Hotel searches jump 6x, airfares rise 34% as India AI Summit draws global delegates
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Hotel room tariffs and airfares to New Delhi have surged sharply ahead of the India AI Summit scheduled from February 16–20, 2026, with some five-star suites reportedly priced as high as ₹20 lakh per night during the event window.
Travel platforms and hotel operators say demand has spiked weeks in advance, driven by corporate delegations, global technology leaders and policymakers expected to attend the summit.
Aloke Bajpai, group CEO, ixigo, said the platform has seen a “6x month-on-month jump in hotel searches for New Delhi,” reflecting how large international events are shaping travel plans early.
Air travel trends mirror the spike in accommodation demand. Manjari Singhal, chief growth and business officer at Cleartrip, said bookings to Delhi during the summit period have risen by about 34% domestically. “Cleartrip’s Price Trends feature reveals that airfares for these dates are generally higher compared to the same time last year. Notably, nearly 30% of return journeys were booked for the same day as arrival, indicating a strong preference for short, purpose-driven trips among summit attendees,” she said.
Hotels cash in as occupancies climb
In the Delhi NCR region, hotels report sharp increases in both occupancy and average daily rates (ADR). Nikhil Sharma, managing director & COO, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, said there has been “a clear uptick in demand” across key micro-markets such as Gurugram and Greater Noida, particularly around February 19–20.
“At Radisson Hotel Gurugram Udyog Vihar, our data indicates a strong year-on-year increase in average room rates during the Summit week, with ADRs rising by approximately 57% during Feb 16–22, 2026,” Sharma added.
driven by strong corporate demand from global leaders and delegates attending the summit, Bajpai said, several leading five-star hotels in Central Delhi are already sold out for February 16–20. “And where inventory is still available, per-night room rates range between ₹70,000 and ₹1 lakh,” he added.
At Radisson Blu Hotel Greater Noida, February 16 recorded 97% occupancy compared to 88% last year, while ADR levels increased by nearly 81% year-on-year. February 17 saw ADRs rise by about 50% compared to the same period last year. “Large-scale events like the India AI Impact Summit continue to strengthen Delhi NCR’s position as a key hub for business and innovation, driving higher demand, stronger occupancies, and an upward shift in room rates,” he added.
The steep hikes, however, have triggered consumer backlash. A nationwide survey by LocalCircles, which received over 34,000 responses from 307 districts, found that 71% of consumers favour implementing a price ceiling on hotel room rates during such events. Of these, 49% said tariffs should not exceed twice the standard rack rate, while 11% suggested capping rates at five times the minimum rate charged.
Further, 74% of respondents said the government should establish a formal mechanism to address complaints related to profiteering.
With Delhi positioning itself as a global hub for high-profile summits, the debate now centres on whether dynamic pricing reflects market forces or crosses into excess at the cost of consumers.