Oberoi Group to run Wildflower Hall for 3 more months

Shimla, Apr 1 (PTI) The Oberoi Group will manage the Wildflower Hall hotel for the three more months under a new agreement with the Himachal Pradesh government, as the deadline for returning the luxury hotel expired on March 31.

The two-decade long legal battle between EIH and the state government over Wildflower Hall hotel, a five star property, had ended with the Supreme Court upholding the order of Himachal Pradesh High Court and directing East India Hotels (EIH) to vacate and hand over the possession of the hotel to the state government by March 2025.

However, an agreement has been reached between the Oberoi Group and the Himachal Pradesh government, under which the Oberoi Group will manage the hotel for three more months.

A consultant to draft the bidding documents for leasing the property has been appointed, officials said on Tuesday.

The court has been informed about the agreement as per which the Oberoi Group would operate the hotel for the next three months. Extension has been given to avoid revenue losses until the property is leased out, a source said.

A single bench of Himachal High Court consisting of Satyen Vaidya had passed orders on November 17, 2023, permitting the government to take over the property and the state government immediately took control of the hotel.

However, the high court later stayed its order after EIH filed an appeal and directed the government not to interfere in the day to day function of the hotel. The EIH filed a review petition against the order which was rejected by the High Court on January 5, 2024 with directions to vacate the property within two months.

The Supreme Court in February 2024 upheld the judgment of the High Court and asked the EIH to surrender the possession to the government within a year by March 2025. PTI BPL DRR

Source: PTI