Top CEOs of global conglomerates, such as Samsung Electronics Co Chairman Jay Y. Lee and HSBC Holdings Chairman Mark Tucker, along with celebrities like Kim Kardashian, are expected to attend the wedding celebrations in Mumbai on Friday of Anant Ambani, the youngest son of billionaire Mukesh Ambani. The extravagant wedding, which will see 100 chartered flights landing in the city, has already sent hotel room rates soaring.
The impressive guest list also includes the chief executive of Saudi Aramco Amin Nasser, British energy firm BP Plc CEO Murray Auchincloss, and pharmaceutical giant Glaxo Plc CEO Emma Walmsley. The sports world will be represented by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and former American professional boxer Mike Tyson.
Among the politicians, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be rubbing shoulders with former British prime ministers Boris Johnson and Tony Blair and former United States Secretary of State John Kerry. Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, and M K Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, are also attending the event.
Almost all top stars of Bollywood are expected to attend the event that will conclude on Monday. Top CEOs of India Inc and bankers are also expected to attend the four-day-long event.
But the event at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) has sent hotel room rents soaring in the vicinity. “While the room tariffs are usually higher by 8-10 per cent in the BKC area, we have not witnessed any additional price hikes as of now. However, the rates might go up as the wedding inches closer,” said a spokesperson from travel platform Yatra Online.
According to data sourced from the platform, the average tariff for the last one week at Trident, BKC was Rs 13,710. The 436-key property, however, is currently sold out until July 14. Meanwhile, the average tariff at Taj Santacruz has risen to Rs 30,750 this week from Rs 19,765 a week ago. Similarly, tariffs at Hyatt have zoomed to Rs 16,150 this week from Rs 11,682 a week ago.
The event will also see several planes ferrying passengers from all over the world. Rajan Mehra, chief executive of Club One Air, said the Ambanis have hired three of his company’s Falcon-2000 jets to ferry wedding guests and expects 100-plus private planes to be used for the events. “The guests are coming from all over and each aircraft will make multiple trips across the country,” Mehta told Reuters.
A Reliance Industries spokesperson did not respond to an email seeking comment on the guest list.
“The wide spectrum and walks of life of the guests indicate the Ambani family’s focused efforts to nurture deep, inclusive, and meaningful relationships,” said a CEO, asking not to be quoted.
The Indian wedding market, estimated at $130 billion in size by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), is nearly twice that of the US. The Ambani wedding has already given a fillip to a host of suppliers in the travel, hotels, catering, and restaurant segments. Many restaurants in the BKC are on standby to prepare additional food for the guests.
The event, however, has led to outrage on social media due to traffic snarls expected in the area as the Mumbai police shut down a few roads in the BKC, citing a “public event.” Some of the offices have even asked their employees to work from home to avoid the traffic congestion in the area.
