All guests will be asked to vacate the main five star hotels in the city between July 26 and August 4 during the period of the SAARC Heads of State Summit, hotel industry officials said.

They said hotels like the Taj, Cinnamon Grand, Trans Asia, Hilton, Continental, Galle Face, etc will be sans guests and closed to the public other than leaders of delegations and participants. “We are not taking any bookings for rooms or functions,” one executive said.

All banquets and functions including weddings have been cancelled during this period. Hotel staff will be screened while their names have been sent to the police for identification. No cars of staff or hotel taxis will be permitted to operate with the only vehicles being SAARC-related ones, the officials said.
Hotel staff reporting to work daily will be bused into the security-tight area from a central pickup point and bused back at the end of the day. Senior staff have been asked to stay inhouse as their vehicles won’t be allowed into the hotel.