Exclusive Interview | Suman Nanaiah, AVP-Operations Royal Orchid Metropole
/Hospitality as an industry demands you to be on toes all throughout. The three most important things to succeed in my experience is Integrity, goal-setting and employee motivation. Servicing customers comes with a lot of responsibility and their satisfaction is our top most priority.
Suman Nanaiah, AVP-Operations Royal Orchid Metropole
Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
Growing up in a family of coffee planters in Coorg I had the opportunity to be a part of the hospitality sector since the very beginning. Tourists and travellers from around the country would come to visit the beautiful western ghats which allowed me to embrace hospitality early on as a part of the culture. The exposure also helped me build a successful career in the industry as I knew the etiquettes of hosting guests offering them a comfortable and experiential stay.
What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
Hospitality as an industry demands you to be on toes all throughout. The three most important things to succeed in my experience is Integrity, goal-setting and employee motivation. Servicing customers comes with a lot of responsibility and their satisfaction is our top most priority.
What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?
I am myself a very dedicated and a sincere individual and therefore I look forward to working with people who are excited about their work. During interviews my criteria of selection is always looking for candidates who want to grow in the industry and learn something new every day. Candidates who are enthusiastic about their work will always deliver the best results and having a positive attitude towards life gives a person immense positivity.
What advice would you give to a young, aspiring hotelier for their internship?
My advice to all young aspiring individual who want to start a career in hospitality is, develop excellent communication skills, be soft spoken. Work hard and always enter the room with a positive outlook. Make sure to be a leader in whatever you do and it can take you places. Always priorities your work and sincerely perform your duties the best in your capacity with a proactive approach and you will never have to look back.
What is the single factor that got you your promotion?
I would say wwnership & performance.
What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?
Consumer preferences are evolving to prioritize experiences over material possessions, sustainability practices, personalized services, and technology integration.
What tech would you like to see in operations? What operational problems need tech solutions?
Technology is an integral part of all industries now and hospitality is no different. Something that I personally look forward to now is tech integration to enhance communication between the staff and customers for a seamless transaction.
What is the one tech/app/software feature you would like to see? This could be for guests, operations, etc.
More focus on Virtual reality & Automated Text Messaging is definitely a feature that I believe I would like to experience more. It will also help the industry keep up with trends.
Two things you would like to change in the industry.
There is a lot for scope for more women to enter the hospitality industry and we should definitely empower more women with opportunities. The second would be gender discrimination, while hospitality as an industry is very welcoming and warm it is time we start respecting women the same way we do with men without any discrimination or bias of any form.
What is your favourite question for a candidate interview and why?
I always ask all candidates about their dreams and how do they plan to pursue them because it gives a lot insights about a candidates personality. It tells how passionate and ambitious they are in life and those are the qualities that reflect in workplaces.
