Exclusive Interview | Anshu Walia, Dean - Hospitality, Catering & Tourism, JIMS, Rohini
/“This year I complete 20 years as a Dean of Hotel Management. My journey has been a testimony of my resilience, adaptability and love for the hospitality industry.”
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
My journey in the Hospitality Industry has been truly remarkable filled with dedication, challenges and meaningful contribution. It all started in the year 1982 when I joined the Hotel management program at IHM Pusa. Armed with this educational background I became a part of the Hotel Industry as a Captain in the Food & Beverage Service department at Le Meridien Hotel, New Delhi in their pre opening team in the year 1985. This marks the beginning of my voyage into the world of hospitality, from there I went to Meridien Baghdad Iraq as a Guest Relations Executive on a two years contract leaving my one year old son with my parents showcasing willingness to take on new challenges and experiences. I had to return back in seven months due to unrest in Bagdad because of the American invasion of Kuwait. After returning to India, I took up the role of handling sales & marketing for many hotels outside Delhi, like Hotel Harsha, Bangalore; Hotel Hindustan, Ranchi; Jim Corbett Jungle Lodge, to name a few.
In the year 2000, my family faced an acute crisis when my younger sister had a renal failure; I had to give her my kidney. After the transplant surgery, I had to slow down a bit; therefore I mentored many hospitality students sitting at home. In the year 2002, I joined Aptima Air Hostess Academy as a visiting faculty for hospitality. And then in the year 2003, I joined JIMS Rohini and started the Hotel Management Department with the first batch of 5 students after which there was no looking back; this year I complete 20 years as a Dean of Hotel Management running the course successfully with the strength of about 200 students. My journey has been a testimony of my resilience, adaptability and love for the hospitality industry.
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
Succeeding in the hospitality industry requires a combination of skills and attributes required to cater to this vast industry. I feel that a hospitality aspirant have excellence in customer service by making a guest feel welcome and comfortable. This would be possible through strong interpersonal skills, empathy and the ability to anticipate and meet guest requirements. There should be an eye for detail, a meticulous approach is crucial to maintain high standards. A hospitality professional should be creative, have good communication skills and an ability to solve problems and manage time efficiently.
It is important that a hotelier must have leadership qualities and resilience to handle stress positively, he/she must be a keen learner with a business acumen. Last but not the least, ethics and integrity are two essential qualities which a hospitality professional must possess.
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?
Internship is an integral part of the hotel management program; diverse roles are offered to people aspiring to join this industry, most of the students going for internship are not clear about the area in which they would like to pursue their career. Industrial training is the first exposure that a student gets in various core areas, this is where they understand the actual working of that department and get a clear picture of what is required to succeed in that particular area. If the hotels have a proper training program in place and the trainees are handled with patience, it becomes easy for a student to decide their career path. It is advisable for trainees to complete the training properly keeping their eyes and ears open throughout the tenure by observing what all is being done and how are the employees handling the tasks and situations around them.
The trainees will only learn if they do not have inhibitions in performing tasks assigned to them; questions should be asked in case of doubts. Tailoring their skill and qualities according to their chosen path will contribute to success in the hospitality industry.
Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?
The hospitality industry is an ever evolving industry readily adopting new trends. Technology integration, sustainability, Eco friendly practices, wellness and self-care, collaborations and partnerships, crisis management and resilience, inclusivity and diversity are some of the trends that will impact the hotel & tourism industry greatly. During C ovid 19 pandemic, the people centric industry adopted contactless services like digital menus, keyless room entry, mobile payments etc. for the safety of the guests. Latest trends in culinary evolved with the farm-to-table dining experience, dietary options and unique food & beverage practices.
Another new trend introduced after the pandemic was Bleisure travel where people combine business trips with leisure activities.
Editor: Two things you would like to change in the Industry.
Hospitality industry requires a combination of enhancing customer experience, operational efficiency, sustainability and employee wellbeing. The hospitality industry is a customer centric industry where we are constantly looking to make a guest feel comfortable and happy. As this industry works 24 X 7, the work demands long working hours and the employees work under a lot of pressure which in turn affects their efficiency causing high rate of absenteeism and attrition. Therefore it would be nice if these aspects were looked into by regulating the work hours and giving the employees facilities like 5 days working and other alternate scheduling options.
Another change which would go a long way is better remuneration for the staff especially at the entry level, this would help to motivate and retain technically qualified staff who are finding alternate employment opportunities which give them better salaries and perks.
Editor: What do you expect the industry to do to support Academics?
The Industry has been extremely supportive as far as the academics and training are concerned. The experts from the industry help us review our syllabi and teaching content as per the modern trends and demands of the industry. Although most of the hotel have proper training programs for the interns, a little extra exposure would be beneficial for a trainee to comprehend his classroom knowledge into practice. The training programs should be regularly reviewed and updated, the training department should send periodic reports of the trainees to their institutes giving their progress. This would be mutually beneficial in the long run.
