Bhubaneswar, Oct. 19: Tourists staying in government-run Panthanivas will soon be able to enjoy star hotel facilities at reasonable prices.

In a bid to attract more tourists to the state, the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) has planned to upgrade its 20 hotel units, Panthanivas, to star categories.

The process to upgrade the facilities will begin in a phased manner. Once upgraded, tourists will be able to avail free Wi-Fi facilities, luxury furnishing, laundry on call and other such facilities at the guesthouses. Initially, the most popular Panthanivas units like the ones at Puri and Bhubaneswar will be taken up for upgrade.

"We will send the proposal to the tourism minister after the festive season following which the renovation process will commence. We are sure that the initiative will attract more tourists to the state," said A.K. Satpathy, general manager of OTDC.

The focus of the upgrade will be on room furnishing, digitisation of inventories and providing better facilities to the tourists.

OTDC also plans to obtain International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) certification for its hotel units by March next year.

"The certification would help us increase customer satisfaction, leading to repeat business. That apart, it would also improve business performance and help us better our cost management. It would also help us maintain consistency in our services," he said.

A meeting of the board of directors was held yesterday to promote OTDC as a brand and to attract more tourists at Panthanivas units by upgrading the facilities.

The corporation has also decided to computerise all its operations, expand online booking of accommodation and tour packages and help train its employees to provide better services.

At present, the corporation portal www.visitodisha.org provides online booking facilities at the Panthanivas hotels.

"We have signed a memorandum of understanding with popular travel and tours portal Yatra.com for online reservation of OTDC hotels and tour packages. Besides, OTDC will also tie up with other leading travel portals offering similar facilities for booking," said Satpathy. The corporation has also decided to firm up its investment plan for its souvenir stores and other associated infrastructure.

The 20 Panthanivas hotels are located at tourist spots such as Puri, Bhubaneswar, Keonjhar, Paradip, Sambalpur and Balasore.