Shillong to have two top star ranking hotels this year

Two five-star hotels with a combined room capacity of 380 rooms will be operationalized soon in Shillong city. The Crowborough hotel managed by Vivanta will be inaugurated in September and the Courtyard hotel, managed by Marriott will be inaugurated by the end of the year" Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma said at the Independence Day speech in Shillong.

Last year, Meghalaya govt had scrapped the previous agreement signed with the HM Cements for the construction of the Marriott hotel and inked a fresh 30-year agreement with Maxim Infrastructure & Real Estate Pvt. Ltd. for completing the project.

The construction began in 2010-2011 and the HM Cements was to have completed it within 27 months since getting the land from the Urban Affairs Department on lease for 30 years under public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

However, the company defaulted on payment of loan. Subsequently, the National Company Law Tribunal took over the project and the Maxim Infrastructure & Real Estate Pvt. Ltd. got the project through a bidding process.

Courtyard by Marriott (also Courtyard Marriott on signage) is a brand of hotels owned by Marriott International. One of Marriott's mid-priced brands, the star hotels are primarily targeted to business travelers, but also accommodate traveling families

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) in 2019 had announced the signing of a Vivanta hotel in Shillong, Meghalaya. This hotel is a management contract with Aura Hotels and Resorts Private Limited.

Sangma spoke of homestays where a major push is being given to developing infrastructure is tourism.

The government has launched ‘Homestay scheme’ to increase accomodation for tourists in convergence with the PMEGP. Under this program, the State government will provide a subsidy of 35%, in addition to the 35% subsidy given by the Government of India under PMEGP.

Sangma says the aim is to build 2,500 such homestays in the next five years. The residents will benefit as they stand to earn up to Rs. 50,000 per month paying an EMI of only Rs. 5,000.

Tourism cooperative societies are being funded like never before to set up accommodation units in new destinations.

"For instance, through the funding provided by the government, the Mawmluh Tourism and Allied Activities Cooperative Society has set up luxury tents at Mawmluh, Sohra. This has created employment opportunities for the 15- 20 locals in the village. Similar initiatives are being taken up in another 25 villages to create employment and generate income in rural areas" he said.

Sangma said Meghalaya is looked upon as the next emerging State. Multilateral donors like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank and organizations like the IKEA foundation and Amazon India are partnering with and investing in the State and its entrepreneurs.

He spoke of other interventions that have been undertaken for the overall development of the primary sector include mission mode projects for lakadong turmeric, piggery, milk, honey, pineapple, jackfruit, mushroom, ginger and spices.

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