The state-owned Kautilya Vihar hotel would sport a refreshing new look in two months.

The Patna-based hotel of the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC) is undergoing renovation to ensure that it gets to host functions, mainly the state-sponsored events.

Tourism minister Sunil Kumar “Pintu” admitted that the government “neglected” the hotel when it came to hosting state-sponsored functions because the venue was “not up to the standard”.

“It is a fact that functions like seminars and conclaves, particularly those which are state events, are not organised at the government-owned hotel because it is not up to the standard. But we want to give the venue a facelift and work has started. In two months, the hotel would be renovated. It would be in a position to hold functions,” the minister told The Telegraph.

He added that recently, one of the rooms of the hotel was renovated.

“One room has been renovated. The rooms are being upgraded to three-star. The renovation of all the rooms would be completed in a month. The hotel, too, would be upgraded. The restaurant of the hotel has been leased out to a private party. They have been asked to upgrade the hotel in a month or else the agreement with them will be scrapped. In two months, the hotel would be ready to host all programmes, particularly the state-sponsored ones,” Pintu added.

Sources said room number 101 has been renovated.

“The old portable television set has been renovated with an LCD. The room has been given a fresh coat of paint. The new curtains and bedsheets have changed the entire look of the room. The washroom, too, has been given a makeover. The door-locking system is being changed to a card-locking device,” an employee with the hotel said.

He said the conference room and the lobby of the hotel would also get a makeover.

A tourism department official said the hotel was in a shambles because of government neglect.

“The hotel belongs to the state government and we want important programmes to be hosted here. At present, even the government prefers private hotels for functions. Ideally, government functions should be organised in state-owned hotel. If the hotel is upgraded to the standard of private hotels it would definitely find takers,” the official said.