Success in any field, but especially in the hospitality business, is about working with people. No tabulation of dollars and cents can account for one immutable fact: business is a human enterprise; driven and determined by people. This neo-conservative impetus of the current manpower and their judicious placement in the interest of the organization and individual as a whole is an ideal solution to figure out a more accurate mechanism to estimate past, present, and future manpower obligations. The supply and demand therefore should be balanced with the skills and strategies associated with fostering and building better relationships, reaching out to people as a way to make a positive difference. The strategy is to look into the new segments of travelers and need developments. People have started valuing the importance of tourism and do not think it as an elitist activity.

It is a well-known fact that competition for survival and growth in the hospitality industry has been getting tougher. The lower supply of skilled manpower and the attrition (employees leaving and the vacant position not being replaced) are major issues arising in the core areas of the operations in hotels

The hotel industry has had a huge stimulus and identified many hotel schools that would generate educated securitized manpower on the forefront looking up to the bigger picture of the hotel industry for their career options. In accordance with the latest innovations and technology in the field of procedures laid down in hotels, the change expected is an assertive one, but the rate of change is huge. Hotel schools are growing rapidly through the massive expansion in the core areas of specialization and diversification of the mainstream into subsidiaries, the surplus generated is definitely invested back into the hotels in the form of technological upgrading, due to their vast availability of hotel school graduates.

As for the impact on the service sector, there has been a greater demand for an educated and skillful workforce even at the fresher / entrant level. The problem is that usually, the transition from the theory to the practical insight takes a longer period. This means the problem of the transition is partly institutional. Given this huge increase in the manpower supply, the big question for the hotels is the containment/ absorption into the mainstream. From the macro perspective, I think that a change in mindset a different direction is beginning to take place. It is true that a lot of other disciplines are approaching the graduates and creating a newer and broader horizon/ventures. As a result, moving to incorporate as many of the technical qualifiers of the graduates result to be the main ingredient of work as in any successful firm; needs a lot of up-gradation in terms of syllabus, infrastructure, technology, approach and more on the priority list. And as far as the multinationals are concerned, when they will get centrally managed activities right, they can be formidable competitors when the hotel schools are improving to compete in sync with assessing the customers’ needs and designing appropriate products and services through their education system and inline graduates.

But this is where the opportunity comes. The hotel industry wants the hotel schools to identify the key sectors that will be important to make the transition to greater sustainability share of the industry and the shared services are the result of efforts and means (both organizational and risk factor), definitely better service quality for the customer, though difficult to measure. The hotel industry has opened the way to the multinational chains into India, to invest in the hotel industry business looking for opportunities to expand with the technological advances from the western world, though with no set management style to be more service savvy.

Every one of us is involved in one or more ways for blending the work culture, which constitute from the hotel schools. One interesting fact is that, when we are absent from our workplace neither the work stops nor the proceedings in any manner, so what if you being physically and mentally present make a positive difference in the output? In other words, our sole existences at the work front need a virtual knack with a clearer status on the job duties and responsibilities through the actualization of a lawyer of self-conservation - to tide over the difficult, not being pressurized to fight for the betterment, into a virtual self; beyond the verdict of non-recognition, even after all the turmoil, sweat and blood you put in.

THE SMILE CONTINUES

Touchless and distancing adhered

Into hospitality and one thing that never changes is the warmth of the smile. During the initial days of our education into the ocean of hospitality we were taught to always wear a plastic smile24 x 7 and the word ‘always’ at personal best, itself sounded a little artificial. We even didn’t know something like this is natural and acceptable. One couldn’t assess the plight of the hospitality professional personal inhibitions who was wearing that tailored genuine smile. It is synonymous to the armed personnel who lead a all time dedicated, community and selfless regime. Our smile here and their dedication there, builds the solidarity.

Talk about being a customer to any hospitality service and we will experience the smile which is the soul of Indian Hospitality nerves. Through a genuine smile from the heart, we express the acceptance of welcoming and accommodating someone mostly unknown. We express a feeling of ‘may I assist you’. We express the confidence that you are here and everything is going to be just fine. Sit back and be a party to us. We socialize and support one another adapting and adjusting to the change in the current nuclear, joint and bonding of family set up, but the oneness is here to survive.Our acceptance of one’s positive and negative attributes, builds the Vasudeva kutumbam.

The first positive operational obstacle is the omni presence that is said to spread smile even by not being there. We have volume of studies and literature on communication and barriers to communication. One among it is the telephone etiquettes. This is the most casual, running and swift part of any conversation. Don’t have to be there, to be there. You are at your casual best to converse. Did we know the on-listener can actually feel the smile in our first acknowledgement, like the first impression? The Digital smile. One should assess the willingness to listen, help or share communication. You don’t have to record your own conversations but confess that when you spoke to someone and he or she was sounding busy, rude or not hospitable, it spoiled your mood though for a short while. Vice versa is also true. Formally stated, Newton's third law is: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. It is important to respect the person's position, time, necessity and the one thing everyone can do is to keep a smile in your talk because more than the words, the tone and poise of our talk, builds the dialogue.

In the face of the lockdown, we have come across the next situational hurdle in advent of the unprecedented lockdown and to counter the spread of the virus, when the world is shying off from human communication; it is advised to wear face masks whenever engaged in social front. Though a sustainable and health conscious intervention, we need a curtain raiser to showcase our smile across the face mask to our athithi. Now this is interpreting professionalism at its core and unanimously declares we are the best at spreading smiles. The Perceived adept Smile. So the hospitality smile across the pardah is a challenge accepted through to maintain the social physical distancing and still show the world “The Smile Continues”.