When he named his establishment in 2015, little didhotelier Baakar Ali know that it would garner so muchattention at a time when the whole country was reeling underthe deadly coronavirus pandemic.
The hotel is located on a highway connecting Gujaratwith Abu Road in neighbouring Rajasthan and passes throughAmirgadh town of Banaskantha.
Although it remains temporarily shut because of theCOVID-19 lockdown, the name of the establishment has stoppedmany passersby on their tracks, causing them to wonder whyanybody would name their hotel after a dreaded pandemic, whichhas brought the world to its knees.
Several awestruck travellers make a stop at thehotel, just to take selfies with its signboard in thebackground.
"People can't believe that a hotel is named after aglobal pandemic, which has killed so many people. Travellersstop here just to take selfies," said Ali, a resident ofSiddhpur town in Patan district.
Ali said he had chosen the name Corona for hishotel, as it meant crown or a bright circular ring.
"In Gujarati, it denotes Tej-chakra or Prabha-Mandal.But now, everyone links the word corona with coronavirus," herues, adding that he may consider changing the name if he seesa drastic drop in customers after the pandemic.
The picture will be clear only after the restrictionsare lifted and hotel opens for business, Ali said.
Till then, the hotelier will have to be happy with thefact that any publicity was good publicity. PJT PDARU ARU