Exclusive Interview | Vijay Kumar Pollyshetty, Engineering Manager, Holiday Inn Express Kolkata Airport
/“ It’s important to be in close contact with the team to understand their concerns and help them in any way possible. ”
What do you think it takes to be a good hotelier?
Being a good hotelier means being dedicated to the intensity, effort and energy. It is also important to have good interpersonal skills, as it helps you to communicate with guests and employees better.
How do you recruit for the hotel? The process etc.
Recruitment for the hotel needs an understanding of the candidate’s personality and his acumen for the job. I check the candidate’s ability to survive and perform in the dynamic environment of the industry along with the required knowledge.
What do you look for while recruiting for the Hotel:
1. At the entry / fresher stage At the entry-level stage basic understanding of the industry and personal characteristics like attitude, personality and outlook etc are very important.
2. At the mid-level While recruiting for the mid-level, in-depth understanding of the department and the industry is required along with positive attitude and leadership qualities.
3. At the senior level At the senior level recruiting is based on the understanding of the industry and market scenario and also strong leadership and motivational skills.
What training programs do you conduct for the team?
Departmental training is conducted to ensure the whole team has the same understanding of the concepts and to ensure they are well equipped to handle the daily operations of the department. Regular team building activities are organized to build trust in the team. Leadership skills are identified and honed by focused programs for each individual.
What are some initiatives that are geared towards making your team’s work-life easier?
I ensure keeping a safe working place, making sure my team is comfortable, physically and mentally prepared to perform. Also, PPE’s are made available for the team based on the kind of work they get entailed in. It’s important to be in close contact with the team to understand their concerns and help them in any way possible.
What can hotels and trainees do to make the most of the internship / IT?
Industrial trainees are the future of the hospitality and thus we need to make sure they are equipped enough and have an imparted with a good understanding of the hotel operations. Hotels can organize basic level training for the trainees and enable them to help the team with the daily operations. Focused should be on working safely and understanding the importance of Fire, Life and Safety. This shall be a win-win for both the parties.
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