The current lockdown and slowdown in business across the globe even are unprecedented.

I doubt any of us in leadership roles currently would be able to call upon similar experience to ascertain the best way to deal with this situation.

As we are all doing our bit in the learning curve, I thought of sharing a few activities we are keeping ourselves busy with, after taking necessary steps to cut overheads including planned leaves, floor shutdowns, section closures etc. With the numbers down to skeletal staff and only a handful of guests in the house, if at all, my team decided to use this opportunity productively.

Sharing some insights:

1. Cleaning and Maintenance: Divided into small, cross-functional groups, we dedicate a significant time in the day to clean specific areas of the hotel looking out for repair or maintenance issues. This helps to keep the rooms and public areas of the hotel in good condition even while not in regular use. One team addresses Heart of the House areas like walk-ins, lockers and stores to undertake deep cleaning and reorganisation.

2. Tending to our Chef’s Kitchen Garden. Plucking the fresh vegetables helps the kitchen too! Involving some interested guests in this activity adds to the fun.

3. Reading and online Training: Most of our Team members on shift have an exhaustive reading list. With the supply of newspaper disrupted, we spend a couple of hours reading and taking some interesting courses from the online Hilton University - sharpening the saw!

4. Cooking: we take turns to lend a hand in the only operating kitchen to ensure the team members dining at Adda, our Team Members’ restaurant get a varied taste. The other day our Chief Engineer cooked some home-style biryani for all of us! A rare treat!!

5. Exercise: we take out a few minutes to exercise within the confines of our office or within the hotel compound to ensure we remain physically agile.

I am sure with time, hotel teams will come up with innovative ways to keep in step with team engagement and maintenance of the property.

Aditya Shamsher Malla

General Manager

DoubleTree by Hilton

Pune Chinchwad