Exclusive Interview | Ravi, Cluster HR Manager, Sun Aqua Vilu Reef Maldives and Sun Aqua Iru Veli Maldives
/“I am a firm believer of a saying, alternately attributed to Buddha Siddhartha Guatama Shakyamuni and the Theosophists, that goes: When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
Firstly, thank you very much Eclat hospitality team for giving me this honour to share my journey and experiences in the hospitality industry. It all started in the year 2000, exactly 20 years back I choose to step into this industry. There was such a positive vibe when I decided to join my hotel Management course.
I am a hotelier by choice. I am a firm believer of a saying, alternately attributed to Buddha Siddhartha Guatama Shakyamuni and the Theosophists, that goes: When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Apparently, I have found my academic destiny in my hometown Visakhapatnam- The City of destiny. I have done my three years diploma in HM&CT at Coromandel Institute of Hotel Management and technology. A great mentor Mr Satish who was then my faculty have given me guidance and motivation to explore new frontiers in hospitality and build up confidence in me to move forward. Three years just passed by and I have gone through the industrial exposures at Chennai and Bangalore during my academics which gave me a complete insight of the real operations and that’s how I stepped into the industry.
My first job, I started as Telephone operator followed by different positions. I drifted slightly away from the industry for a couple of years and had taken a Job in BPO which was the most happening profession that time in the town, however, my instincts have driven me to go back to the Hospitality industry. While trying to get back to the industry my mentor Mr Satish has made me understand and realize the orator skills I possess and how these skills could be developed to nurture myself as Training personnel which is one of the key positions in the hospitality sector. With his mentoring, I have given my first interview for the position of Assistant Manager Training & Development and from there stepped into a new era and was heading my career in Training & Development. It was a great experience to be with the HR team and lead Training which gave me multiple opportunities to understand HR functions and support my HR Team on the areas where they require my presence and support.
The overseas opportunity was a miracle and it all happened through Linkedin. An anonymous connection has guided me through job applying process for the Maldives and later turned to be one of my best friend Mr Mohan currently working with Accor – Novotel, Hyderabad. I stepped into the Maldives in the year 2013 as a Training & Development Manager and later got a lateral movement into Human Resources as an HR Manager.
Since January 2019, I am heading the position of Cluster HR Manager working with Sun Siyam Resorts Vilu Reef & Iru Veli. It’s very fortunate that seven years back this group have given me first opportunity to step into the Maldives as Training Manager and the same group later gave me an opportunity as Cluster HR Manager and life goes on.
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
Primarily it’s the individual’s choice on how much and how successful they would like to see themselves in this industry. Hospitality is not constrained to only hotels or resorts nowadays. Every possible customer interaction has created a platform for hospitality requirements and then the limits of employments have been pushed to various industries. Off late many businessman/ woman and entrepreneurs, private and government sectors have realized the importance of hospitality and they created many career opportunities. When we talk about success in Hospitality, only the vintage wines are sold for a higher price the more they age the more value they gain, however when you look at peoples success it’s all about how smart they understand their current roles and grasp the new functions and techniques of the next level. Most of the organizations believe in lateral movements, and therein comes the training and development role in place which develops the resources and assists them to achieve their career goals.
Eventually, talent and skills are not required to age in the same position in this industry for a long time. As I said currently there is a huge talent acquisition going on internally and hence each and every resource who can prove their capability have abundant opportunities to succeed in the industry. Love and passion for what you do, thinking out of the box and demonstrating your innovations, being creative, being knowledgeable with the current affairs, being empathetic, master the art of listening and being available as and when required would definitely guide you towards success.
Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?
There is a tremendous change in the hiring and selecting process compared to the past. We have abundant resources available in this competitive market, however, logistically challenged place like the Maldives needs resources who are stable and consistent during their employment contract period. It would be very challenging to get a replacement with the required skillsets when we especially seek EXPAT replacement as not everyone is readily available to join immediately. During the HR screening and interview process, we try to understand the emotional stability of a candidate, which primarily includes living on a secluded remote island and amidst the ocean with different nationals under one roof.
Flexibility in working with other nationals and their opinions about team works and past experiences on demonstrating their team works is one of the key attributes. Adaptability, Physical and Mental fitness along with the flexible attitude in nature are very highly desirable. Unfortunately, there are still no clinical ways to imbed positive attitude in a person, as it has to be cultivated within oneself out of their passion and enthusiasm towards their work or anything which motivate them. So, definitely positive attitude is something we definitely look at during our hiring process.
To work with us, they need to be themselves demonstrating the skills they have been hired for by enjoying their works and giving their best. You are hired as you are a specialist in your area of competency and from there you are expected to focus and learn ahead as per the hierarchy.
Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?
As we see the travellers are combinations of age groups nowadays resorts have started to define their strategies based on the demographic group’s personality traits and habits. Nowadays everything needs to be instant and quick and with quality while exceeding expectations. The hotels are now customizing their services as per the choice of the customers. We hire a language specialist to give a homely conversation feel to our guests. Menus are designed in the native languages for the guests. The majority of guests today are self-sufficient, tech-savvy travellers who are comfortable using apps or mobile websites.
Hotels need to make sure their offerings are up-to-date and user-friendly. At business meetings and conferences, travellers expect hotels and conference centres to have high-quality tech equipment and knowledgeable support staff. Increased emphasis on health and well-being. Guests today are taking charge of their health; hotels are responding with well-equipped fitness centres, pools and spas. Increasingly, travellers are expecting innovative wellness options. In addition to healthy food options, growing trends include lighting that energizes, air purification, yoga spaces, in-room exercise equipment and even vitamin-infused shower water. Eco-friendly practices are becoming the norm, as properties focus on renewable energy resources and water scarcity.
Many hotels are installing solar panels and updating systems so that air conditioners and lights automatically switch off when guests leave their rooms. We at the Maldives we give a perfect getaway from home holiday to all our guests. Providing Hassel free experience whilst our guest stay is our main agenda. While giving them adieu we ensure we have packed millions of sweet memories for them to carry home and relish, recollect and revisit us again.
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?
Technology has enabled a great comfort for all the travellers. Easy check-ins, check-outs, and a complete data storage of preferences where we know what our guest choice is. In fact, we receive video calls from our guests before they visit the resort and are very excited to speak to the staff before their arrival. It’s all enabled by technology.
Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.
The industry is a self-simulator and the changes are adapted whenever a need arises. Human Resources was once known as “ PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT “ and now the industry has emerged with different synonyms for the same department as Human Resources Development, Talent & Culture Development, Human Capital Management and many other terms.
Change 1 – There should be an extensive justification to be done for the term “RESOURCES “in Human Resources Department while recruiting. I would like to see a recruiting pattern worldwide which few companies are already following currently. Recruiting should be based on skills, potential, experience and passion for what they do. Rejecting the profiles for the employment gaps an individual has in his/her life should be re-looked at, as you never know what bought the gap and probably you are contributing most wonderful resources you have met to another competitor only by following the tailor-made guidelines. I will give an example, I have interviewed a Chef from Thailand in my past who had close to, two years gap in his profile, and when asked about it, he shared about his passion for Paragliding. He saved his earnings to learn this paragliding course and during this process, he met with an accident which delayed his solo flight and took a bit longer to master the art of flying and finally he was flying all on his own. Once he fulfilled his dream he decided to work and we hired him. After coming on board with us, his Tom Kha Kai soup was a super hit in the resort. Perceptions should be parked at their own levels and we should move forward with facts. Talent has no limitations.
Change-2 REFERENCE CHECKS!! I have been debating on this for quite some time and I feel this would be accepted worldwide very soon. Rejecting the profiles based on reference checks has to be re-looked by the companies. A candidate goes through the whole process and gets rejected at a point of “REFERENCE CHECK “. Ideally, the organizations don’t even know about the person giving reference checks and their code of conduct in the company. Relying on someone’s reference comments and rejecting the profiles have to be looked at. An hour of the interview with a candidate and the final decision is decided by one email from an anonymous sender is baseless to consider unless there is a proven and evidential history of gross misconducts and criminal history. In my opinion reference checks received should be discussed with the candidate if you feel he/ she is good to be hired by not revealing the identity of the referee. The candidate should be confronted about the past to get the facts and commitments for the future as this would ease the working environment. It gives confidence and guidelines to the candidate whilst their employment on their future commitment.
