Hotels pad up for cricket fever

NEW DELHI: It is the cricket World Cup, as good as it can get from a distance, perhaps even better if you can book yourself a couch next to Kareena Kapoor.
Of course, like all good things in life, it comes only at a heavy premium.
The hottest sale this season is to the cricket customer, crazed to shell out the moolah, whatever the price, only India has to be the winner.
With tickets booked, lucky draws out, every attempt is being made to ensure that those left behind need not fret, if you can''t get to the carnival, it is being brought to you, as live as it can get.
The seat of such action, as always, are the five-star hotels, where giant flat screens and plenty of spirits are just basic fodder.
The last time such a happening took place was during the world cup soccer, but that was just football, here cricket is king.
Like at the Le Meridien hotel, the cricketing experience begins the moment one enters the lobby that has been redone into a mini-stadium with a pitch at the centre and a large screen.
The decor is cricket-centric, including black boards with schedules and past results. Besides, once the cup is under way, face painters will fan out to paint the Indian colours, posters will be on sale, an exhibition of photographs of previous World Cup matches is being put up.
But, this is just the beginning. At the Grand Hyatt, which has tied up with Fosters'' beer for an unlimited flow as one also hopes the runs by the men in blue, will witness the best of Bollywood invited for special match days, including the mother of all battles, the India-Pakistan encounter on March 1.
"We are in the process of finalising a list that will include Kareena Kapoor, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu who will watch the match with the guests," says a spokesperson of the hotel.
Site promotions and contests, with gifts and rare edition cricket memorabilia being given to the winners on the spot, will keep spirits high during commercial and innings breaks.
At the Imperial, cricket will be even more innovative. Special cricket rooms, screens and bar et al, will be on offer for check-ins with friends, colleagues or someone special to tuck in for a day of only cricket and more.
Mumbai, too, is gearing up. At the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Centre, a World Cup fan club has been hastily formed at Rs 4,400, that entitles you to sit with friends and watch the Cup with unlimited drinks on the house. The club allows entry to 200 members.
The contest prizes here include holidays abroad as well as exclusive memberships and discounts.
The Oberoi''s cricket platter includes screens across all restaurants, complimentary food and beverages as part of contest prizes and celebrity lunches.
The cricket World Cup, in India, it can only get better than the real one.