Exclusive Interview | Shilpi Khanna, General Manager, Hyatt Centric Juhu Mumbai
/“It is important not to give in to failures. We all have our good and bad days. A great guest comment can make your day.”
Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
I was a brilliant student, a ranker in school . At that time if you were a good student coming from a small city like Jamshedpur you either became a doctor or an engineer. I was scared of the sight of blood so being a doctor was ruled out . Since dad was an engineer I did not want to be one too. So I decided to do something that was different and chanced upon hotel management which would give me a well rounded education and a job after a three years unlike other graduation programmes.
So I graduated from IHM Kolkata with flying colours winning a scholarship from Ministry of Tourism Government of India. I started off as a housekeeper as a management trainee with Park Hotels. Then did my first pre opening as a part of ITC Sonar Bangla in Kolkata . Post which was fortunate to be associated with Oberoi hotels for almost a decade learning luxury hospitality from the best in business in Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai.
What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
Perseverance and grit are essential to succeed in the industry. It is hard work , being on your feet for hours and is not for the weak hearted. It is important not to give in to failures. We all have our good and bad days. A great guest comment can make your day. A hug from your boss after a particularly tiring or difficult day is sometimes all that you need to bounce back. It is also important to have a strong support system at home who selflessly forgive you for all the missed birthdays, anniversaries, festivals not celebrated together and just listen patiently while you rant about how your day went without being judgmental.
Launching something new is both an exciting opportunity and a responsibility. Share with us a deep dive into your process for these new launches.
A pre opening hotel is the most exciting thing for a hotelier. You have a blank canvas that you can paint the way that you want especially as a department head. I have been fortunate to be a part of two preopenings – ITC Sonar Bangla as a young manager and J W Marriott Mumbai Sahar where I set the housekeeping operations of a 588 room hotel.
The thrill of seeing a brick and mortar building transform itself into a vibrant place filled with guests is unparalleled. In my current role as the General Manager of Hyatt Centric in Juhu , Mumbai I am excited about launching the new menu for our Pan Asian restaurant “Sesame” . Every launch is different and seasoned hoteliers will often tell you that they can a write a book about their experiences of launching new projects ( I secretly wish to write one too after a retire) The key to success is to take risks, learn for your mistakes and don’t repeat the same mistake twice.
What does the future look like?
The future for the hospitality industry looks very bright and encouraging. I think we saw the worst during Covid and am glad that it has passed. With all major hotel chains looking at opening new hotels especially in destinations which earlier had none, the opportunities available to the hospitality professionals are immense. We need to get those people back into the industry who moved out during Covid.
On a personal front I am very excited about my new role as the general manager at the Hyatt Centric in Juhu, Mumbai. It is a boutique hotel situated in the entertainment hub of the “City of Dreams” . We have a wonderful pan Asian restaurant Sesame with special focus on Japanese specialties offering a delightful dining experience in a #theatreofflavours.
What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring?
When hiring I hire for attitude and aptitude and not for bookish knowledge. We all know that often the curriculum in hotel management institutes is obsolete and it would be unfair to judge the candidates on the same. It was interesting how we selected hospitality students who studied at home during covid and had never seen a hotel till their management training interviews (they called themselves the covid batch).
We then selected students based on how enterprising they were during the time spent at home. Some one had worked in a café, another one in a two star hotel and another one impressed us with his knowledge of digital marketing that he had gathered during this period. I love to select people on the spunk they show or the naughty glint in their eye. Have many success stories of such kids for whom I continue to be a mentor for life.
Share some of your secrets in keeping an engaged, safe and happy team.
I have been blessed to work with diverse teams of different age groups and faiths. I remember in my stint at The Oberoi, New Delhi I was working with people who were doing the same job for the last 30 years which was even before I was born. The key to winning their confidence was just empathy and giving them a patient hearing. I also realized that on a day where we had a major breakdown in the hotel and I was the manager on duty, these team members were the ones who bailed me out.
Their experience of handling such situations helped me sail through while they stood like a rock beside me handling guests professionally like they had done for years demonstrating the famed Oberoi hospitality. Working with a younger team is a different ball game. It is important to take the role of their friend, speak their language and step back at times to allow them to make mistakes and learn from them. Some of my closest friends are from hotels and though we may not speak often (we understand all of us are busy), we also know that we are just a phone call away for help, guidance or just a listening ear.
