Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Need 22,000 More Hotel Rooms for 2030 CWG

Quick Summary 

• A CEPT University study says Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar need about 22,000 more hotel rooms for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2029 World Police and Fire Games. 

• The twin cities have close to 18,000 hotel keys today. The study puts total demand at around 40,000 keys. 

• The room gap is worst in MICE venues (90%), airport hospitality (70%), luxury hotels (65%), and budget hotels (60%). 

• Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar together have 3,694 keys in 22 five-star hotels, 1,557 keys in 24 four-star hotels, 790 keys in 18 resorts, and 620 keys in 16 boutique hotels. 

• Current occupancy at 4-star, 5-star, and boutique hotels already runs at 60% to 68%. 

• The study proposes a REIT model for sports hospitality, plus TDR-plus and public-private partnerships to add rooms fast. 

• A separate, still-draft Gujarat tourism policy is reportedly targeting 300+ new hotels statewide, tied to an estimated 60,000-room requirement for Ahmedabad's Games-time demand. 

Ahmedabad is set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. A new academic study says the city, along with Gandhinagar, is short of hotel rooms by a wide margin. If you own property here, or you're watching the hospitality and commercial real estate market before the Games, here's what the numbers actually say. 

What the CEPT Study Found 

The study is titled "Enabling Hospitality, Tourism, and Mobility Infrastructure for CWG in Ahmedabad." It was prepared by Harsh Shah, a student in CEPT University's Master's in Urban Housing programme, under faculty guidance from Sejal Patel and Amruta Patel, with support from teaching assistant Vidhi Mehta. 

The study maps every hotel room in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar today and compares that to what a Games-sized city needs. According to The Times of India's report on the study, the twin cities have close to 18,000 hotel keys against an estimated need of 40,000. That leaves a shortfall of roughly 22,000 rooms. 

The researchers focused on the premium segment, where room rates run at ₹5,000 a night or higher. That's the price band most Games visitors, officials, and media are expected to book in. 

Where the Room Gap Is Biggest 

Not every hotel category is short by the same amount. The study breaks the gap down by segment: 

• MICE venues (meetings, conferences, exhibitions): 90% gap. This is the widest shortfall of all. 

• Airport hospitality: 70% gap. Rooms near the airport are in short supply relative to expected demand. 

• Luxury hotels: 65% gap. Even under conservative estimates. 

• Budget hotels: 60% gap. 

Occupancy at 4-star, 5-star, and boutique hotels already sits between 60% and 68%, even before Games-related demand kicks in. That's a tight starting point for a city about to host a multi-sport event. 

How Many Hotel Rooms Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Actually Have 

Here's the current inventory, according to the study: 

• 3,694 keys across 22 five-star hotels 

• 1,557 keys across 24 four-star hotels 

• 790 keys across 18 resorts 

• 620 keys across 16 boutique hotels 

• 141 properties listed on Airbnb 

• The rest of the supply sits in three-star and lower categories 

This is the base the city has to build on in the next few years, ahead of the 2030 Games. 

Read more: Ahmedabad's ₹3,636 Crore Infrastructure Plan Ahead of 2030 CWG 

How the City Plans to Close the Gap 

CEPT University dean Sejal Patel pointed to two past examples while presenting the study. Barcelona grew its hotel capacity by about 300% in five years for the 1992 Olympics.  

Doha added roughly 70,000 beds in four years for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, through a public-private partnership model. Patel's point: new capacity has to be planned so it stays useful after the Games end too, not just during them. 

The study proposes a few specific tools for Ahmedabad: 

• A sports hospitality REIT. Researcher Harsh Shah proposed a real estate investment trust modelled on Singapore's hospitality trusts, with a dedicated SEBI-created category to pull in institutional money over five years. 

• TDR-plus mechanisms in selected zones, which would let developers use transferable development rights to build more hotel capacity. 

• Public-private partnerships to fund and build the hospitality infrastructure needed before 2030. 

Separately, Gujarat's government has been working on a new hotel and tourism policy, expected to be finalised by early 2026. Reports on the draft policy point to subsidies, tax rebates, extra Floor Space Index (FSI) at no extra cost, and single-window clearances for hotel projects.  

Reports on the scale involved differ slightly. Some put the requirement at over 60,000 rooms for Ahmedabad's Games-time demand alone, with at least 300 new hotels needed across Gujarat to reach that number.  

Others describe the policy's incentive framework as covering the whole state, extending to destinations like Somnath, Dwarka, and Gir, not just Ahmedabad. Either way, it's a much bigger figure than the CEPT study's 22,000-room gap, since it factors in wider event-linked tourism, not just confirmed Games venues. 

Read more: Credai Gujarat Seeks GST Clarity on FSI Purchases 

What This Means for Ahmedabad Real Estate 

A 22,000-room shortfall doesn't get fixed by hotels alone. It usually pulls commercial and mixed-use real estate along with it, since land near the airport, the stadium, and GIFT City becomes a target for new hospitality projects. 

If you own commercial land or a plot near the airport, SG Highway, or the stadium corridor: 

• Hotel and MICE developers will be scouting this kind of land over the next few years. Extra FSI incentives under the draft state policy could make redevelopment more attractive here than in areas without incentives. 

• Land already zoned for commercial or mixed-use will move faster through approvals than land that needs a change of land use first. 

If you're investing in residential or commercial property in Ahmedabad or Gandhinagar: 

• Areas that gain new hotel supply usually see a rise in local retail, food service, and short-stay rental demand around them. That can support both rental yield and resale value over time. 

• Don't treat a proposed policy as a confirmed one. Gujarat's tourism policy is still in draft form. Track official notifications before making a decision based on it. 

• Areas already gaining from Games-linked infrastructure, like new roads and river bridges, are worth watching alongside this hotel demand story. Multiple overlapping upgrades in one zone tend to support property values better than a single project. 

Read more: Ahmedabad CWG Prep: Koteshwar-Hansol River Bridge to Link Airport and Stadium 

The Bigger Picture: Ahmedabad's Olympic Ambitions 

Ahmedabad was confirmed as the host of the 2030 Commonwealth Games after the Commonwealth Sport General Assembly ratified India's bid in Glasgow. The city is also hosting the 2029 World Police and Fire Games in the run-up.  

Beyond that, India has already submitted a formal letter of intent to the International Olympic Committee for the 2036 Summer Olympics. Ahmedabad's stadium infrastructure and its Games hosting experience are widely seen as central to that bid. 

That longer horizon is exactly why the CEPT study pushes for hotel capacity that survives past 2030, not temporary stock built only for a two-week event.  

Ready to explore commercial or residential opportunities in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar ahead of the Games? Browse RERA-registered listings on Savitar Realty.