Guest houses ordered to stop taking reservations

Two of the team members newly appointed by the AVFO to manage Auroville’s guest houses have demanded that all guest house managers hand over their reservations list and immediately cease to take bookings. The reason given is for the “restructuring” of the hospitality sector in Auroville which would see guest houses split into two categories - “high quality” accommodation which would be restructured into a centrally managed “Auroville Hotel Chain”, and “budget accommodation” which would be used to house volunteers and long term guests. As many guest houses rely on last minute reservations, particularly in the summer, preventing them from taking bookings could create immediate financial problems. There has not been any indication on whether financial support will be given to those Aurovilians who may lose their source of income.