Months of prep and non-stop work: How hotels made room for success

Following months of planning and brainstorming, the hospitality industry pulled out all stops to ensure G20 delegates had a comfortable stay during the summit. Over 2,000 room nights were booked across Delhi’s top hotels for delegations over the weekend, conversations with industry insiders revealed.

People familiar with the matter said the two Taj hotels in the capital, ITC Maurya, The Lalit, Le Meridien, The Leela Palace and The Pullman cornered a big chunk of the G20 room nights, with other hotels such as Shangri-La Eros, The Imperial, and The Claridges also hosting key dignitaries.

The catering at Bharat Mandapam where the summit was held saw the convergence of ITC chefs from across India who worked around the clock to deliver over 100,000 covers at ITPO over the course of three days while also catering to individual preferences.

“India’s most prestigious global event scored many wows on the cuisine front,” said a person familiar with the developments who requested not to be identified. “From formal state dinners to thali lunches to exotic regional tea breaks, the ITC team of over 350 people including celebrated chefs and their staff members used local artisanal ingredients.”
Vijay Bhalla, general manager at The Lalit New Delhi, said hotel’s team, comprising members of LGBTQIA+ communities as well as those with disabilities, extended a special welcome to all delegates through their distinctive Indian sign language.