Pant Hospital, following closely on the heels of the Taj group of hotels. Magnate Ratan Tata, who made a donation of `500 crore towards relief efforts, had organised accommodation at the Taj Hotel, Colaba and Taj Lands End, Bandra, for doctors and nurses working in BMC Hospitals. Lalit hotels across India have been distributing rations to members of the transgender community, who are often not supported by welfare programmes.
Not to be left out is the Park group of hotels, with Vijay Dewan, Managing Director, saying, “Amidst this global pandemic and the current lockdown, the senior citizens and the underprivileged are suffering the most due to lack of food supplies and essential items. We have launched a neighbourhood service initiative, across our hotels, wherein anybody, especially the senior citizens can call us for any help, be it groceries, medicines or food. The team will respond to the request immediately taking all safety precautions. We are also providing free food every day to the underprivileged and community warriors.”
Of course, since this is India, where athithi devo bhava (the guest is god), as the saying goes, this largesse was not confined to only Indians. Hotels have served as silos to place asymptomatic international travellers. They worked with local and state authorities as well as embassies and consulates, to get foreign tourists home, and support those who remained stranded. Chadha concludes, “In alignment with ITC’s credo of ‘Nation First’, ITC Hotels remains fully committed to serving national priorities during this unprecedented situation.”