Are they open, or aren’t they? Confusion as to whether Mumbai hotels can accept guests tonight

There’s currently some confusion about when India’s hotels can re-open and take regular paying guests, at least in Mumbai…

Some Mumbai hotels are open tonight, others think they aren’t allowed

As reported in the media, India’s lockdown restrictions begin to ease today, with hotels, malls and barbers allowed to reopen.

But there’s confusion about whether that’s the case in Maharashtra, and even hotels themselves seem unclear about what they are allowed to do.

The Taj Mahal Palace flat out refused to tell us whether they were accepting guests tonight, saying we would have to be transferred to the reservations manager.

One luxury hotel told us that the central government has allowed the states to set their own conditions, and that Maharashtra has not allowed hotels to reopen yet.

Many of Mumbai’s hotels remain totally closed, while others are open for institutional quarantine only. Some, however, are fully open and say they are taking paying guests as of this evening.

Which luxury hotels in Mumbai have reopened already?

Guru spoke to a number of hotels in Mumbai this afternoon by phone, and this is what they told us:

Taj Mahal Palace – Currently open for institutional quarantine, but would not confirm when it would take paying guests.

Four Seasons – The hotel is open for guests as of tonight, but they are only providing room service. No other facilities are functional.

St Regis Mumbai – Open for institutional quarantine, but otherwise closed. The agent thought they might reopen next week.

Trident and Oberoi – Closed, with no reservations until further notice.

ITC Maratha and ITC Grand Central – Currently not operational. Agent had no idea when they might reopen.

Sofitel Mumbai BKC – Open this evening.

Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel & Residences – Rooms are available as of this evening, but can only be booked online. Only one restaurant is open.

Summing up

Things seem a little crazy at Mumbai hotels right now and many of the agents we spoke to seemed hesitant about what to say regarding when they might reopen.

Many of Mumbai’s top luxury hotels remain closed, while others like the Four Seasons and the Sofitel Mumbai BKC are open for regular stays as of tonight.

Some hotels seem to believe they aren’t permitted to open yet.

Have you booked a hotel stay in Mumbai for anytime soon? How is the situation in your city?