Patna, April 29: The number of tourists visiting the state capital has gone up in the past couple of years, but the hospitality sector is yet to match with it.

The few four- and five-star hotel owners are struggling to provide visitors with their desired space. On several occasions, guests return disappointed, not getting the desired room in their choice hotel.

S.P. Sinha, the owner of Maurya Hotel, said a survey conducted by Molin Krugers Private Limited, an American firm with its branch in Mumbai, in early 2009 revealed that there was huge shortage of hotel rooms in the state capital.

“We organised this market survey for expansion of the hotel. The study report stated that 300 rooms are required in the first class (above three-star) category and another 200 rooms in other classes (below three-star) in the state capital,” said Sinha, also the president of Bihar Industries Association.

Chairman of the Patna Centre of Builders’ Association of India Sachin Chandra said the “enormous rise” in transit population in the state capital has led to the high demand for temporary accommodation. “This is where hotels chip in to provide the services. Several companies are setting up their regional or zonal marketing and sales headquarters in Patna. The increase in the number of visitors can be gauged from the number of flights coming to Patna. Besides, a large number of politicians and bureaucrats visit the city from the district headquarters and other towns,” Chandra said.

Experts in the hospitality sector said all big hotels in the state capital have full occupancy round the year. In marriage seasons, the demand for hotel rooms soars. Fortunate few manage to get accommodation in their desired hotels.

“My niece’s marriage was scheduled in November, 2010. I could not book 30 rooms in one hotel or any space inside the hotel for the marriage function. I had approached the hotels three months before the marriage,” Abhay Kumar, a resident of Patliputra, said.

To tap the hotel room shortage and make big bucks, several new projects are in the pipeline.

Hotel Windsor on Exhibition Road with 55 rooms is working on another hotel with 80 rooms on Budh Marg.

“Our new hotel of five-star standard will be spread over an area of 50,000sqft with basement reserved for parking. The first floor would have a banquet hall and 80 world-class rooms would be spread in the next five floors with a swimming pool on the rooftop. The market is booming but still there is a scope of improvement if the tourism in the state capital is given proper boost,” said Narendra Kumar, the director of Hotel Windsor.

The state capital would get another five-star hotel through the initiatives of the state government’s tourism department and its commercial wing, Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC).

Maurya Hotel will construct another building on its premises with 200 rooms having the standard facilities of a five-star deluxe hotel. “The building will come up near the swimming pool area. All the formalities have been completed. The authorities concerned have sanctioned the project design. Only minor financial formalities are remaining. Its construction work will start after monsoon this year and the project would be completed in the next couple of years. I believe if this growth continues, 500 more rooms would be required in the next five years,” Sinha added.