Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?

Well coming from a Brahmin family from Kashmir, I was supposed to either become a doctor or an engineer like my other cousin brother and sisters. Hence I  had to choose non-medical during my senior secondary education and took on the task of becoming a future engineer.

However, I wanted to break the monotony of our family profession and pursue a different career that allows me to travel as it was one of my areas of interest. A few of my friends suggested I pursue Hotel Management which was quite a trend during the late 90s, cracked the IHM entrance and got admission at IHMCT&AN Gwalior.

After completing the industrial exposure training from The Intercontinental, New Delhi and passing out from the college in 2001, I was one of the lucky ones to get an opportunity to work for the iconic hotel of the Capital city, “The Imperial” where I continued for the initial 6 years of my career. I was also fortunate to work for luxury hotel/resort brands like Four Seasons Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, Raffles Hotel Singapore, The Leela Palace Kempinski Udaipur, Hyatt Amritsar, Alila Hotel & Residence Bangalore, Holiday Inn and Suites Bengaluru, Evolve Back Kamalapura Palace Hampi and Rosetta Resorts and Holiday Homes Sakleshpur. Currently, I am heading the iconic GreenPark and Marigold Hotel in the historical city of Hyderabad as General Manager for the complex.

Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?

To succeed in the hospitality industry, one needs to showcase resilience, consistency and adaptability to new trends along the way to achieve your personal and professional goals. One should always remember reputation is everything, replacing hard work with smart work, enhancing efficiencies in the work process and saving time is the call of the hour.

Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring?  If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?

While technical knowledge, communication skills and personality carries weightage for a new job, it is equally important to have the right attitude to the role. At the junior level, one should look for the right attitude as skills can be taught at an earlier stage of the career however at a senior level we need to focus on balancing the aspects of skills, knowledge and attitude to find the right fit creating a win-win situation. Apart from these attributes, each member of my team must be flexible to achieve short term objectives by stepping outside their comfort zones, keeping the Company’s vision in mind.

If someone wants to work with me, the person needs to possess the same energy level, commitment and passion.

Editor: What according to you can trainees do while they are training at hotels to make it a win-win for them & the hotel/unit?

A trainee/intern at hotels has their primary points of observations to cover, earmarked by their training institutes that must be adhered to. But for true industrial exposure, it is important to integrate the trainees into all areas of the hotel. For example, a training schedule in Food Production should not be limited to sub-departments of the Kitchen; it is equally important to understand Kitchen Stewarding, to understand the overall Culinary operations in depth by gaining the knowledge of various kinds of equipment used, and how to care for them. Having said that, the trainees are also the ambassadors of the hotel as they represent the hotel in front of the guests, hence it is important to give them a well-rounded exposure, mentored by the Unit Training Managers so that they look forward to joining the ranks seamlessly at the right time.

Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?

The Hospitality industry has a human element, inherent to its core. But under the current COVID – 19 scenario, we have learnt to adapt to new practices; digitized and contactless, so that the guests feel secure in our hands. Today, our guests don’t just focus on the amenities we have to offer, but what Hygiene and Sanitization systems we have in place to assure them of a safe stay. This has been a swift change for all, and though we have proven protocols in place, it will take time for our guests and clients to get accustomed to the new operations. Sustainable lifestyle, wellness Cuisine and clinical cleaning are some of the keywords that we can get to hear and we should be able to embrace this change.

Editor: Tech is now an enabler for great hospitality. Can you share with us some of the tech that goes into creating your guest experience? 

Technology has indeed integrated itself as a catalyst for great hospitality. Conforming to the social distancing norms laid down by the Government, we have discovered ways to reduce direct human contact through various technological platforms.

Tech has always been used in a way that the human connection is not compromised in hotels and tech that we currently use to enhances guest experiences range from light automation, sensor doors and we are not limited till there. In these challenging times tech has been utilised to enhance the safety of teams and guests with visual recognition, contactless check-in touch-free doors, tap and dispensers. QR codes have been used in hotels like never before from instructions, menus, digital payment, use of thermal cameras to identify guests in need of doctors’ consultation, providing guest assistance virtually, wherever possible, providing access to digital newspapers, smart tablets to control nearly all features of the guest room are some more examples to reduce the scope of direct personal interaction. I must say guests are liking the new way of hospitality looking at the safety aspect.

Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.

It is the right time to look ahead and work towards responsible luxury and sustainable hospitality. Even business hotels can incorporate environmentally friendly practices to reduce our carbon footprint in the long run.

Another mindset that I want to change is the functionality of operational departments by introducing the service design concept of multi-skilling rather than specialization in certain areas. Multiskilling is the call of the time and will be the key factor for achieving higher efficiency and profitability.

Editor: What can we expect in the coming year?

This year will be the time of completely restructuring our operations to the norms of COVID-19 protocols, planning ahead of time for future threats of this nature, and reassuring our patrons of the safety standards of the highest order. With the advent of newer and more user-friendly technology, we shall see a resurgence of business in India. I strongly believe that we will never be able to achieve the levels of staffing like we used to have during the pre-covid times, hence “Automation” will be the key to reduce the workload of our limited workforces.

With a change in the philosophy of being a contactless, touch-free and safety consciousness industry are leaping towards resuming operations to drive confidence in the customers. Major touch-points in hotels have been identified and an alternative touchless approach is designed to enable the social distance between the guest and associates. Safety has dual fold now from metal scanners to thermal scanning, physical menus to QR code menus, and this advancement has not taken much for the industry to implement.