No Additional Charge To Watch TV In Hotels & Restaurants
Mumbai: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) through a
circular has ruled against differential cable TV rates levied at hotels and
restaurants. Declaring it should be at
par with domestic charges, it maintained that additional cost of watching TV
would be applicable only if charged separately or if charges are being levied
for entry. The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) along
with the apex body Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India
(FHRAI) had been agitating for regulated tariff for Hotel Industry since 2004
and had submitted its detailed comments to the consultation paper. The HRAWI
has welcomed the decision which has averted an approximate 15-20 per cent
increase in room tariffs and restaurant bills.
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| Bharat Malkani, President, HRAWI |
“We had been contesting against
differential tariffs for over a decade and our efforts have paid off. It has
been declared a necessity for the benefit of customers and not a luxury,” says Mr.
Bharat Malkani, President, HRAWI. “The channels and broadcasters wanted
commercial establishments to pay additional charges than what was paid by
domestic subscribers. Although in cases where any establishment exploits TV
broadcasting by charging additionally to its patrons, will then be required to
pay at commercial tariffs,” he adds.
The Federation of Hotel and
Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) submitted that in 2006, the Supreme
Court had held that television is a mere amenity in hotel rooms just like fans
and air-conditioners and had submitted its detailed comments to the
consultation paper. It had represented at the Open House Discussion and
submitted to the authority that hotels and restaurants be treated at par with
Domestic subscribers, as TV signal is a part of other amenity provided free of
charge by hotels to their guests.
The FHRAI also stated that channels
do not subsidize ordinary subscribers like it happens in electricity or water
to demand higher tariff for commercial subscribers. “We had argued that members
do not charge separately for watching TV programs in restaurants , it’s a mere
amenity and customers today demand TV sets for information or to watch their
favourite sport while enjoying their drink or food. Besides even the tourism
departments have mandated installing TVs in hotels for a better tourist
experience. Commercial tariff for cable TV would have meant that customers
would have to pay additional by way of higher food or beverage cost,” says Mr. Pradeep
Shetty, Chairman - Legal Matters sub-committee, FHRAI and HRAWI.
About Hotel &
Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI)
The
Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) is a 65 years old Association
of Hotels and Restaurants in Western India. Its members include smaller Hotels
up to 5-Star Deluxe categories. The bulk of its members like any growth economy
are made up of budget hotels. With around 1300 members across Western India,
HRAWI covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and the
Union Territories of Daman, Diu & Silvassa, and is considered to be the
voice of the Hotel Industry. The association is part of the national body of
Federation of the Hotels & Restaurants Associations of India (FHRAI),
located in New Delhi, which was originally founded in Mumbai in 1950 by the
late Mr. J.R.D. Tata.
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