Hotel bills to go up in a fortnight if prices soar

VELLORE: Hotels in the State are likely to increase the prices of food items in a fortnight if the prices of tomatoes, tamarind and dal continue to surge, Tamil Nadu Hotel Association president M Venkedasubbu has said.

Speaking to DT Next, Venkedasubbu said, “The rise in tomato price, which is a seasonal occurrence, is much talked about. Only the hotel owners are feeling the pinch over the slow but steady spurt in the prices of dal and tamarind.”

“The price of toor dal/split gram lentil (thuvaram paruppu) has increased by Rs 39 per kilo with a kilo today.” The tomato price rise was anticipated as it is a seasonal occurrence, but toor dal price hike could be due to the central government operating cold storage units in many areas which allow farmers to stock dal and later use it when there is a demand in the market. This could create an artificial scarcity, but the Centre has passed a circular announcing the likely import of toor dal to contain prices.”

Though prices may come down, they rarely come down to the level they were before the increase, Venkedasubbu said. Asked if he would ask members to hike rates, he said, “Members will do so based on their individual capacity to absorb the present surge in prices. Good hotels will be forced to hike to maintain their standards.”

“Tomato chutney is the only dish that can be avoided due to the hike in tomato price. Tamarind can substitute for tomatoes only to an extent. This also may not be an option as tamarind now costs Rs 160 per kilo,” said KS Udayashankar, a hotel operator in Arcot in the neighbouring Ranipet district.