A university assessment maps a steep hospitality shortfall even as the municipal corporation fast-tracks new hotel approvals
A study by CEPT University researchers has found that Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar face a shortfall of around 22,000 hotel rooms ahead of the 2030 Commonwealth Games, according to a report by Asian Hospitality. The twin cities currently have close to 18,000 hotel rooms against an estimated requirement of roughly 40,000 rooms for major events, the outlet reported.
The assessment, titled "Enabling Hospitality, Tourism, and Mobility Infrastructure for CWG in Ahmedabad," was carried out by Harsh Shah, a Master's student in Urban Housing at CEPT University, under the guidance of faculty members Sejal Patel and Amruta Patel, Asian Hospitality reported. The study examined the region's existing hotel inventory and projected needs for both the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2029 World Police and Fire Games, which is also scheduled to be held in the city.
3,694 keys across 22 properties currently, according to the CEPT assessment cited by Asian Hospitality.
1,557 keys across 24 properties make up the next tier of the existing inventory.
790 keys across 18 resorts and 620 keys across 16 boutique hotels, plus 141 properties listed on Airbnb.
Researchers found that even under conservative estimates, the demand-supply gap runs to 65 percent for luxury hotels and 60 percent for budget hotels, Asian Hospitality reported, citing the study. The gap widens further for specialised segments tied directly to a major sporting event.
The study focused on the premium segment, defined as properties with an average daily rate of Rs 5,000 or more, and found that existing five-star and four-star hotels in the twin cities are already running at occupancy levels of 60 to 68 percent, according to the report.
65 percent demand-supply gap under conservative estimates.
60 percent demand-supply gap identified by researchers.
70 percent gap around airport-area accommodation.
90 percent gap in meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions capacity.
Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani said the civic body has been clearing new hospitality projects at pace. "We approved around nine hotels within the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation area in 2025, and their construction is currently in progress," Pani said, in remarks carried by IANS and reported by Social News XYZ and other outlets. Four more hotel approvals followed in 2026, according to the report.
Narendra Somani, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Gujarat, said fresh five-star projects are concentrated along Sindhu Bhavan Road. "Construction has already begun on three hotels near Sindhu Bhavan Road, and plans for two or three additional hotels have been submitted to the municipal corporation for approval," Somani said, per the same IANS report. Somani added that five years is sufficient time for the industry to build up capacity.
Plans reviewed by Business News This Week describe a proposed 16-storey, five-star hotel with 200 to 300 rooms on the western bank of the Sabarmati river, alongside a convention and exhibition centre in the same precinct. In total, five new five-star hotel projects are under way along Sindhu Bhavan Road, with three already under construction, the outlet reported.
The CEPT study's recommendations, also cited by Business News This Week, point to development activity clustering around the Stadium-Motera corridor, the SG Highway-Prahladnagar belt, GIFT City, the second phase of Dholera SIR and the Walled City area. Researchers proposed transfer-of-development-rights incentives in selected zones and public-private partnerships to accelerate new hospitality supply.
Ahead of the 1992 Olympics, Barcelona expanded its hotel capacity by roughly 300 percent over five years, the CEPT study noted, according to Asian Hospitality.
Doha added close to 70,000 beds in four years for the 2022 FIFA World Cup through public-private partnerships, the study found.
With four years left before the 2030 Games, the CEPT researchers and city officials both frame the room gap as manageable rather than alarming, provided approvals and construction keep pace. The 2029 World Police and Fire Games, arriving a year earlier, is expected to serve as an interim stress test for the added hotel capacity coming online along Sindhu Bhavan Road and the Sabarmati riverfront.
Neither the CEPT study nor the officials quoted in the IANS report gave a specific completion timeline for closing the full 22,000-room gap, underlining that hospitality capacity remains one of the less resolved pieces of Ahmedabad's Games preparations compared with venue construction.
A CEPT University study estimates the twin cities of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar need about 40,000 hotel rooms for major events, against a current inventory of roughly 18,000, a gap of around 22,000 rooms.
The assessment was carried out by CEPT University Master's student Harsh Shah under faculty guidance from Sejal Patel and Amruta Patel.
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation approved around nine hotels in 2025 and four more in 2026, according to Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani.
Five new five-star projects are under way along Sindhu Bhavan Road, with three already under construction, according to the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Gujarat.
The CEPT study also factored in demand from the 2029 World Police and Fire Games, which is also scheduled to be hosted in Ahmedabad.