Sudipta Dev – Lucknow
Being the constituency of the Indian prime minister, Varanasi has been in the spotlight for sometime now. The promotion of the Heritage Arc by Uttar Pradesh government, which includes the region of Varanasi, has further led to a lot of optimism among the hospitality sector in the city. “We are very optimistic about Varanasi as both the prime minister of the country and state chief minister have a focus on our city,” said Indu Bhushan Pandey, managing director, Hotel Banaras Haveli, which is a new 20 keys boutique hotel in Assi Ghat.
Agreeing to the view is Ashutosh Pandey, managing director of Hotel Temple on Ganges, who added, “We are hopeful that the tourism initiatives taken by the chief minister of UP, will go a long way in developing the hospitality sector here, including Varanasi. We expect more tourists to come to our ancient city in the near future.”
Hotel Temple on Ganges is a two decades old property in Varanasi. From each of the 18 rooms in the property guests can view the Ganga. The expansive terrace is where the owner makes arrangement for free yoga classes for hotel guests. All the rooms have a balcony. The property is at a walking distance from Banaras Hindu University, Kashi Vishwnath Temple, Dashaswamedh Ghat (main ghat), Manikarnika Ghat (cremation ghat), Monkey Temple and Tulsi Manas Temple.
Guests in Hotel Temple on Ganges and Hotel Banaras Haveli are both inbound as well as domestic tourists. According to Ashutosh Pandey, a lot of interesting developments have taken place in Varanasi lately. “After the prime minister visited Assi Ghat in Varanasi there is a lot of activity. There is aarti in the morning, along with classical music programmes and yoga classes. In the evenings of course the famous aarti happens,” he added.