By Tuesday evening the downpour which had continued incessantly for the last 24 hours began to flood the roads of Chennai. Instead of heading home, the techies from the nearby IT parks made a beeline for the Hilton Chennai, hoping to wait for the rain to abate and waters to recede. The rain gods did not relent and the wait kept getting longer. Gradually, the lobby, the banquet halls and all other public areas of the hotel were milling with non-resident guests waiting to venture out. That was not to be. Soon the hotel was surrounded by several feet of water. The main arterial road became a waterway for boats to ply. A short stop on the way home became a long wait.
For the staff of Hilton Chennai, it was an unprecedented situation. Those who were stuck in the hotel wanted rooms but the hotel was already at a 100 per cent occupancy. “People just hung around, had coffee and snacks in the coffee shop and waited,” says Sheeju Purushothaman, Executive Director, Empee Hotels, owning company of Hilton Chennai.
Soon news filtered in about the staff quarters being flooded. The staff could not return home. “We set up accommodation for them in the banquet halls. One hall for the men and one for the women.”
The situation was equally grim a few km away at the ITC Grand Chola. Guests who had checked in for just a couple of days realised that they would have to stay much longer. With the airport and railway station closed, there was nowhere to go. Even those employees who had finished their shifts were stuck in the hotel. On Thursday evening, the hotel had approximately 600 employees and 750 guests on its premises.
“Our biggest issue is lack of supplies, especially diesel, since power supply is cut off” says Dipak Haksar, CEO, ITC Hotels. ITC Grand Chola is the largest hotel in Chennai with over 600 rooms, several banquet halls and restaurants spread over a staggering 1.6 million sq ft floor area. Keeping the hotel lighted and air conditioned requires massive gen sets. “We have undertaken zoning whereby parts of the hotel are not being supplied power so that we can conserve diesel,” explains Haksar. The hotel has also closed most of its restaurants and truncated its buffets. “Obviously, we cannot offer the full spread in the buffet. It’s limited items but the guests have been very accommodating,” says Haksar.
ITC too has converted its banquet halls into dormitories for its staff. “Our staff has shown great resilience. They have been working round the clock. Our engineers and maintenance staff are ensuring that water doesn’t come in by creating Bunds,” informs Haksar.
Connectivity and network is another issue being faced by most hotels. As of Friday afternoon, phone lines of both the Hilton Chennai and ITC Grand Chola were down. This reporter was unable to connect to the Taj Coromandel or The Park and in all likelihood their lines are down too.
The Hilton Chennai has forwarded all its mails to the Hilton at Bangalore as it is unable to access them. Family members of guests who have been desperately trying to get in touch with them have been contacting the hotel. The wife of a guest sent a mail to the hotel asking about her husband’s well being.
Fortunately, it hasn’t rained much since Thursday and today most hotels were able to replenish their supplies to an extent. The way the city is right now, staying put in a hotel is the best bet.
