Tell us about your Journey. How did it all Start?

 The first step was with “Jaypee Hotels “as a Kitchen Management Trainee which included a 2 years of rigorous training(s) across group hotels understanding Culinary operations and sharpening the cooking skills around 25 years ago. Eventually rose through the ranks and managed the Kitchen operations of properties at Delhi, Mussoorie, and Agra as an Executive Chef. After spending close to 20 years with Jaypee Hotels opportunity came for me to Join Hilton Hotels in Bangalore at Double Tree Suites by Hilton as an Executive Chef in 2015.

My Enthusiasm to learn more and support from the leadership team gave me an opportunity to move into Hotel operations for the same hotel and I was moved into Room Divisions as a Room Division Manager. The learning of 6 years with Hilton gave me in-depth learning of hotel operations and gave me an opportunity to lead Hotel operations. The Journey has been quite exciting till now as it has given me a chance to understand business nuances as well.

What do you think it takes to succeed in this Industry? 

 Hard work has always been the key but the Passion to meet the guests anticipating their needs and exceeding guest expectations places you in a different league altogether.

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

 Major attributes I look at while selecting someone are a person’s attitude, flexibility, and ability to stay connected with our guests.

What advice would you give to a young, aspiring hotelier for their internship? 

 Patience and an open mind to learn combined with hard work would definitely make them a successful hoteliers.

What is the single factor that got you your promotion? 

 The ability to adapt to the requirement and constant innovation helped me in moving ahead in my career.

What are the some of trends you see impacting the hospitality Industry? 

 Smart hotels, sustainable hotels, and the power of social media are the trends impacting travelers now.

What tech would you like to see in operations? What operational problems need tech solutions? 

 Air-conditioning, heaters, lights, and kitchen equipment with sensors that adjust for environmental changes and guest preferences provide a better quality of experience and higher efficiency.

What is the one tech/app/software feature you would like to see?  This could be for guests, operations, etc.

 In this digitalized world, we have everything at arm’s length. It has become so much easier to book a room or reserve a table & we have access to everything we think of. This pandemic has made each of us digital friendly & digital smart. We at Sayaji adopt all new smart means of Communications with our guests on apps. I am sure whatever new app is launched and is appropriate to hospitality, will surely be good for us.

Two things you would like to change in the industry? 

 The industry has evolved a lot but still would like to see the basics of Hospitality be followed across all the facets of business and Employee recognition be given prime importance

What is your favorite question for a candidate interview and why? 

 What value can you add to our organization is my favourite question. This gives me an insight into a candidate’s mind and their ability to deliver in hotel operations.