No room for love

...if you are a lesbian couple in the Capital. While the law may have changed, Delhi hotels are yet to step out of the closet. Ishita Sharma and Vasudha Grover find out

Delhi watched as the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community celebrated the decriminalisation of Article 377, even pitched in when the stepping-out parties were thrown. But a month after the landmark ruling and a lot of brouhaha, it seems saadi Dilli hasn't really had a change of heart.

MiD DAY reporters Ishita Sharma and Vasudha Grover posed as a lesbian couple and went searching for the most basic requirement - a hotel room to spend some cosy time. The response they received ranged from curiosity to embarrassing questions and even ignorance.

Girls only?

We started with the affordable hotels of Karol Bagh. Our first stop was Crown DLX, where the owner refused to rent out a room to 'only girls'. "Agar Delhi mein rehte ho to apne ghar jao (If you have a home in Delhi, go there)," said the bespectacled man, as he showed us the door.

The manager at our next stop, Hotel Arihant, was more accommodating maybe because his hotel seemed to have seen better days. But even he was perplexed about our 'couple' status.

Our final destination at Karol Bagh was Hotel Sunstar, whose owner asked, "Aap dono ladkiyon ko room mein karna kya hai (What will you girls do in a room?)" Embarrassed, we thought it was best to leave.

Five-star no-deals

After touring a few hotels in the Paharganj area and being greeted with the same doubtful response, we decided to approach a more expensive and respectable hotel. We walked into the jazzy Le Meridien property at Connaught Place.

We asked for a room and hinted we needed it for just a couple of hours. The hotel staff was polite and accommodating but wasn't too eager to show us the room. After 30 minutes of waiting and being ignored, we walked out.

Two to tango? (Left to right) The two reporters at Paharganj, at Le Meridien hotel and at the Kalkaji gym

Work out

After failing to find a room, we decided to try our luck at gyms. We approached Fitness Finesse, a unisex stylish wellness lounge at Kalkaji.

Even before we could introduce ourselves as a couple, the man at the counter offered us a 'couple discount' and added we need not come to the gym together. We guessed the moolah was enough to keep him quiet.
The final verdict: if you are a member of the LGBT community and wish to spend some private time with your loved one, don't eye rooms in Delhi hotels.