Exclusive Interview |Girish Jhunjhnuwala, Founder -Executive Chairman, Ovolo Hotels
/“Very important to have a human-centric approach to succeed in the hospitality industry”
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
Hospitality was always a dream of mine, but funnily enough, I stumbled upon it by accident.
My wife was looking for a location for her restaurant and turns out, the whole building was for sale. So I followed my gut and bought the building.
So then began my venture into real estate in 2002, when I turned the building into a serviced apartment.
After the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, I had to pivot my strategy, and so I converted the building into a hotel – which is now our flagship, Ovolo Central!
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
Two of Ovolo’s core values lie in: connecting with our guests emotionally, and the ability to remain nimble and agile. More often than not, those 2 overlap.
We are always looking for more ways to ensure our guests are the most comfortable and feel the most at home with us. Not only does that mean exceptional service, but also curating offers that we know cater to what they would most enjoy. Most of the time, we simply put ourselves in their shoes and think – what would we want?
Being able to ideate these campaigns comes from our care for them, and being able to execute them to their best comes from our ability to remain nimble and agile.
Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?
Be able to prove that they can be nimble, agile, and think quick Genuinely care about the guests that walk through our front door – very important to have a human-centric approach
Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?
Wellness – COVID has driven a renewed interest in the importance of wellness, both physical and mental
This is something we have particularly focused on with our Quarantine Concierge offer in Hong Kong. Being inside 4 walls for an extended period of time is difficult, so we have curated the package to ensure that we are not only offering the resources for our guests to maintain mentally and physically active, but also to have a good balance of nutritious, delicious meals.
Our hotels in Australia have also embraced this, partnering with spas, gyms, and other wellness companies across the country.
ESG – being more respectful of the environment around you; both when it comes to the ecosystem and climate change as well as the community you surround yourself with.
Off of this, green and sustainable dining. With our Plant’d initiative, we have pledged to go fully vegetarian across all Ovolo Hotels. This is a result of our passion for sustainability, as well as our belief that plant-based cuisine can be equally as versatile, flavourful, and nutritious as meat-based dishes.
Editor: Tech is now an enabler for great hospitality. Can you share with us some of the techs that go into creating your guest experience?
Firstly, we have Chromecast installed in all our hotels to provide the most effortless experience for guests wanting to cast any decision on their in-room Smart TV.
Secondly, we are in the middle of developing a dedicated mobile app, for both our Australian and Hong Kong properties, to act as a virtual concierge allowing guests to easily find out more about our facilities, and what’s on, and explore local attractions. This will be particularly useful from a Quarantine perspective for our Hong Kong properties, allowing guests to live chat with the team, order their meal forms, and find the calendar of scheduled activities.
There are also a number of exciting pilots happening with Sonos for in-room surround sound in our Rockstar suites at Woolloomooloo, which will enable voice-activated controls for lighting, curtains & blinds, and under-desk wireless charging stations, to name a few.
Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.
When I first started Ovolo, I was driven by my experiences staying in many hotels while I traveled for work. Generally, I felt hotels were not very friendly.
Many hotels would nickel and dime their guests - $10 per bottle of water, $15 per juice, and the list goes on. You can’t even touch your minibar without triggering a $100 bill.
So that is what I set out to change when I created the company and the brand; that we would be inclusive, friendly, and welcoming to our guests. So the free mini-bar became a signature element of the Ovolo experience.
Grand, luxury hotels were typically cookie-cutter versions of each other. Regardless of your brand, there are always high ceilings, marble floorings, a grand piano in the lobby, and jazz playing in the elevator.
We strived to not follow this cookie-cutter approach; not only are all our hotels different from each other in artistic concept, layout, and theme, but each one has its own story that is influenced by its location, and this story is permeated through the entire building.
Staying with Ovolo should always be a fun experience – from the social hours, where guests and GMs mingle in the lobby every day, to the feet-tapping 80s music playing throughout the lobby and the elevators, guests should always feel relaxed and comfortable.
Luxury is more than just large rooms and a marble bathtub, but is something that resonates with them. That makes them feel a connection. And this is something that I want to be recognized throughout the industry.
Editor: What is your favorite interview question for candidates interviews? And why?
As a fun one, what is your favorite song!
Music is a core part of our ethos and DNA, and we constantly have 80s music playing in our lobbies, offices, and such. So it’s always fun to understand how big of part music plays in our team members’ lives.
