Special menus designed, but New Year to be low-key affair for Chennai's star hotels

While hotels have drawn up menus for Christmas Eve dinner, Brunch on the Christmas Day and New Year eve dinner and food for the New Year, they have not started active promotions, officials added.

"Christmas and more so the New Year will be a low-key affair this year owing to coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing has to be maintained," Sunil Tandon, General Manager, Turyaa Chennai, a five-star business hotel told IANS.

According to Tandon, Turyaa has chalked out Christmas Eve dinner (24th) and Brunch on Dec 25 and New Year dinner on Dec 31 and Brunch on Jan 1, 2021.

Normally hotels and restaurants would be aggressively promoting their Christmas and New Year offerings but this time around it is not so owing to uncertainty.

Agreeing with him was Gaurav Ganapathy, Director of Sales at Novotel Chennai Chamiers Road another star hotel part of the French hospitality chain Accor.

"The New Year is going to be a low-key affair this year. We have drawn up our menu for Christmas eve, Christmas Day, New Year eve and for the New Year day," Ganapathy told IANS.

Another official of a five star property not wanting to be quoted said there will be low-key dinner for Christmas and New Year.

Hoteliers are also guessing about the government's move post Dec 25.

"There are rumours that the Tamil Nadu government may impose a night curfew, that is, close the restaurant and bars at 9 p.m," a senior industry official with an international hospitality chain  not wanting to be quoted told IANS.

Meanwhile three of the Taj Hotels - Taj Coromandel, Taj Connemara and Vivanta Chennai, IT Expressway here - are offering special Christmas and New Year menu between Dec 23-Jan 3 under the tag  'A December to Remember'. The orders can be placed the group's Qmin home delivery app.