Exclusive Interview | Nikhil Pandit, Human Resources Manager, Fairfield by Marriott, Kharadi Pune

“We look for Positive attitude, Team Player, Product knowledge, Integrity & Leadership skills”

— Nikhil Pandit, Human Resources Manager, Fairfield by Marriott, Kharadi Pune

Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?

Nikhil: My journey started in the HR solutions from Adecco & then Randstad where I initially worked in the staffing sector for them. Post that I worked in Fortune ITC & then moved to my current role in Marriott. In my career I have worked with various sectors & gained good insights while working in the said sectors. It’s been a fruitful journey of 11 years in which I have learnt a lot. The biggest learning was basically in the pre-opening of Fair-field by Marriott Pune Kharadi in which my knowledge from the HR Solutions Company & compliance helped me in having a seamless opening of the property.

Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?

Nikhil: Good communication, and by communication I mean able to actively listen to the guests concerns & being able to get them resolved. Also taking the feedback from the guests in the right spirit helps us in converting the guests to become a loyal customer thus getting repeated business. Good communication from everyone impresses the guests and this help us in succeeding in the industry.

Apart from communication you need to be a good observer and calm personality. An observer observers all the fine details and listens carefully which is how we are able to give a personalized service to each guest and create a wow moment for them which is also called an experience. Calm personality is equally important as you don’t know what come through that door. A guest who had bad start of the day, a celebrity , a guest who missed his flight or a family who is on vacation with lots of expectations. With a calm mind you can take correct decisions for your guest, company, team and yourself.

Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?

Nikhil: Turnover and hiring new employees can be both time consuming and costly for businesses. We try and retain as many hard-working associates as possible, promoting internal talent is the first priority that we in Marriott have. There are certain qualities we look for when hiring new employees, which often can be discovered in the first interview. Few of them being Positive attitude, Team Player, Product knowledge, Integrity & Leadership skills. For People who want to work with Marriott, I believe they should have the above said attributes but the most important would be is to have positive attitude in life towards everything & smart work.

Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?

Nikhil: The biggest trend that I foresee in the hospitality sector is going to be the safety standards that will be followed post the Covid 19 normal. People will be more conscious about their well-being in the hotels rather than the luxury part. Also a lot of hotels would see more emphasis on accepting the new normal ensuring the safety and security of the associates and team.

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?

Nikhil: Marriott as a company believes a lot in being tech savvy. We have platforms such as GXP (Guest Experience) which enhances us in serving the guests more efficiently. It helps us in identifying repeat guests and anticipate their needs using past requests and case history. Collecting and managing guests preferences. Mobile chats with guests right from pre arrival to check out to ensure the guest journey is seamless. A guest experience is created from the time they think of taking a holiday or business trip and they start planning.

Marriott has made sure it is present on social media and interact with all kind of travellers by giving them great information and insight about the city, hotel, places to explore. Mobile check-ins are available at most of hotels, we have robots serving in some hotels , now with Covid-19 all our hotels will offer contact less dining experience in a sense you can see the restaurant & IRD menu on you mobile , you can order food on your mobile when you are in the comfort of your room, you can pay directly via QR code.

Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.

Nikhil: I as a person would certainly like the below mentioned changes in the industry

A) Parity in norms for operating

B) Ready pool of talent across the board

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Read More Human Resource Manager Interviews

Exclusive Interview | SHILPA NARAYAN, HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER, COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT CHENNAI

“My mantra for Recruitment is simply to ‘look for the heart’”

— Shilpa Narayan

Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?

With over eight years of experience in Human Resources, Learning & Development and core Operations, and Bengaluru born, I majored in Hospitality Management as the dynamism of the sector excited me. My career in the hospitality segment commenced as a Corporate Leadership Trainee with Hyatt, specialising in Food & Beverage Service. 

Having gained thorough exposure across the Hotel Business and Operations, and spanning all portfolio of Restaurant Management, I further took over Divisional Training, where People, Talent & Development dawned upon as the true calling.  I further moved onto Hilton to handle Learning & Development, where I drove talent and culture for the hotel.

I joined the Marriott family in 2017 as the Training Manager for JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu, where I forayed back to Luxury and further took on an enhanced domain of Quality & Training Manager. I have been an aspirant to expand my portfolio to core Human Resources Management, and thereby joined Courtyard by Marriott Chennai to head the People & Culture function as the Human Resources Manager for the hotel.

I have contributed to and championed several initiatives in my Human Resources tenure, spanning across Change & Quality Management, Driving Innovation & Culture, Talent Acquisition & Youth Development, Talent Management & Learning and Employer Branding. I have been a recipient of the APEC Training Leader of the Year Award with Marriott and PeopleMatters Are You in the List Emerging HR Leaders Award Winner.

I am an alumnus from Christ University, Bengaluru and a passionate wine and food enthusiast who yearns to be an influencer of luxury and lifestyle.

What it takes to Succeed in this Industry?

The industry is extremely competitive and it requires a great amount of passion and perseverance to excel and make one’s mark.

What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring?  If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?

My mantra for Recruitment is simply to ‘look for the heart’. I wholly believe in hiring for attitude and training for skills. One must look at imparting the career opportunity to individuals who hold the opportunity as dearest to them

When the yearning for the job role is high, the learning and pursuit of performance and potential will naturally be high as well.

What are some of the challenges you see impacting the hospitality industry?

My key priority is to prepare and home-grow the talent for the future and thus look forward to enable the talent with skills and competencies that will help them be more ready for the dynamic road ahead.

As the focus of businesses across sector currently is on identifying and developing future ready talent, I would also like to work towards solving this challenge.  

What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?

The industry is moving at a faster pace than ever. Development is at a boom with Brand Loyalty as the driver – hospitality stalwart organizations are in the big race.

Guest experiences are at a digital high, loyalty benefits spurring travel, food and beverage constantly innovating. Sustainability measures is what will define a major change across 2019 and 2020. These will brace a visible impact on in-room experiences for all travellers.

Exclusive Interview | Chef Avtar Singh Rana, Executive Chef, Hotel The Royal Plaza, New Delhi

“In this industry, success doesn’t come instantly, you have to keep patient, passionate, enthusiastic, diligent and hard-working.”

— Chef Avtar Singh Rana

How did it all start? Share your culinary journey with us!

It all started when I was a daydreamer who always dreamt about big flames, always thinking how these celebrities becomes so famous, everybody talks about them and about their fortune, at one day one of my friends advised to get admitted in the Hotel institute that is the day which brings miracles in my life, my whole dream come to a reality when I was selected and get passed in the entrance test for my next carrier move. From student to a reputed profession called hospitality.

It was great learning in the institute where I have learnt lots of up and down in my life, Institute of Hotel Management and nutrition Chandigarh. Most of my life I spend in the hostel while schooling as well as while getting professional education. While in the institute we were thinking about only two hotels groups Like Taj & Oberoi. Luckily I was selected for Taj group of hotels and from then my culinary journey starts in actual to become a professional cook.

I have worked with brands such as the Taj, Accor-Grad Mercure Vadodara where I was opened that hotel, Marriott-Four Points Sheraton Vashi, Mumbai, Started Successfully Radisson Blu Greater Noida, Radisson City Centre, Jaipur, Habitat Hotel Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, alkhobar, Cluster Executive Chef for Western Hotels Abu Dhabi, Ghayati & Madinat Zayed, Now Heading one of the Biggest hotel in the heart of the City Hotel the Royal Plaza, 19 Ashok Road, heading the Culinary brigade.

What are your earliest memories of your kitchen you worked in?

It was at the Taj Ambassdor, Taj Man Singh- New Delhi where I did my industrial training. I was fortunate to work under some of the finest chefs of the country in the state of the art kitchens of its time. I was extremely good at live stations, guest’s interactions and handling the Omelette stations for busy breakfast mornings. I got a chance to work in every section of the kitchen and I was the luckiest one to get a chance to work in all the major section of the kitchen, I worked with Famous Chinese Restaurant of the Brand ‘Larry’s Kitchen and House of Ming Kitchen.

I was always interested in to get the knowledge of both hot & cold section of the kitchens and learnt the art of fruit and vegetable carving at that phase of my career. I never cared about my duty shift hours I worked hard to learn everything which in the end was the key to my success.

A dish your patrons/guest love?

There are endless dishes and every time there is a different story about it, In 21 years of experience I have catered to millions of guest with different nationalities and have special demands and preferences, most of the time our hotel packed with foreigner’s some the special dishes which are specially created on the demand of the guest only.

Smoked Salmon with horseradish cream, beetroot relish and crispy capers, Char Grilled Rump Steak, Sauteed Orange Chicken with shredded crispy ginger, Penne pasta with orange caper sauce, Shitake Tofu Cups in Black Bean Sauce.

A dish that you love but do not have on your menu?

Chef Special authentic creation of Chicken Ala kiev- Crispy golden fried chicken stuffed with spinach and cheese, served with creamy mushroom risotto and exotic vegetables – A Fabulous dish which all-time favourite and meal itself. A palatable dish is full of flavours and aroma. Unique as it’s all about the technique and the way it been presented. The risotto has to be al-dante and crème which goes well with crispy chicken.

What according to you does it take to become a successful chef?

Everybody has their own way to explain such a question, but it’s hard to become a successful chef after giving your blood and sweat for years to become a successful chef.

In this industry, success doesn’t come instantly, you have to keep patient, passionate, enthusiastic, diligent and hard-working.

Your sacrifice and your family time maintaining work-life balance is of the essence. Travel, explore, experiment, Innovation, creation, believe in yourself, never ever give up attitude and marketing yourself are the key for success for a reputed Chef. Now a days your presence in the Social and network media makes you famous and successful.

What advice would you give to a young culinary student?

Dear Nation Builders/ Champs, just a comment for you put your head down never believe in gossips, work hard, never ever wait for things to come to you, or it may happen, make them happen for yourself through hard graft and not giving up.

Always remember one thing “Do whatever you wish to do, Do that from your heart with love and care, this is the only way you can do it right”

What instruments/ equipment’s/ devices you cannot imagine working without?

A sharp knife, Probe Thermometer and a tasting spoon- my true friends which always make me right in every path of success.

Your favourite ingredient?

Peppers- Which are the soul of any food you served throughout the universe which is not complete until unless there is no pepper been used. There are so many different health benefits also you have it from the pepper, cured sour throat, helps during the cold, relief from the cold and helps in the purification of the blood cells.

Name chefs, you find amazing or chefs work you admire?

Chef Heston Blumenthal, Chef Raymond Blanc & Chef Shaju Zaccharia

What books should every chef read?

Larousse Gastronomique, new world Chinese Cuine Fuchisa Dunlop, Heaton Blumental –Total Perfection and Chef Avtar Singh Rana “Chef’s Nectar”