Hotels, restaurants, fast food chains, and pubs in Kolkata, are smilling their way to the bank, thanks to the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) which has managed to boost revenues for the sectors.
So far, the spirit of the game has managed to increase the sales of pubs and restaurants by 20 – 25 per cent, and the final phase is expected to see sales rise to about 35 per cent.
On days when the Kolkata Knight Riders take the field in Eden Gardens, leading pubs in the city are charging a premium and the rates are in the range of Rs 1,000-2,000 per person.
A few of the city pubs are even offering 15 per cent discount to consumers who correctly predict the winning team for the day.
Likewise, restaurants and fast food chains in the city like Pizza Hut, Don Giovanni’s and Dominos, are expecting a sales rise of 30 per cent this season.
According to a spokesperson of Pizza Hut, events like cricket and football are a celebration time in India and on such occasion families and friends get together. As a result, the consumption of junk food, including pizzas and burgers, goes up.
Delivery services for Pizza Hut and Dominos make up for 40 per cent of the overall business currently.
“Last year during the Twenty 20 World Cup, our sales went up by 25 per cent. But this time, it has gone up by around 30 per cent. By the time IPL season ends, we should have done an incremental business of close to 40 per cent,” said the store manager of Pizza Hut in Kolkata’s Camac Street.
Hotels like The Park and ITC Sonar are running full, which have seen an incremental business of close to 5-10 per cent during April-May this year, typically considered the lean season in hotels.
The tariffs range from Rs 8,000 for a room per night to Rs 80,000 for the Presidential suite.
According to a spokesperson of The Park in Kolkata, “Occupancy level has gone up this season and about 80 per cent of the the hotel is occupied currently.”
ITC Sonar is currently running full occupancy, compared to 85 per cent occupancy level in April-May 2007.
Even the smaller 3-star hotels in the city have registered an incremental business of close to five per cent as several outstation cricket-fans flock the city when Kolkata Knight Riders play at Eden Gardens.
