KOCHI: The pandemic has forced everyone to stay indoors and work from home has become the norm in nearly every office, be it government or private. However, being confined to one’s home for days, weeks and months on end with no change of scenery would undoubtedly be stressful.
Considering this, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has come up with a set of packages titled ‘Work from hotel’. “Who doesn’t like a change of scene? And if one is confined to working from a room at home, the need to escape from the feeling of being cooped-up becomes very persistent. So, we came up with packages that provide professionals a workspace in exotic locales in the state,” said Ratheesh Chandran, IRCTC joint general manager (tourism). He said major tourist destinations like Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram, Alleppey, Kumarakom, Cochin, Thekkady, Munnar and Wayanad are on the ‘work from hotel’ packages. For this, IRCTC has tied up with the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) hotels in all these destinations, Ratheesh said.
“Most of the enquiries that we receive are from those employed in the IT sector. Some of the major IT firms in the country have sought rooms for their executives,” he said. The facility needs is high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity and the hotels, which are the top ones in the state, provide it,” said Ratheesh. The package has elicited a lot of interest and IRCTC has received bookings till July. “Besides KTDC, IRCTC has tied up with Abad and a few standalone hotels,” he said.
The package costs Rs 11,575 per person on double occupancy and Rs 20,250 per person on single occupancy for a five-night stay. “The duration of the stay can be extended on a pro-rata basis. The package cost includes accommodation in star category hotels with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Covid protocol will be strictly followed. Customers will get disinfected roomsand complimentary Wi-Fi among others,” he said.