Exclusive Interview | Sreenath Krishnan, Executive Housekeeper, Zulal Wellness Resort, Qatar
/“Hotel management institutions around need an upgrade! The curriculum is far from reality. I firmly think this mismatch is bringing down a good percentage of Hotel Management graduates to look for a new career field. I would say this needs a serious evolution. ”
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
It started 16 years ago when I first stepped into Le Meridien Cochin as an intern, it was part of my curriculum. Though I accidentally ended up studying Hotel Management, the internship gave an insight into what really the industry is all about. I was attracted by this five-star luxury style, meeting people every day, foreigners coming to the hotel, well dressed, wine and dine around, so I decided that I wanted to be part of this world. My career journey started in 2006 as Hotel Operation Trainee in Housekeeping where I began from the bottom as an Attendant and went through all levels in Housekeeping. I started climbing the ladder up from Attendant to Coordinator, then to Supervisor, and to Asst.Manager with Radisson and Alila brands.
My first abroad assignment was in Seychelles with a beautiful property of Hilton in Silhouette Island as Assistant Executive Housekeeper and then later moved to the Maldives with Coco Collections where I was promoted to the coveted role as Executive Housekeeper which was the dream position for me. After four-plus years of Island life in Maldives and Seychelles, moved to Qatar with Minor Hotels. Currently, I am heading the pre-opening housekeeping team at Zulal Wellness Resort which is set to be Qatar’s largest wellness destination and the Middle East’s first wellbeing resort. The resort sits on a 280,000 square meters idyllic exclusive beachfront location in the North of Qatar and is also set to be one of the most sustainable resorts in Qatar.
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
Passion, Perseverance, and Positivity, I believe that success stems from a combination of passion, perseverance, and positivity. Working in hospitality is hard but passion offsets all the minuses. Being passionate is being fully alive. It's about experiencing emotions, feelings, and enthusiasm and doing something that you love…so it does not feel like work anymore.
Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?
For me “Positive Attitude” comes first! I always believe job knowledge can be trained but attitude cannot! One who possesses positivity not only can go up the career ladder easily but also contributes to creating a healthy working atmosphere for others. I thoroughly enjoy working with positive individuals that have deep attention to detail and humility.
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?
The real world of hospitality is completely different from the study of textbooks in colleges. Internship trainees get a wonderful opportunity to get exposed to a real-time learning experience, different from what they have seen in the latest edition of textbooks, so it is an opportunity to analyze all major divisions of the hotel and to identify where shall they stamp their career. On the other side, Hotels or any establishment should portray these trainees as future hoteliers and provide them with the adequate coaching required to mould their career.
Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?
Wellness Resorts are soon to take the centre stage of Hospitality and I am proud to be part of Zulal Wellness Resort. Zulal is set to be a landmark and destination for wellbeing. First, of its kind in the Middle East, the resort is set to intertwine Traditional Arabic & Islamic Medicine (TAIM) with a 360 degrees holistic wellness approach. With the world shifting its focus towards wellness following a very challenging time, more and more leading brands are incorporating the wellness factor in their services and offerings.
Being a housekeeper, I could see that the cleaning standards in the industry have been escalated from the traditional aesthetic methods to a clinical standard facing the covid crisis. The importance of housekeeping which always been a Back-of-the-house operation is now becoming a frontline operation. Guests are now looking for a safe stay rather than a luxury one and so the responsibility of shouldering a promising clean space for guests is very much dependent on housekeeping.
Editor: Tech is now an enabler for great hospitality. Can you share with us some of the tech that goes into creating your guest experience?
We at Zulal Wellness Resort have geared ourselves with contactless check-in in a new social distancing world. The whole wellness journey of our guests is plotted and to ensure all possible ways of touchpoints are made contactless.
Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.
Same as the hospitality industry shines and evolves every day, the hotel management institutions around the world which mould future hoteliers needs an upgrade too! The curriculum is way far from reality which completely gives different directions to students. I firmly think this mismatch is bringing down a good percentage of Hotel Management graduates to look for a new career field. I would say this needs a serious evolution. To point a simple example, most housekeeping manuals describe the bed making with blankets which are of 80s style and it been advanced to duvets a decade ago!
Thinking on the Environment! Meeting our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs! Though now all big brands have taken sustainable measures there are lots still we can do! We at Zulal Wellness Resort, are very cautious in actioning all possible measures to protect the environment, we are one of the very few resorts in Qatar to have all wooden-made bathroom amenities like toothbrushes, shaving razors, etc, even the packaging is corn-starch made and not plastic. One of our Heart of the House corridor is named “Sustainable corridor” which displays posters of 17 UN’s sustainable goals, this is to create awareness to our colleagues and stakeholders and also to ensure our commitment to achieving these goals.
Editor: What can we expect in the coming year?
WELLNESS & HEALING! 2020 has unnerved us with the pandemic and this year has shown us the importance of inner Wellness and Healing around the world. I am very much positive that the travel industry will blossom again very soon!
