Exclusive Interview | Ramzi Assily, General Manager, Golden Tulip Doha

“For every bad thing happening there is a hidden good thing that can be exploited.”

— Ramzi Assily

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

Over 35 years of experience, Graduated from the Glion Institute of Hotel Management in Switzerland. Major experience is in the Middle East, North and Central Africa as well.

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

Perseverance, dedication, pleasant personality, adaptable and for the GM position, must be familiar in all fields.

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

Attitude, willingness to work hard towards personal development, flexible (this is not a 9 to 5 job), take responsibility, team player. Experience is second.

Editor: You have been running at 65% occupancy with around 500 covers a day between room service and outside catering, doing better than last year. What is your secret? What can other hotel leaders learn from this?

There is no real secret, you will need to adapt and look from within for local opportunities. For every bad thing happening there is a hidden good thing that can be exploited.

Self-assess the situation to minimize the damages rather than going drastic such as closing the hotel and sending everyone home.

---

Latest Posts

Exclusive Interviews

Exclusive Interview | Rajib Roy Choudhury, VP AHPWI, CG State, General Manager, The Aananda Imperial by Svenska

“I am also a passionate cook, an ardent music lover, photographer and movie buff, am a person who loves to travel for memories and food.”

— Rajib Roy Choudhury

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

I began my journey in hospitality way back in 1995 with Cidade de Goa in F&B Service and since then has been a culinarian, an entrepreneur and a person who has led some of the finest restaurants, food & beverage operations and hotels in West Bengal, Kolkata, Goa, Hyderabad, also a short stint at Sultanate of Oman. It has been a remarkable journey which gave me strength and courage while being in pursuit of providing hospitality with humility. I brought along my passion and excitement to Kolkata to lead Floatel as the General Manager, which in due course of time became the “Best address” in Kolkata in respect to passionate deliverance, my stint with The Sonnet was no less exciting, with an exuberant team we at The Sonnet achieved milestones and set benchmarks over a period of 8 years.

With over 20 years of luxury and downtown hospitality background, presently I am with The Aananda Imperial by Svenska at Bilaspur Chattisgarh and with an energetic team I want to grow its footprint as one of the celebrated MICE hotels in the region. I am also a passionate cook, an ardent music lover, photographer and movie buff, am a person who loves to travel for memories and food.

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

A lot of effort goes into making a hotel successful, and much of that responsibility falls into the lap of us. Regardless of the size or location of a hotel, we need to work cohesively with other team members to get the job done.

Confidence and informed decisions. We require to make the most important decisions at the hotel, and it's necessary for one to be able to take quick, decisive action at a moment's notice. Resilience, Patience, Tenacity, Knowledge, Teamwork, Entrepreneurship, Humility... all of these are steps towards success.

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

Well, interviews are a great way to learn about a candidate’s experience, personality, and work ethic in their own words. That shows us how they fit into our hotel, our mission and vision and can give us a more accurate picture compared to just a resume.

What according to you can trainees do while they are training at hotels to make it a win-win for them & the hotel/unit?

Discipline and dedication, the two principles are key for what a hotel management trainee is supposed to have along with acquiring a good working knowledge of the hospitality sector with special attention to dealing with customers. The various roles and responsibilities of individual departments would also be something that they should be knowledgeable about ....once that is attained the hotel also gets an employee ready to kick start wearing their belt and button ...and the trainee gets a platform to flourish.

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

There has been a tremendous chance located in the last few years.... *Catering to millennials

Millennials (those ages 18-34) are expected to represent 50% of all travellers by 2025, as they travel a lot; and are early adopters of technology. Hotels will want to please them with easy check-in and gourmet dining experiences at reasonable prices. In return, satisfied millennials will actively promote their businesses on social media channels

*Tech explosion

The majority of guests today are self-sufficient, tech-savvy travellers who are comfortable using apps or mobile websites.

 *Influx of international visitors      

 *Increased emphasis on health and well-being

Guests today are taking charge of their health...hotels are responding with well-equipped fitness centres, pools and spas.

*Need for seamless technology

Seamless connectivity across platforms and devices is growing more important.

*Sustainability rules

Eco-friendly practices are becoming the norm, 

*Real-time damage control

If a hotel guest is dissatisfied, he or she can easily complain at various platforms and getting faster feedback on the same....this has its demerits too.

Tech is now an enabler for great hospitality. Can you share with us some of the tech that goes into creating your guest experience? 

E menus & E payment options, Smart meeting spaces, Social media & Review websites, In-room technology are some of the few.

Two things you would like to change in the industry.

Consumer behaviour at times and Industry status to Hospitality & Employee benefits.

What can we expect in the coming year?

All Hotels are cutting back on their growth forecasts for the current quarter and are witnessing a dip in occupancies and revenues this month following the Corona Virus outbreak with both business and leisure trip cancellations coming in by inbound travellers and future bookings getting stalled....however, the unorganized sector is the only silver lining.

Hotels should use the opportunity to devise and implement an “In the verge Plan” to ensure that when demand bounces back, we are well prepared to benefit from the upswing.

1.  Minimum operations sufficient enough for quick recommencement when the opportunity arrives

2.  Implement a subtle digital and social media marketing strategy to retain mindshare of customers

3.  Engage with suppliers/vendors to compute their capacity to re-engage with us on the strike of trade.

4.  Develop and maintain communication lines with key customers and team members

5.  Continue to remain in discussion with relevant Chattisgarh government authorities 

6.  Develop a Reopening Plan and with a Sponge Budget...meaning with pockets of absorption as future mapping would be difficult with an unprecedented present

7.  Utilize this period for implementing Ken-fix-it / upgradation, wherever possible.

Exclusive Interview | Md.Javed Khan, Hotel Operations Manager, Avani Seychelles by Minor International

“I am a hotelier by chance, but now when I look back, I can strongly confirm that I could not have been anything else. The buzz of a hotel makes me jump out of bed every day.”

— Md. Javed Khan

Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
I had no idea of hotels until I was in my 12th standard. I did not even know that there are colleges which teach you how to manage hotels? Nobody in my lineage has ever worked in hotels. I had only seen five-star hotels in movies and in Lucknow and Delhi from outside and heard stories like a tea costing INR 500 in Taj Mumbai from my uncle coming back from abroad while growing up and it gave me goosebumps thinking about it.

I am a hotelier by chance. I was fascinated with the Indian Air Force and was preparing for it in Lucknow. There while visiting a sick friend, I came across the brochure of a hotel management course by Govt of India and I found it quite interesting and applied for it as well. Unfortunately could not make it to airforce due to my eyesight but got selected for hotel management for Ihm Lucknow.

This is where my journey started, IHM Lucknow is one of the finest hotel management colleges in the country and faculties are simply out of the world. Everyone teaches you to be successful and they really take the pain to teach students who thought hotel management was no brainer. I feel I was very blessed to get into IHM Lucknow. Here I was highly motivated and my life was touched by my one faculty whom I am eternally grateful is Mr.T.K. Bansal who always believed in students who were not from so posh backgrounds and always kept an eye to make sure we do not lose focus. Now when I look back, I can strongly confirm that I can’t be anything than a hotelier.

The buzz of a hotel makes me jump out of bed every day for the last 16 years. Meeting new guests, making their life events into everlasting pleasant memories, listening to their stories, exceeding expectations, meeting team members of different cultures, managing emotions, planning and execution of months planned events is all so satisfactory that I am always excited to be on the floor.

I started my career with Leela group of hotels as I was picked by The Leela Group from Campus recruitment in 2004 as Hotel Operations Trainee in food and beverage service and then worked in Leela Mumbai and Goa for next five years in food and beverage as a supervisor, Restaurant manager and Banquets manager and thoroughly loved it. Leela hotels are exemplary and market leaders when it comes to the marriage of luxury and local Indian culture with the highest regards to finesse as owners themselves are so involved and keep a close eye on interiors and decoration of all hotels. I am very lucky to have got a chance to open eyes in the industry in one of the best hotels in the world, The Leela Goa. I was taken under the wings of our F&B training Manager Mr.Oliver Fernandes and our EAM food and beverage Mr.Daniels. These two have a huge impact in making me a better person and a professional. The best learning was from the philosophy of our late Founder Chairman Capt. C.P.Nair of Leela group of hotels which is “Atithi Devo Bhava” (2004-2009)

Later I moved to Seychelles to be part of pre-opening of Constance Ephelia as F&B Duty Manager and was instrumental in setting up the department. Once moved overseas I realise that If I wish to be a great General Manager someday, I must learn the accommodation management too hence came back to India with Lalit Bangalore as Asst. Front Office Manager and overlooked Food and Beverage too for a few months from (2009-2012)

At this time Leela Chennai was getting ready to open and I joined my previous employer as pre-opening AFOM and then was promoted as FOM and again five years in Chennai too. This was the first-ever beach facing business hotel as a palace and luxury at its best again. Big operations and here I get to make my own team as in pre-opening this is the best part that you start from scratch and impact of your conduct and management style can be everlasting.

I loved every bit of it and we were a superb team of front office which won mostly all rewards in the unit and corporate level on based of guest’s satisfaction, mystery audits and more than 75% team were promoted to next level and this was the most satisfactory as a leader. Leela Chennai, I was highly influenced and rather groomed to be successful General Manager someday by my pure-opening General manager Mr.Pacal Dupuis and Post opening General Manager Mr.Chengappa. (2012-2016)

After Leela Chennai, I moved to the Maldives for two years as Executive Assistant Manager for Atmosphere Hotels and Resort and managed two of the most luxuries and beautiful resorts which are OZEN and OBLU by Atmosphere. These are all-inclusive resorts and you get to host who and who of the world. Guests here become family as they mostly stay for two weeks and you get to know the different perspective of businessmen, sports personalities, Gurus, writers. It was a great experience to manage an International team by my own and I enjoyed till core and learnt so many traits from my colleagues and my COO Mr.Giri who is an absolute GEM and taught me so many things. (2016-2018)

After the Maldives, I moved to Seychelles again for my second term with Minor hotels which is a well-known company from Thailand as Hotel Operations Manager and still with them as Hotel Operations Manager. I was part of a team which was creating the vibes about Avani Seychelles in the local and international market after taking over from Le Meridian. The hotel runs on very high occupancy and in always 90+ which keeps the entire team always on our toes and makes our life challenging to maintain the rooms and public areas. So here comes the importance of gradual and well planned back of house management. I worked with two General Managers Mr.Vilar and Mr.Nico and learnt a lot from both of them. Especially the importance of sales and digital marketing and presence on social media. Minor has more than 536 hotels in all over the world and really looks after the talent well. I have not seen or heard a group so organised and planned and genuinely caring about the growth of its people. We will have a prime hotel management college soon in Thailand. (2018- till date)

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

The hotel industry is a very hardworking and round the clock so not meant for everybody and that’s the reason there are so many who quit in the first year of their placement/jobs in hotels after college and they go back to further studies to diversify into other industries. From my personal experience and point of view, the one thing which you must have to succeed is to be genuinely honest with your trade. Do it with all you have and have patience. Also, I believe one should be people’s person and you must lift others in the process and touch the lives of your guests and of your teams.

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

Integrity, Confidence and energy. Hotel trade is simple and can be taught and people can be trained easily. But one must be confident and energetic and should be pleasant. Naysayers and cynics find it difficult and bring down the energy of the entire team and that’s why all international brands have started a psychometric test to check before offering the job to check if one is a perfect or almost perfect blend with the vision of company psychologically as well.

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?

A- They get the real exposure to actual hotels which can’t be taught in theory or in practical labs. So it helps them to choose which trade they will go after their degree or diploma so they get another two years to prepare for it. It is like reading fantasy for one year and then actually living it.

B- Trainees are smart these days and can be trained far easily and they are hard-working and multitaskers and soon they become master of all trades in the hotel so they really help in busy periods and some of them even really fill in case of dire needs or medical emergencies. Their contribution is immense if trained wisely and kept motivated. Senior management must be involved and must oversee their development as they are our bench strength and our future.

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

I think there is a rat race of putting as much technology in practice in hotels as much one needs to learn to be an astronaut. It does not matter how much technology you can put in a hotel but the biggest effect will always be the personal touches and time spent in homework to know your guests before arrival or a repeat for his preferences to wow them. Technology or AI can’t substitute personal touches. People come to hotels for the overall experience and to feel important and for an ego boost and not into an ATM. Luxury is not making everything automatic but emotions and services added to the whole experience with proper homework.

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?

Yes, I have come across many new trends and gadgets and apps which has simplified marketing and made it reachable to each corner of the planet. A simple tagging on Instagram gives so much mileage for a hotel or Restaurant to market itself in seconds.

There is two software which I am very fond of one is Opera 6.0 and had made lives of the front of the house, Reservations and sales errors free and data collected and compared is unimaginable. The hotel can wow so many guests if they use it even 60% of it’s potential. You can even locate the guests in the hotel with the help of software on your laptop or desktop. The second one is Triton this helps us in managing guest’s requests and has made everybody accountable and has completely blown away the old fashion blame games when things went wrong. It has escalations in a timely manner so as a simple request of a towel to be sent to the room can be escalated to General Manager if not delivered in the time agreed. However, we must be careful of over usage especially in guests experience areas so it does not become emotionless or fully automated.

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

Intelligence over flamboyance- In the process I feel many hotel owners or CEOs or top executives hire the important roles to head their business or department on based of flamboyance and personal appearances but we must remember it is a business too and to run a business you need a high level of emotional and analytical intelligence too.

Work-life Balance- We all must plan well to ensure people are not exhausted and had enough time for family as well. It is possible with good planning and anyone who ever worked with me will vouch for it. That if we wish then we can have work-life balance implemented in busy hotels too.

Editor: What can we expect in the coming year?

After Covid-19 once life comes back to normal. House-keepers will be the most important. Cleanliness and hygiene will have to be 1000% more foolproof and guests will search positive comments of housekeeping and hygiene of a hotel on social media before booking it. Location, location and location will be hygiene, hygiene and hygiene for at least the next 12 months.

---

Exclusive Interview | Ratul Gupta, Deputy General Manager - Resort, The Source at Sula, Beyond by Sula

“Flipping through my Grandfather’s share books of EIH, IHCL & ITC during my school days, I was fortunate to get an early glimpse of the Hospitality world. While then I hardly understood the financial statistics, I developed a vision to pursue Hotel Management”

— Ratul Gupta

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

Flipping through my Grandfather’s share books of EIH, IHCL & ITC during my school days, I was fortunate to get an early glimpse of the Hospitality world. While then I hardly understood the financial statistics, I developed a vision to pursue “Hotel Management” (my colleagues were all out to crack the Joint Entrance for Engineering & Medicals!)

Passing out from the Institute of Hotel Management Chennai in 2002, I was actively seeking a job in Food and Beverage Service. The twist came when I stepped into The Oberoi Rajvilas for an interview! I got selected but in Housekeeping as an Associate. I immediately grabbed the offer which I couldn’t refuse primarily because I was deeply touched by the warm, friendly & multi-talented environment. From there, I moved on & was fortunate to work with some of the finest hotel chains of ITC, IHCL, Marriott International & Accor where I took charge as an Executive Housekeeper.

However, my big turn came when I got selected by India’s leading & one of the world’s most Sustainable Winery- Sula Vineyards Nashik for the position of Deputy General Manager Resorts in 2017. This has truly been a God’s blessing in disguise primarily because it gave a new dimension to my learning curve and making way for an exciting career path in Wine Tourism.

And then there was no looking back…….

I now happily recall the lines from “The Road Not Taken” –

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made a difference.”

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

While discipline, hard work & passion for perfection are the key focal points, my mantra to success is Consistency with KISS – doing the same thing with perfection again and again & Keeping It Sweet & Simple (KISS). And finally, a little garnish of Creativity will always generate a sensation of X-Factor leading to great success stories.

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

Wear the Right Attitude with a Genuine Smile!

I would love to work with someone who is willing to help, learn and grow with the organization, display sparks of enthusiasm, demonstrate positive body language with a firm belief that Together Everyone Achieves More.

What according to you can trainees do while they are training at hotels to make it a win-win for them & the hotel?

Focus on Basics!

Trainees should use this Learning platform to the fullest to understand their area of interest & the way forward. While they contribute in multiple little ways towards various hotel operations, Trainees need to be groomed with the right Quality Training & inculcated with the passion for Spirit to Serve.

Looking through the larger window of Sustainability, a WIN-WIN situation between Hotels & Trainees will help to create a Talent Pool for the hotel industry to absorb these talented professionals who are the promising Leaders of Next Generation.

What are some trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?

Touchless Hospitality, Digital Marketing & Flexible Dynamic pricing will be some of the new trendsetters. Hygiene & Safety protocols will be the most sought-after post-COVID-19. Keeping the hotel Clinically Clean will be the Real Key to Success.

There is a possibility of fewer Guest request on Extra Item request to be delivered to the room as Guest may prefer to carry their own items.

Also, Turndown Service can be done away with.

Another significant focus under Sustainability will be – use of Local resources. Promotion of locally grown fruits and vegetables, Local dish displaying as Chefs Choice in Restaurant, responsible Local purchasing etc to name a few. Thus, health food will gain more importance.

Tech is now an enabler for great hospitality. Can you share with us some of the tech that goes into creating your guest experience?

Very true. While the pre-COVID-19 world witnessed multiple user-friendly technologies like Online Academie, PMS, Guest Review Management Tool, Complaint Management System etc, the new era post-COVID-19 will see the evolution of Innovative Disinfection Technologies, QR codes, digital payments, e-Registration, contactless Check-in, palmtops usage, User-friendly mobile Apps which will create a Guest experience in the upcoming tech-savvy world.

However, on a personal note, the key to create Guest Delight would still lie in offering Personalized Service. The personal attention and CARE (Courtesy, Appreciation, Respect, Empathy) with an underlying emotional touch will continue to create a unique Guest experience!

Two things you would like to change in the industry.

I look forward to re-emphasizing on:

Rewards & Recognition – A Step up for increased recognition of Hospitality Servers is the need of the hour. The tireless efforts, unmatched dedication & going the extra mile truly displays our Service Excellence which often goes unnoticed and unsung.

Training & Development – While the world is moving to Online Learning, I personally encourage The Old School of Learning. Emphasis on hands-on demonstration, on the job training, evaluation of Training, One on One sessions, Feedback sessions, Open Forum etc creates the essential foundation of Learning & unleashes the true potential of an individual.

Continual demonstration pepped with dollops of humour is the real pathway of Success!

What can we expect in the coming year?

Extensive use of Technology wherein Guest need not touch many surfaces would become commonplace. The area previously termed as “nice to have” will become a necessity. Ethical hygiene is going to be a new trend. Wellness is likely to become the core of all functions.

Domestic Tourism and Rural Tourism will evolve. Rural locations which are a short drive from a large city shall benefit first.

---

Exclusive Interview | Anuj Chaurasia, Corporate General Manager, Essentia Hotels

“Being innovative and adapting to change is the key to success.”

— Anuj Chaurasia

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

 My journey started in 2005 when I joined the Institute of Advanced Management, Kolkata. Upon passing out in 2008, I joined the Leela group as a Management trainee, where I was fortunate to be exposed to many different facets of hotel operations at the Leela Gurgaon and Leela Mumbai. After a stint as an HK executive at the Leela, I joined Lemon Tree hotels, which turned out to be a great decision for my career.

At Lemon Tree, I had the good fortune of working directly under Ms Sareena Kochar, from whom I learned a lot about pre-openings and operations as I worked at pre-opening of multiple Lemon Tree hotels in Bangalore, Hyderabad and renovation in Goa. I then spent some time at the Taj group, where I worked at the Taj Ambassador and the Taj Holiday Village, it was here that I had a chance to work with Mr Vishal Singh, a person I admire greatly.

After my time at the Taj, I worked as Executive Housekeeper in the Maldives and then joined an Upscale hotel in Varanasi as an advisor to MD and did preopening and execution of the complete hotel project after this I joined an entrepreneurial start-up in Spree Hotels as Corporate GM operations, run by Keshav Baljee of the Royal Orchid group.  At Spree, I learned a lot about the commercial side of the management model as I oversaw not only operations for 600 rooms across 12 hotels but was also involved in financial reviews, contract negotiation, development and sales and marketing efforts. At Spree, I was exposed to a holistic view of the hotel business.

After Spree, I moved to Treebo Hotels, as Lead Of Operations for Managed business, where I managed 550 rooms across 18 hotels before finally joining Essentia Hotels a subsidiary of the Averina group which owns and operates Holiday Inn Goa and fisherman wharf apart from Essentia where I currently serve as Corporate GM for Essentia. I have been fortunate to have been mentored by some amazing people along the way, and while I may not have mentioned all of them here I learned a lot from each of them.

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

 I think passion and hard work are essential for one to succeed in any job. A thorough understanding of the market in which you operate, the business model, the competitive dynamics and overall industry outlook also give you a broader outlook that is extremely beneficial. 

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

While technical knowledge and domain experience are important, for me personally I care very much for a candidate's attitude, a positive attitude goes a long way in the hospitality industry. Over the years I have seen that those who possess a positive attitude generally do quite well, learn fast and keep a positive and cheerful mindset which spreads across the company.

At Essentia we plan to open a number of new properties, with an anticipated launch of close to 400 new rooms. The first among these will be a 151 room hotel in Ghaziabad, followed by launches in Chennai, Indore, Udaipur and others. Interested candidates are welcome to follow us on social media and check our website for relevant openings, we are always eager to hear from talented candidates who may be interested in joining us.

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

One of the most significant long-term trends I foresee will be a sharp uptake in domestic tourism. As disposable income increases, a new class of young aspirational travellers is emerging - and this group will contribute significantly to domestic tourism. In the next decade or so as infrastructure improves and more travel routes emerge, they will provide a strong fillip to domestic tourism.

Short Term:

COVID has really strained the industry, many hotels are running dangerously short of working capital with no demand on the horizon. Hotels must find alternative ways to monetize their inventory or risk bankruptcy in the coming months. The closure of hotels could lead to mass layoffs in the short term creating significant unemployment. However, I remain optimistic that in the long run, hotels will bounce back as they have done in the past. After COVID hotels will need to fundamentally alter the way they function, with much leaner staffing, higher operational efficiency, tighter control on costs, and a focus on health and hygiene as many guests will have apprehension about cleanliness and safety.  So while COVID will cause short term challenges, in the long run, it presents the industry an opportunity to fundamentally change the way it functions.

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?  

The industry has been quite proactive in adopting technology to improve guest experience. At Essentia we have incorporated essential technology like seamless Wi-Fi, RFID doors(like every other), touch panels in rooms, docking stations etc. We have also incorporated technology into the guest booking and lifecycle management process so that we can provide high-quality personalized service. I foresee that after COVID hotels will adopt even more technology to ensure proper health checks and hygiene.

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

The hospitality industry is very demanding and employees often have to work gruelling hours at a frenetic pace to keep up with requirements. However, a work-life balance is important and it would be great to see the industry offer that to its employees. This will also make the industry as a whole more attractive to new entrants. 

Talent should be allowed to grow in the industry, without too much bureaucracy slowing down growth. This will make it much easier to attract and retain the right kind of talent.

---

Recommended Reading