Exclusive Interview | Harkaran Singh, General Manager, Hyatt Raipur

“At times I see guests treating a colleague in a way, which is not acceptable however when someone senior is dealing, the tone changes – Why? We should respect the Individual, not the title. ”

— Harkaran Singh

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

I originate from Chandigarh – the city beautiful. I am the first in my family to be a hotelier and began my hotel career in Chennai in front office operations. I completed my hotel and business management from D-IHM, Pune, and American Hotel & Lodging Association, Middlesex, the U.K in 2006. 

After spending initial 2 years in Front Office Operations, I moved to Revenue management where I joined IDeaS Revenue Optimization – A SAS Company as a Revenue Optimization Analyst based out of their technology centre in Pune. Got an opportunity here to work on revenue analysis and data analytics for hotels worldwide. 

I started my Hyatt Career in the year 2010, at the Hyatt Pune (Pre-opening) as a Revenue Manager, followed by other appointments at Hyatt Hyderabad Gachibowli, Hyatt Regency Kolkata before moving to Hyatt Raipur as General Manager in the year 2018

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

Well, there are various attributes but the most important is being passionate about the industry which is the key to success. Being determined and passionate and understanding that it is the long hours one will have to put in and work during holidays and festivals as hotels are the place people go to celebrate and rejuvenate, and we hoteliers need to be there for our guests extending that memorable experience.  

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

As I mentioned being passionate about your job is what makes you succeed in our industry. Hence I look for colleagues who understand this and display being enthusiastic and passionate about hotels. We can always train our colleagues about processes and procedures but the customer centricity, the passion to work for people, the friendly personality have to come naturally. 

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 training period is actually a very important period for all future leaders of the hotel industry. It’s not just a tenure they need to be taking notes or be serious – it’s a time they should use to understand hotel industry operations at ground zero level, do a retrospect and self-analysis of whether they belong to the hotel industry or do they need to re-think about their decision of joining hotels. If they get to love the hotel industry during their training and wake up every day looking forward to their action-packed day at their hotels, then there is no looking back. It’s going to be a win-win for both – the hotel organization would look forward to getting passionate hoteliers in the making and an individual who gets a better understanding of hotels and the effort that goes into making a hotel organization successful. 

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

Our industry is an ever-changing industry and we hoteliers need to be adaptive to the change and adopt and adapt to the trends impacting guest experiences. 

To elaborate a bit, at Hyatt Hotels we understand the needs of our guests and always reimagine hotel experiences in line with the ongoing trends. For example, Hyatt was amongst the first hotel chains to extend complimentary basic internet access to all our guests visiting our hotels as the internet is the basic amenity which any guest would require in today’s world. There are many examples to share however with the ongoing CV19 global pandemic, Hygiene has become the new luxury. For hotels and hospitality institutions, Hygiene and safety have always been important however with the CV19 pandemic it is at the forefront of everything we do. And how we communicate what we do to the guests will play an important role. 

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?  

Well, keyless entry to rooms to great e-conferencing facilities and a strong and stable Wi-fi facility is very basic in today’s world for any business hotel. With the CV19 pandemic hitting the world, contactless guest experiences in our industry are the new normal. Hence I see a great transformation with technology being a great support in us delivering guest experiences in the years to come.  Guests will be able to communicate and connect instantly, hotels need to ensure they can provide feedback and services instantly.

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

I started with Front office operations and till today can see guests being hesitant in giving deposits on arrivals. There is no service or product which can be consumed first and paid for later, hence would love to have seen guests understand this and we all understood that the hotel business is a ‘Business’, a business which extends credit based on some deposit to be able to function. 

Another thing is understanding that hoteliers are also people who need to be treated with respect. We are in a people’s industry – People serving People hence would wish to see everyone being humble at all times – as a guest and as a hotel employee. At times I see guests treating a colleague in a way, which is not acceptable however when someone senior is dealing, the tone changes – Why? We should respect the Individual, not the title. 

Editor: What can we expect in the coming year? 

Well, the coming year has a lot of re-imagined operations across our industry. I think with the CV19 pandemic, we still functioning because we learn and change the way we operate.

Travel is changing, not stopping. As I mentioned earlier, we just need to be open to change, keep learning, un-learning, and re-imagine hotel operations extending genuine hospitality and experiences to our guests and colleagues. 

Technology will surely be a game-changer and add to the Luxury aspect of the hotel. It is going to be interesting times for us to adapt and get used to operating in a more flexible and tech-oriented environment. 

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Exclusive Interview | Fabien Gastinel, General Manager, The Oberoi Marrakech

“Patience, tenacity, steadiness, excellent listening/presentation, and grooming. The way we act and we portrait ourselves in hospitality is the key to success”

— Fabien Gastinel

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

Well getting into hospitality was an unexpected journey. My dad's biggest wish was that I become a doctor but I was just not talented enough in Mathematics. When I passed my high school diploma, I actually did not know what to do really. A very good friend of my dad though was the owner and general manager of “La Pinede Hotel” in Saint-Tropez, France, and suggested that I take a summer job as a Major D’Homme (Butler) at his hotel. While doing for several weeks I fell in love with the daily engagement with guests and the passion to exceed their expectations consistently. I was as well amazed by the presence of this gentleman standing in the lobby and being the host of the hotel - then my dream was to become like him one day. I then proceeded with the Hospitality College in Marseille, France, and once completed I left for the US to start my career with Sofitel as a Management Trainee.

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

Above all the passion to interact with people and the will to exceed their expectations. That is the basic of luxury hospitality. But as well when starting a career – some key attributes are as crucial in order to succeed: Patience, tenacity, steadiness, excellent listening/presentation, and grooming. The way we act and we portrait ourselves in hospitality is a key to success, being as well our posture, verbal language. In an environment where we face colleagues and guests very often this is crucial. Like many other industries being a good leader and coach is paramount as we influence others every single day. Last but not least – networking is as well as important, very often I tell my team “network is your net worth” – it’s all about whom you know and who knows you!

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

We do hire for the right attitude, the passion to serve and engage. This is much more important to us than the experience. Knowledge can be taught and trained however it is much more difficult to train for attitude. Being in an environment where we do have interactions with others every single minute it is key to us to have team members that are naturally out-going with a pleasant personality and can-do attitude.

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?

Listen, observe, work hard, being curious and outgoing. The more they are able to absorb while they train the faster they will grow. More importantly, showcasing a very positive attitude and learning from experienced team members.
Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?

More digitalization: we have already entered this world but we see it is taking great importance nowadays with hotels getting into fierce competition.

Cuisines of the World: lifestyle dining venues that offer new cuisines from around the world. We see this with restaurant venues such as Coya, Amazonico, Sexy Fish, Nus’Et, and many others.
Bleisure Hotels: the world of corporate travel has changed with COVID and I believe we will see a shift in the way business hotels are built with very strong leisure components.

Wellness and Sustainability taking center stage in hotels: We see this more and more with a very strong need from the new generation to connect with nature and healthy foods.

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

I personally do not believe tech will be able to replace human interactions when it comes to experiences. Tech will continue to be developed but not in a goal to improve guest’s experiences. It will probably make it more accessible.

Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.
First, the business model most companies adopt. Most hotels are on management agreements where they do not own hotels but manage them only. Often hotel teams are left reporting to owners who do not necessarily understand hospitality making it very difficult for operators to deliver. There should be a shift where operators are fully independent and able to be accountable for their decisions and results.

Second, I do personally believe that many companies do have too many brands and that it becomes confusing for the customers. Instead of having 20 brands with a lack of identity for some of them, I do believe we should focus more on having fewer brands with a very strong brand entity.

Editor: What can we expect in the coming year?

A slow recovery. We need to remain confident but the world economy has been affected and it will take a few years to get back to the 2019 levels of business. Our industry is very much dependent on the airline industry and airlines will need time to build back their fleet. Our industry is very resilient though and that should give us hope and smiles on our faces!