We have audited the accompanying standalone financialstatements of Oriental Hotels Limited ("the Company"), whichcomprise the balance sheet as at 31 March 2025, and thestatement of Profit and Loss (including other comprehensiveincome), statement of changes in equity and statement ofcash flows for the year then ended, and notes to the financialstatements, including a summary of material accountingpolicies and other explanatory information (hereinafterreferred to as "standalone financial statements").
In our opinion and to the best of our information and accordingto the explanations given to us, the aforesaid standalone financialstatements give the information required by the CompaniesAct, 2013 ('the Act') in the manner so required and give atrue and fair view in conformity with the Indian AccountingStandards prescribed under section 133 of the Act read withthe Companies (Indian Accounting Standards) Rules, 2015, asamended, ("Ind AS") and other accounting principles generallyaccepted in India, of the state of affairs of the Company as at31 March 2025, its profit and other comprehensive income,changes in equity and its cash flows for the year ended on thatdate.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the Standards onAuditing (SAs) specified under Section 143(10) of the Act.Our responsibilities under those SAs are further described inthe Auditor's Responsibilities for the Audit of the StandaloneFinancial Statements section of our report. We are independentof the Company in accordance with the Code of Ethics issued bythe Institute of Chartered Accountants of India ("ICAI") togetherwith the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit ofthe standalone financial statements under the provisions of theAct and the Rules thereunder, and we have fulfilled our otherethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirementsand the Code of Ethics. We believe that the audit evidenceobtained by us is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basisfor our opinion on the standalone financial statements.
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professionaljudgment, were of most significance in our audit of thestandalone financial statements of the current period. Thesematters were addressed in the context of our audit of thestandalone financial statements as a whole, and in forming ouropinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion onthese matters.
We have determined the matter described below to be the keyaudit matters to be communicated in our report.
Key Audit Matter
Description
Our Response
Capital
Expenditures
Assessing theappropriateness ofaccounting treatmentof expendituresassociated with hotelproperties undergoingrenovation, as outlinedin Note 2, 3 and 4 of theFinancial Statements.
The company has carried out significantrenovation projects across multiple units. Therenovation expenditures incurred during theyear constituted a substantial portion of theadditions to the Property, Plant, and Equipment/ Capital Work in Progress ("CWIP"). Therenovation expenditure included directlyattributable costs such as civil work, electricalinstallations, interior enhancements, furnitureand fittings, as well as project managementand other indirect costs.
Accounting for project capitalization andcapital work in progress involves significantmanagement judgement in determining ifthese costs are eligible for capitalization,estimating the useful life of renovated assetsand in assessing when an asset is available foruse as intended by Management.
In consideration of the materiality ofrenovation expenditures during the year, andthe significant estimates and judgementsinvolved, we have identified this as a Key AuditMatter.
Our audit procedures in relation to renovation
projects / expenditure incurred during the year
were:
• Understanding the management’s and thosecharged with governance (TCWG)'s processfor identification and approval of renovationprojects.
• Testing key controls of the project cycle includingcontrols over cost, budgeting, authorizations,and comparison of cost incurred with budgets.
• Validating costs incurred during the year,on a sample basis, to underlying supportingdocuments including construction contracts,receipt of material / services, supplier/consultant invoices etc., to ensure the existenceand accuracy of the expenditure and theeligibility for capitalization.
• Ensuring costs associated with assets (rooms tobe let out) which became ready to use in the yearcease to be capitalized.
• Reviewing the repairs and maintenance chargefor the year to ensure no capital expenditure hasbeen charged to P&L.
• Assessing the stage of completion of renovationprojects and when the assets will be available foruse as intended by the Management.
• For completed projects, verifying the assetclassification and useful life determination,on a sample basis, to ensure alignment withCapitalization Policy / Accounting Policy of theCompany, and depreciation charges commencingwhen the underlying assets are ready to use.
• Ensuring adequate disclosures in the financialstatements.
The Company's Management and Board of Directors areresponsible for the preparation of the other information. Theother information comprises the information included in theCompany’s annual report / Directors report / the managementreport and business responsibility and sustainability report,but does not include the financial statements and our auditors'report thereon. The Company's annual report / Directorsreport / the management report and business responsibilityand sustainability report are expected to be made available tous after the date of this auditor's report.
Our opinion on the standalone financial statements does notcover the other information and we do not express any form ofassurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the standalone financialstatements, our responsibility is to read the other informationand, in doing so, consider whether the other informationis materially inconsistent with the standalone financialstatements or our knowledge obtained during the audit orotherwise appears to be materially misstated.
If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude thatthere is a material misstatement of this other information, weare required to report that fact.
When we read the other information, if we conclude thatthere is a material misstatement therein, we are required tocommunicate the matter to those charged with governance andtake appropriate actions necessitated by the circumstances andthe applicable laws and regulations.
The Company's Management and Board of Directors areresponsible for the matters stated in Section 134(5) of the Actwith respect to the preparation of these standalone financialstatements that give a true and fair view of the state of affairs,profit and other comprehensive income, changes in equity andcash flows of the Company in accordance with the accountingprinciples generally accepted in India, including the IndianAccounting Standards (Ind AS) specified under Section 133of the Act. This responsibility also includes maintenance of
adequate accounting records in accordance with the provisionsof the Act for safeguarding of the assets of the Company andfor preventing and detecting frauds and other irregularities;selection and application of appropriate accounting policies;making judgments and estimates that are reasonable andprudent; and design, implementation and maintenance ofadequate internal financial controls, that were operatingeffectively for ensuring the accuracy and completeness ofthe accounting records, relevant to the preparation andpresentation of the standalone financial statements that givea true and fair view and are free from material misstatement,whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the standalone financial statements, Managementand Board of Directors are responsible for assessing theCompany's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing,as applicable, matters related to going concern and using thegoing concern basis of accounting unless the Board of Directorseither intends to liquidate the Company or to cease operations,or has no realistic alternative but to do so. Refer Note. 43.
The Board of Directors is also responsible for overseeing theCompany's financial reporting process.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance aboutwhether the standalone financial statements as a whole arefree from material misstatement, whether due to fraud orerror, and to issue an auditors' report that includes our opinion.Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is nota guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with SAswill always detect a material misstatement when it exists.Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are consideredmaterial if, individually or in the aggregate, they couldreasonably be expected to influence the economic decisionsof users taken on the basis of these standalone financialstatements.
As part of an audit in accordance with SAs, we exerciseprofessional judgment and maintain professional skepticismthroughout the audit. We also:
• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of thestandalone financial statements, whether due to fraud orerror, design and perform audit procedures responsive to
those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient andappropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk ofnot detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud ishigher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involvecollusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations,or the override of internal control.
• Obtain an understanding of internal financial controlrelevant to the audit in order to design audit proceduresthat are appropriate in the circumstances. Under section143(3)(i) of the Act, we are also responsible for expressingour opinion on whether the company has adequate internalfinancial controls with reference to the standalone financialstatements in place and the operating effectiveness of suchcontrols.
• Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies usedand the reasonableness of accounting estimates and relateddisclosures made by the Management.
• Conclude on the appropriateness of Management and Boardof Directors use of the going concern basis of accounting and,based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a materialuncertainty exists related to events or conditions that maycast significant doubt on the Company's ability to continueas a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertaintyexists, we are required to draw attention in our auditors'report to the related disclosures in the standalone financialstatements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modifyour opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidenceobtained up to the date of our auditors' report. However,future events or conditions may cause the Company to ceaseto continue as a going concern; and
• Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content ofthestandalone financial statements, including the disclosures,and whether the standalone financial statements representthe underlying transactions and events in a manner thatachieves fair presentation.
We communicate with those charged with governanceregarding, among other matters, the planned scope andtiming of the audit and significant audit findings, includingany significant deficiencies in internal control that we identifyduring our audit.
We also provide those charged with governance with astatement that we have complied with relevant ethicalrequirements regarding independence, and to communicatewith them all relationships and other matters that mayreasonably be thought to bear on our independence, and whereapplicable, related safeguards.
From the matters communicated with those charged withgovernance, we determine those matters that were of mostsignificance in the audit of the standalone financial statementsof the current period and are therefore the key audit matters.We describe these matters in our auditors' report unless lawor regulation precludes public disclosure about the matter
or when, in extremely rare circumstances, we determine thata matter should not be communicated in our report becausethe adverse consequences of doing so would reasonably beexpected to outweigh the public interest benefits of suchcommunication.
1. As required by the Companies (Auditors' Report) Order,
2020 ("the Order"), issued by the Central Government of
India in terms of Section 143 (11) of the Act, we give in
the "Annexure A" a statement on the matters specified in
paragraphs 3 and 4 of the Order, to the extent applicable.
2. As required by Section 143(3) of the Act, we report that:
(a) We have sought and obtained all the information andexplanations which to the best of our knowledge andbelief were necessary for the purposes of our audit.
(b) In our opinion, proper books of account as requiredby law have been kept by the Company so far as itappears from our examination of those books exceptfor the matters stated in the Note 48 to the financialstatements and paragraph (h) (vi) below on reportingunder Rule 11(g) of the Companies (Audit andAuditors) Rules, 2014.
(c) The Standalone Balance Sheet, the StandaloneStatement of Profit and Loss (including othercomprehensive income), the Standalone Statementof Changes in Equity and the Standalone Statement ofCash Flows dealt with by this Report are in agreementwith the books of account.
(d) In our opinion, the aforesaid standalone financialstatements comply with the Indian AccountingStandards (Ind AS) specified under Section 133 of theAct.
(e) On the basis of the written representations receivedfrom the directors as on 31 March 2025 taken onrecord by the Board of Directors, none of the directorsis disqualified as on 31 March 2025 from beingappointed as a director in terms of Section 164 (2) ofthe Act.
(f) The observation relating to the maintenance ofaccounts and other matters connected therewith areas stated in the paragraph 2(b) above on reportingunder Section 143(3)(b) of the Act and paragraph2(h)(vi) below on reporting under Rule 11(g) of theCompanies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014.
(g) With respect to the adequacy of the internal financialcontrols with reference to the standalone financialstatements of the Company and the operatingeffectiveness of such controls, refer to our separateReport in "Annexure B".
(h) With respect to the other matters to be included inthe Auditors' Report in accordance with Rule 11 ofthe Companies (Audit and Auditors) Rules, 2014, inour opinion and to the best of our information andaccording to the explanations given to us:
i. The Company has disclosed the impact of pendinglitigations as at 31 March 2025 on its financialposition in its standalone financial statements- Refer Note 28 to the standalone financialstatements;
ii. The Company did not have any long-term contractsincluding derivative contracts for which therewere any material foreseeable losses.
iii. There has been no delay in transferring amounts,required to be transferred, to the InvestorEducation and Protection Fund by the Companyduring the year ended 31 March 2025;
iv. (a) The management has represented that, to the
best of its knowledge and belief, as disclosedin the notes to the accounts, no funds havebeen advanced or loaned or invested (eitherfrom borrowed funds or share premium or anyother sources or kind of funds) by the companyto or in any other person(s) or entity(ies),including foreign entities ("Intermediaries"),with the understanding, whether recorded inwriting or otherwise, that the Intermediaryshall, whether, directly or indirectly lend orinvest in other persons or entities identifiedin any manner whatsoever by or on behalfof the company ("Ultimate Beneficiaries") orprovide any guarantee, security or the like onbehalf of the Ultimate Beneficiaries
(b) T he management has represented, that,to the best of its knowledge and belief, asdisclosed in the notes to the accounts, nofunds have been received by the companyfrom any person(s) or entity(ies), includingforeign entities ("Funding Parties"), with theunderstanding, whether recorded in writingor otherwise, that the company shall, whether,directly or indirectly, lend or invest in otherpersons or entities identified in any mannerwhatsoever by or on behalf of the FundingParty ("Ultimate Beneficiaries") or provideany guarantee, security or the like on behalf ofthe Ultimate Beneficiaries.
(c) Based on such audit procedures that we haveconsidered reasonable and appropriate inthe circumstances, nothing has come to ournotice that has caused us to believe that therepresentations under sub-clause (a) and (b)contain any material mis-statement.
v. The final dividend paid by the Company duringthe year in respect of the same declared for the
previous year is in accordance with Section 123of the Act to the extent it applies to payment ofdividend.
As stated in note 50 to the standalone financialstatements, the Board of Directors of the Companyhas proposed final dividend for the year whichis subject to the approval of the members at theensuing Annual General Meeting. The dividenddeclared is in accordance with Section 123 ofthe Act to the extent it applies to declaration ofdividend.
vi. Based on our examination which included testchecks, except for the instances mentioned below,the Company has used accounting softwares formaintaining its books of account which, alongwith access management tool, as applicable, havea feature of recording audit trail (edit log) facilityand the same has operated throughout the year forall relevant transactions recorded in the respectivesoftwares:
• In case of revenue software used for maintainingthe books of accounts relating to revenueand trade receivables, given that the accessmanagement tool was implemented from 6September 2024, the details of audit trail (editlog) was not enabled at the database level for theperiod from 1 April 2024 to 5 September 2024.Further, for the periods where audit trail (editlog) facility was enabled and operated for therespective accounting softwares' we did notcome across any instance of the audit trailfeature being tampered with. Additionally,other than the periods where audit trail was notenabled in the prior year, the audit trail has beenpreserved by the Company as per the statutoryrequirements for record retention.
3. With respect to the matter to be included in the Auditors’Report under Section 197(16) of the Act:
I n our opinion and according to the information andexplanations given to us, the remuneration paid / providedby the Company during the current year is in accordancewith the provisions of Section 197 read with Schedule V ofthe Companies Act.
Chartered Accountants
Firm’s Registration No.003990S/S200018
Partner
Membership No. 025973
UDIN : 25025973BMNXCN7354
Place of Signature: Chennai
Date: 25 April 2025