A City at Full Capacity
Delhi's luxury hotels are almost entirely sold out ahead of the summit, with over 3,000 rooms booked for foreign delegations, officials, and business representatives. Prominent hotels like the Taj Palace, The Oberoi, and The Leela Palace reported being
fully booked or having extremely limited availability for the summit dates. This demand isn't just limited to central Delhi; properties in Aerocity, Gurugram, and Noida are also seeing a significant uptick in bookings. The influx of visitors for the 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit at Bharat Mandapam has created a severe room crunch, pushing the city's premium hotel inventory to its absolute limit. This surge is a major economic driver for the hospitality industry, creating what one industry leader called a period of 'stronger momentum'.
Unprecedented Room Rates
The massive demand has led to a dramatic spike in room prices. Tariffs at several top-tier hotels have crossed ₹2 lakh per night. For instance, a room at the ITC Maurya was listed for as high as ₹2.5 lakh, excluding taxes, while The Leela Palace quoted rates over ₹2.11 lakh for the summit period. Even rooms that typically cost around ₹18,000 are now being quoted at ₹80,000 or more. According to the Radisson Hotel Group, average room rates across their portfolio are pacing more than 25% higher year-on-year for September, driven significantly by the summit. This price surge reflects the intense competition for the few available rooms, impacting not just official delegations but all travellers trying to book a stay in the capital.
Hotels Under Security Lockdown
With high-profile world leaders like Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping attending, designated hotels have been transformed into fortresses. An elaborate, multi-layered security grid is in place, involving thousands of police personnel, paramilitary forces, and NSG commandos. Hotels housing heads of state are under the direct command of senior police officers. Security measures include anti-drone systems, AI-powered surveillance cameras with posture-detection software, and snipers positioned at strategic locations. Hotel staff have undergone extensive background checks, and their movement is restricted with specially programmed keycards. These protocols, drawing on experience from the G20 Summit, are designed to create secure, independent zones for each delegation.
A Showcase of Indian Hospitality
Beyond the security and logistics, hotels are using the summit as an opportunity to showcase Indian culture. Many are preparing specially curated menus for the visiting delegations. The Leela Palace, for example, is focusing on Indian cuisine, highlighting traditional grains like millet, jowar, and barley, while also accommodating the specific dietary preferences of the guests. This focus on hospitality is a point of pride, with hotel management seeing it as a chance to provide a memorable experience that reflects Indian warmth and tradition. For the hotel industry, the event is not just a source of revenue but also a platform to enhance Delhi's reputation as a world-class destination for major international events.
