World Cup 2023: Ahmedabad hotels' tariff skyrocket ahead of upcoming showpiece event

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the schedule of the ODI World Cup 2023 on Tuesday. Last edition's finalists England and New Zealand will lock horns in the tournament opener on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

This will be the first 50-over World Cup that will be exclusively held in India. The excitement is in the air as the cricket-crazy Indian fans are hoping that their team will be able to overcome their seemingly never-ending jinx in ICC knockouts. Teams like Australia and England, who have decent support whenever they tour India, are also amongst the favourites to win the 10-nation tournament.

Notably, the hotels in Ahmedabad have been doing great business as of late. The largest cricket stadium in the world - Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad, will host some of the biggest matches in the tournament. After playing host to England and New Zealand in the tournament opener, Ahmedabad will witness arch-rivals India and Pakistan lock horns on October 15. Another big-ticket clash will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium when Ashes rivals, Australia and England, face each other on November 4. The finals of the tournament will also be held at this venue. Therefore, it does not come as a huge surprise that hotels in Ahmedabad are hitting it out of the park.

About 80% [rooms] for the match days are sold: Punit Baijal, general manager, Hyatt Regency Ahmedabad

There are still 99 days for the first ball to be bowled in the tournament, and industry sources are already claiming that base category rooms at five-star hotels are going at Rs 50,000 per night. These rooms would otherwise charge Rs 6,500-10,500.

"There is also great traction for the match between India and Pakistan, likely on October 15. Bookings have already been made for the October 13-16 period and hotel rooms in the city are expected to be sold out on most match days," Keenan McKenzie, general manager, ITC Narmada, was quoted as saying by TOI.

Not only Indian fans but international cricket groups, fans, as well as sponsors are also in conversation with the hotel authorities in the hope of getting rooms during the showpiece event. Most of the five-star hotels in the city have 60-90% of their rooms booked for the match days.

"About 80% [rooms] for the match days are sold. For the opening ceremony, and the first match between England and New Zealand, bookings have already been made by travel agencies from England and major corporations," said Punit Baijal, general manager, Hyatt Regency Ahmedabad.

As per industry sources, base category rooms are being booked at around Rs 52,000, while premium category rooms are going for Rs 1 lakh and above.

"We are already sold out for two of our properties on October 14-16. At least 40-60% of our inventory is booked on most match dates and we're anticipating a few more sold-out days," said Atul Buddhraja, vice-president (operations) of the Sankalp Group that is in charge of running Taj Group properties.