Five stars, beware of the royal star perched on Raisina Hill

NEW DELHI: It is arguably the smallest and most exclusive boutique hotel in India. Only, all the guests are invited and everything is on the house. And its first guests in nearly two decades — the King and Queen of Bhutan — have reportedly given it an unequivocal royal salute. So there is reason for President Pranab Mukherjee to allow himself a satisfied smile about his decision to reopen the guest wing of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

State-run hotels usually elicit gripes about décor and facilities to service and efficiency. And Rs 1 crore per room being the rule of thumb for five-star hotel quality, scepticism about budget-constrained sarkari hotels ever matching up is natural. So, the renovation of two suites and 12 rooms in the guest wing without running into a (minor) fiscal deficit should particularly please the former finance minister.

The 25-odd rooms that comprise the wing, including service areas and bathrooms were repaired, restored and refurbished without looking for funds beyond the reported total maintenance budget of Rs 70 crore for the President of India’s residences, including the retreats in Shimla and Hyderabad. That is no mean feat, since the Rashtrapati Bhavan is a ‘heritage’ structure that needed extracareful modernisation.

Apart from the graciousness of the President offering his own home to counterparts from other nations, the guest wing also gives the government a chance to save money, at least for some state visits. Interestingly, the Emperor of Japan (who was in Delhi with his wife in November 2013) and Britain’s Prince Charles have spoken fondly of previous stays there and wanted to stay there again!

A presidential suite and 10 rooms in select five-star hotels in Delhi are paid for by the government of India for the visits of heads of state and their delegations. The visiting VIP’s country negotiates with the hotels for any surplus rooms they require. Even at the special rates fixed for the ministry of external affairs, India shells out an average of Rs 3-5 lakh per day, just for rooms for these VIPs.

With state visits lasting anything from a day to a week, and additional charges for food, drinks, laundry, communication and business facilities, it works out to a tidy out-go for India per visit. Everything in Rashtrapati Bhavan, however, is complementary for guests — as it would be in any aam aadmi’s house. Except, of course, no wine or spirits are on offer. But then this ‘hotel’ is not out to make money!

Though there are no precise numbers available, it is clear that the expense incurred in repairing and renovating the guest wing will be recouped in terms of the savings the government will make on five-star hotel costs. And the question of official buildings ‘earning their keep’ is moot, given that the British Parliament will now rent out rooms in venerable Westminster to raise money for refurbishment.

Besides being thrifty by using inhouse talent, CPWD and its own vast repertoire of furniture, carpets and artworks for this renovation, Rashtrapati Bhavan also now generates about Rs 25 lakh a year for its upkeep as it opens out to more non-VIP visitors than ever before. For a nominal Rs 25, anyone can book online and tour the public rooms in the 340-room building on all weekends, except national holidays. Of course with VIP endorsements of Rashtrapati Bhavan’s guest wing, the Capital’s five-star hotels will have to factor in a new rival! And that too, one with an unbeatable address — Raisina Hill!