After receiving several complaints against Hyatt hotel for hefty parking charges, the Standing Committee Chairperson of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) Shikha Rai on Wednesday conducted a surprise inspection and found it to be true as visitors were being charged Rs 200 for parking. She instructed the hotel management to follow instructions regarding mandatory free parking issued by the SDMC.
A senior SDMC official said as per the provision in the Master Plan of Delhi 2021 and the sanctioned plans by the corporation, the area reserved for parking cannot be put to commercial use in any manner.
Rai said it has become mandatory for the managements of the hotels, malls and hospitals to offer free parking in the basements to the visitors in lieu of additional "Floor Area Ratio" (FAR) allowed by the South Corporation.
However, the hotel management stated that Rs 200 is being charged only for the valet service and not for the parking but it was noticed by the Chairperson and the Deputy Commissioner that those who refused to avail valet service were being forced to park their vehicles outside the premises of the hotel, a releases issued by the SDMC stated.
It further said finally after a brief discussions hotel management agreed to provide free parking to the visitors. "They also agreed that the valet charges will only be charged to those who may like to hand over their vehicle to be parked and brought back by the valet staff," it said.
The release further reads that the hotel management also agreed to properly and prominently displays a notice about the charges for the valet service and free parking for all the visitors in the hotel premises.