Nagpur: As the winter session draws near, hotel rooms priced at fifty to seventy thousand rupees a night and Mumbai–Nagpur flights costing four to five times the usual fare have set off alarm across the city. The parallel rise in both stay and travel costs shows that the problem is deeper than the seasonal rush or the wedding traffic.
A key reason behind the spike is the steady shift of senior bureaucrats and ministers from their government guest houses to premium hotels. This trend has grown stronger in recent years. Their teams and close aides also prefer hotel rooms, leaving fewer options for regular visitors. With limited rooms left in the market, hotels push up rates without hesitation.
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04 dec 2025
Sources also reveal that many rooms are booked in the names of aides or unrelated individuals. This creates an impression that hotels are full even when some rooms are still available. The artificial shortage becomes a tool for hotels to raise tariffs several times in a single day. Since hotel pricing is not regulated, properties can increase rates as much as they want.
Travel agents add another layer to the problem. They pre-book large blocks of rooms at normal rates and later sell them at much higher prices. This turns room availability into a profit game. Even mid-range hotels join the surge, making the city unaffordable during the session.
The spike is not limited to hotels. Flights show a similar pattern. The Mumbai–Nagpur fare, normally around five to six thousand rupees, has climbed sharply. Odd-hour flights now cost around twelve thousand. Convenient flights range between fifteen and twenty five thousand. The rise mirrors hotel prices and raises questions on why both sectors jump together every season.
With thousands of visitors, officials, and delegations heading to Nagpur, pressure on the city will only grow. Unless the booking practices and pricing patterns are examined closely, the winter session will continue to remain a period of soaring costs and shrinking choices for ordinary travellers.
– Romesh Arya
