"Couple of days back, I had a meeting at The Ashok (and I wondered why?). As soon as I drove in, a flood of memories came rushing back. As a kid, I remembered my dad taking the family regularly to the Bar-Be-Q in the sprawling lawns. And then one simply lost touch with the grand property for years at an end. The 16.1 acre Ashok built in 1956 and supervised by Jawaharlal Nehru himself is nothing but a relic of socialism now. Imagine the hotel or what passes off as a hotel is slapping in the middle of Lutyens Bungalow Zone and only a hop and jump across from the Pm's residence. It is an anachronism in the 21st century. Since I had time before my meeting, I decided to take a quick dekko at the hotel innards. And believe me it wasn't a pretty sight, a neon sign called ITDC was held up in my face right through the quick gander.
The presiding deity of hospitality in India - Prithvi Raj Singh Oberoi - has told me on several occasions in the past that a hotel has to be like a beautiful bejewelled woman, extremely well coiffured and maintained at all times. There are no off days, guests or no guests - lights have to be on, attentive staff in attendance - at all times. The Ashok was deep in the arms of Morpheus. Look at the sheer scale and size of the Ashok - 550 rooms - 389 premium rooms, 10 deluxe suites, 150 luxury suites and of course one grandiose presidential suite. Between Samrat, Janpath and Ashok, ITDC has inventory totalling 1000 rooms in the area. Most of it is useless anyway, Samrat can't be sold because it over looks the PM's residence.
The Ashok was renovated in 1998 and then again for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, it saw a major overhaul amounting to Rs 146 crore where as many as 250 rooms were upgraded. For financial year 2014-15, the Ashok suffered a net loss of Rs 13 crore and yet we continue with his aberration of the past. My mind switched on rewind and I remembered what a top minister had told me during Atalji's administration - It is a den of vice and fornication and if it is the last thing I do, I will sell this. Mind you, he failed just as others have to reform the Ashok. During Atalji's administration, Arun Shourie managed to divest 18 ITDC properties, some controversially, but the majority smoothly. In May this year, we had the tourism minister talking disinvestment again. He outlined that ITDC hotels in Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Jammu, Guwahati, Ranchi, Pondicherry and Lalitha Mahal palace in Mysore.
We are now in September and still waiting for 'Godot' to fashion the actual sale of these hotels or at least a timeline on when this will see closure. ITDC's is very clear that Ashok will not be sold and it will be thrown yet another lifeline so that new MPs can land there and stay on forever, you know Hotel California by the Eagles - such a lovely place, such a lovely place, plenty of room at the Hotel California, any time of the year, you can find it here... we are programmed to receive, you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. Yes, as we have found to our charging, new MPs say till such time as they get accommodation. This culture of sponging is what has destroyed the very credo of running a hotel, for it is ran like a government mess and hostel.
Of the 16 hotels remaining with ITDC, the aforementioned eight are sick and hence will be privatised, but the Ashok which is emblematic of decay and degradation will stay in the Govt's fold. For FY 2014-15, ITDC made an operating profit of Rs 5.22 crore against an operating loss of rs 18.65 crore year on year. And if you want to believe me, it actually registered a profit before tax of Rs 38.95 crore in FY 2015 vs Rs 11.93 crore in the corresponding period a year earlier.
Good money can't be spent continuously behind bad. This lesson just doesn't to seem to register with the government which needs to get out of business. When we talk of reform, this is what needs to be jumpstarted, send the message to investors that India is ready to do business. Sell the entire rag tag bobtail ITDC properties including the very symbol of putrefaction - The Ashok. The time for talk is long over, the time for intent is here and now. My walkthrough the Ashok the other day is still haunting me for the imposing facade belies the decaying interiors and makes you wonder on what could have been if sometime in the early 2000s, the Ashok had been put under the gavel."
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