BWH July-August 2022

MELVYN SALDANHA

FROM ITS ICONIC
RESTAURANTS TO ITS
EXEMPLARY HOSPITALITY
WITH AN INCLUSIVE
PET-FRIENDLY POLICY,
PRESIDENT, MUMBAI
- IHCL SELEQTIONS
HAS BEEN A PART OF
THE CITY’S BUZZING
SOCIAL CALENDAR, SAYS
GENERAL MANAGER
MELVYN SALDANHA

EXTUHDEEHSONTOELSTTAHLAGTIA

BY BWH BUREAU

NOT ONLY has it witnessed Bombay change to Mumbai and its in multiple experiences unique to the property and to list a few, Make
charming neighbourhood grow into a powerhouse business and & Bake your pizza at the iconic Trattoria or ‘Tratts’ – we have seen
artistic district, it has not just kept up with the times but set trends. An families and kids thoroughly enjoying the experience as they don
eternal landmark of South Mumbai, President, Mumbai - IHCL Chefs’ hat and assemble their pizza under the guidance of our Chef.
SeleQtions a hotel that exudes nostalgia combined with world-class A must-do on the guest list is Winky Tales, wherein guests enjoy the
service and a buzzing social calendar. In fact, it is known for its iconic fun of being a bartender for an hour at Wink, the stylish high-energy
restaurants which have been a favourite spot for generations. Not to bar. A haven for pet lovers, HerbHouse has a delectable spread for
forget, its exemplary hospitality with an inclusive pet-friendly policy. our four-legged friends as well,” shares Melvyn Saldanha, General
From Mumbai’s first pet-friendly bistro – HerbHouse – to community Manager, President, Mumbai - IHCL SeleQtions.
events like Pet High Tea and a lifestyle gourmet store – Qmin shop,
the hotel can easily be termed as Cuffe Parade’s lifeline. PET-FRIENDLY PROPERTY
“We are a pet-friendly property and have a special offer for them,
“We are committed to curating personalised experiences for ‘Pawcations – Bring your pet along’ wherein select hotels offer all
our guests ensuring they have a memorable and comfortable stay. meals, a hi-tea experience and outdoor activities for the furry friends.
With a view to offer unforgettable memories, our guests can indulge

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MEET THE GM The last two years have taught us to travel with our best companion
and therefore, we have seen a rise in demand of a comfortable pet
Italian Bistro stay,” he says, adding that in order to ensure a comfortable stay for
Trattoria the four-legged friends, they provide all pet amenities like beds,
bowls, toys and yummilicious menu which is drawn in consultation
with a vet.

The property also houses a pet-friendly bistro, HerbHouse
which has a seating overseeing the pool and a menu that ensures
comfort along with quality time. “Since the bistro has ample space,
the pets can play around and enjoy their playdate. With an added
advantage of an open terrace, they can indulge in some fun activities
and agility training while being observed by a pet trainer, who is
available on a call,” informs Saldanha who began his IHCL journey
with the iconic Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai in Food & Beverage
department and has been associated with the organisation ever
since.

During the last two decades of meticulous service with IHCL,
Saldanha has held numerous key positions and scaled up from being
the Food & Beverage manager to the General Manager at the city’s

Terrace Banquet

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MELVYN SALDANHA

The Lobby

Swimming Pool Deluxe Room-
Twin Bed

foremost dining destination. It was under his leadership that the Pavilion is adored across generations. Well-balanced, sophisticated
fabled Umaid Bhavan Palace was recognised as one of the most flavours and an extensive menu has been on the Indian fine dining
Romantic Castles in the World by Hotels Combined in 2019. scene since the 1990s. Thai Pavilion in Mumbai over last three
decades has gone through a journey of continued excellence and
F&B OFFERINGS was recognised by the Thai Consulate for their authentic Thai food
“Our restaurants have a legacy of patronage and continue to enjoy with Thai Select Certificate,” he says. Taking the Qmin brand a step
being the city’s foremost dining destination. Since opening its doors further, President, Mumbai is home to IHCL’s first-ever Qmin Shop,
in 1981, Trattoria or ‘Tratts’ as it is fondly called has been a favourite which opened doors in November 2020.
dining destination for its authentic, eclectic Italian cuisine. Trattoria
has now been revamped and reimagined to reflect a vibrant new with BIZ TIME
the menu including signatures like lobster bisque, caprese salad, “With cumulative impact of pent-up demand and business as usual,
fiama and pepperoni pizza, aglio olio pasta. The bistro also boasts of we are witnessing positive corporate sentiment and have seen a
a bar for guests to pair their food with crafted drinks, cocktails and surge in demand from the MICE segment. We are seeing companies
wines,” he shares. shifting to in-person and socially distant meetings and seminars and
thus are observing an improvement from orporate clientele. Apart
Saldanha adds the guests can indulge in South West coastal from boasting of an open terrace and spacious banqueting, President,
cuisine at Konkan Café and further enhance the fine dining experience Mumbai offers the city’s foremost dining destination with craft gourmet
at the Konkan Cafe Bar with an extensive range of collection of meals and themed bachelor parties,” shares Saldanha. n
spirited Konkani cocktails. “A culinary landmark for gourmands, Thai

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MEET THE GM

‘WE EXPECT LARGER
FORMAT CORPORATE

EVENTS SOON’

JAIDEEP ANAND,
VICE PRESIDENT AND
GENERAL MANAGER AT
THE LEELA GANDHINAGAR
AND MAHATMA MANDIR
CONVENTION & EXHIBITION
CENTRE, SAYS CORPORATE
MICE QUERIES HAVE
STARTED FLOWING IN
SLOWLY BUT STEADILY

BY BWH BUREAU turnarounds of The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel and The
Leela Ambience Gurgaon before moving into the role of pre-opening
NOT ONLY does he head the Gujarat state capital’s largest hotel, and development at The Leela corporate office. “I have had the
the 300-room The Leela Gandhinagar, Jaideep Anand is also at the privilege to successfully spearhead the pre-opening tasks and lead
helm of affairs for the country’s largest convention and exhibition special brand projects,” shares Anand, a gold medallist from the
centre, the 34-acre Mahatma Mandir. The Vice President and Oberoi School of Hotel Management where he led development and
General Manager at The Leela Gandhinagar and Mahatma Mandir successful pre-opening of more than 10 luxury hotels.
Convention & Exhibition Centre started his career with Oberoi Hotels
in India and the Middle East where he honed his skillset in operations BUSINESS GOALS
– F&B and rooms division. “Being one of the largest MICE destination complexes in India,
combined with state-of-the-art conference facilities elevates the
“In the early stages of my three-and-a-half-decade-long overall MICE and social-driven events’ magnificence scale,” says
career, I successfully led the iconic launch of butler services in India, Anand, adding that The Leela Gandhinagar has a total capacity of
the restaurants – Palms and Taipan, and the first Belvedere in India,” 8,545 sq ft in the Grand Ballroom with an attached pre-function area
says Anand. In 1995, he joined The Leela Hotels to lead the of 13,584 sq ft. “Added to it are the multiple boardroom meeting

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JAIDEEP ANAND

The Leela
Gandhinagar

Presidential Suite Moksha Lounge

spaces of 6,612 sq ft, combined with state-of-the-art technology and ENHANCING GUEST EXPERIENCE
personalised Leela services. It also has extravagant and extensive To provide memorable and magical stays, The Leela recently
outdoor venues with the potential to host up to 5,000 people. Overall, introduced Tishya by The Leela, the brand’s signature fragrance
we offer cutting-edge, versatile, indoor and outdoor meeting spaces with an all-new range of exclusively crafted bath amenities. “We also
that are well-equipped to host small and large-scale business and launched our signature wellness programme, Aujasya by The Leela,
social events,” he shares. built around the two Rs of wellbeing – Restore (food) and Renew
(mindfulness). We have launched the first pillar, Restore (food), in
On the other hand, F&B plays a critical role in driving business collaboration with nutritionist-food consultant Dr Ankita Jalori with
goals at The Leela Gandhinagar. “We offer an extensive selection of thoughtfully curated menus to achieve the right balance between
dining venues to satisfy even the most sophisticated palate. Though health needs and gastronomic expectations,” informs Anand.
food and beverage are conventionally believed to be a lesser
contributor to the hotel’s total share of revenue, The Leela At the property level, The Leela Gandhinagar has curated
Gandhinagar’s dining destinations have attracted non-resident special experiences to indulge in. The hotel’s enriching art walk
businesses in the city and beyond. Therefore, the overall contribution story is one of the prime examples of how distinctly the property
we are striving for with F&B is going to be on equal terms to other stands out in the twin cities, delivering an experience that combines
key revenue-contributing departments,” Anand says. exotic culinary offerings and quintessential layovers for travellers.

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MEET THE GM

Grand Ballroom

I HAVE ALWAYS FOLLOWED A
PEOPLE-ORIENTED APPROACH
WHERE I BELIEVE LISTENING IS
AN IMPORTANT TOOL TODAY

Breakfast at
Citrus Junction

“Every evening, our head concierge leads you on this sojourn and Breakfast at
culminates it with Moksha Lounge’s signature afternoon ‘Tea and building a future together with them througCh iptrruopseJrugnucidtaionnce
Charlie’ which again showcases amalgamation this time in cuisine and guaranteed growth.
diversity,” he adds.
PRESENT-DAY HOSPITALITY LANDSCAPE
TALENT RETENTION With the market slowly opening again over the last couple of months,
“I have always followed a people-oriented approach where I believe corporate MICE queries have started flowing in, shares the veteran
listening is an important tool today. Very often we come across hotelier. “At present, though the trend is on a smaller scale in the
situations where if we had listened to our team and the challenges approximate range of 20 to 150 but there is the potential to go up
earlier, the situation could have been avoided. Similarly, as part of to greater numbers over the next quarter. We are expecting more
our brand practice under Leela Dharmas, we ensure to take proper potential larger format corporate events, exhibitions and conventions
care of all our team members, starting from the junior-most to the in the latter part of the year,” says General Manager at The Leela
senior-most team members,” says Anand, adding the Leela Gandhinagar.
Leadership Development Programme has helped in retaining talents
“At The Leela Gandhinagar and Mahatma Mandir Convention
and Exhibition Centre managed by The Leela, we have introduced

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JAIDEEP ANAND

Spa Reception Spa Treatment
Room

numerous state-of-the-art technological upgrades to make the as a core team member. Also, give back to the same industry by
experience of hosting events and conferences more seamless. offering proper mentorship to the young and upcoming generation
Starting with the smooth arrival, check-in, and check-out at the of hoteliers,” avers the ace hotelier who lives by one motto: Unending
hotel and access to various state-of-the-art facilities at the Strive for Excellence.
convention centre, elevate your event and conference experience to
a new level of luxury. Our efforts for your safety and care are also “To achieve a certain level of success as a hotelier, there
covered under Suraksha by The Leela which ensures maximum always has to be a lot of patience and humility as virtues in place.
precaution and safety for all our guests,” he informs. As a leader, this has to be combined with a certain amount of
empathy, genuine care for people you work with and lending a
FUTURE PLANS helping hand to the team when needed. The most important
“With the vision to strive for excellence with The Leela Palaces virtue a successful hotelier should have is not to treat it as a job
Hotels and Resorts brand, I will always look to serve the organisation or as a profession but as a lifestyle you are willing to live and
enjoy,” he concludes. n

Spa Treatment
Room

MEET THE GM

‘ROTBFHFOE&ENYIBATGSCLIAOSLU’L

THE PEOPLE OF KOLKATA ARE ADVENTUROUS
WHEN IT COMES TO EXPLORING NEW CUISINES,

SAYS GENERAL MANAGER GAURAV SONEJA

BY BWH BUREAU

ON THE cusp of business district and the city, ITC Royal Bengal is people are extremely warm and welcoming and they make you
an ode to the region’s cultural heritage and lineage. This magnificent a part of their lives,” he says.
edifice towers over Kolkata’s skyline and blends fine indigenous
architecture with contemporary design. With its passion for A rise in numbers on domestic leisure travel front and the
perfection and its pursuit of beauty and grace, ITC Royal Bengal onset of wedding season has boosted occupancy and average
represents the unique fervour of the citizens of Bengal to celebrate room rates, feels Soneja. “The past two years were challenging but
and nurture the finest across the myriad facets of life. The the hotel has stood tall in its glory and come out more resilient
456-rooms and suites including 82 serviced apartment property than ever. The business is pursuing digital transformation with the
with five F&B outlets and seven banqueting and meeting venues recent launch of ITC Hotels App. It allows guests easy access to
are helmed by General Manager Gaurav Soneja. room and F&B reservations, cuisine delivery offers as well as
loyalty membership management. Responding speedily to the
A member of the pre-opening team in 2019, Soneja says challenges and disruptions arising out of the pandemic, we had
Kolkata is home to him. “When I joined ITC Sonar in 2016 as the launched a host of curated offerings for in-home dining which are
F&B Manager, I did not realise it is a city that grows on you, it is now immensely popular,” he says.
a bastion of bhadralok, always gracious. I have spent six years
in this city as an F&B Manager and then as a Cluster Hotel BUSINESS TIME
Manager for ITC Royal Bengal & ITC Sonar. For me, it’s a Soneja shares that apart from the thriving F&B outlets at the
homecoming and I’m looking forward to my journey here. The property, there is a growing demand in the MICE segment. “ITC

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GAURAV SONEJA

ITC Royal Bengal

Royal Bengal offers the largest venues in a luxury hotel in and disinfection experts to further enhance the existing hygiene
eastern India with a sprawling 16,400 sq ft pillar-less magnificent and sanitisation protocols.
Bengal Stateroom. It also offers versatile banquet options for
business meetings and events, with a total banquet and Our ethos of Responsible Luxury translates into a unique
convention facilities covering an area of 61,000 sq ft,” he service culture where associates intuitively create moments of
informs. Responsible Luxury and Sustainability resonate with delight through planet positive experiences. With sustainability
the minds and hearts of discerning sections of society across being the bedrock of all operations, ITC Royal Bengal is a LEED
generations. The guest, he puts in, is now more mindful and is Platinum Certified Hotel. Recycling water, treating solid waste,
consciously seeking out dining options recognised for their local sourcing consumables to eco-sensitive architecture and
sustainable and responsible practices. design protocols are the measures in the journey for a brighter
tomorrow,” he says.
GUEST HOURS
ITC Royal Bengal, shares Soneja, is committed towards delivering Talking about introducing changes to the offerings at the
world-class luxury experiences that address the most critical restaurants of ITC Royal Bengal as he comes with a strong F&B
needs of wellbeing and safety through responsible practices. background, Soneja says, “F&B is the soul of ITC Royal Bengal
“Our DNV Platinum Certified initiative ‘We-Assure’ is a unique through its outlets – Grand Market Pavilion, Ottimo, Royal Vega,
programme designed in collaboration with medical professionals Darjeeling Lounge, The Brass Room & Skypoint. People are
exploring new cuisines and dining is not limited to weekends
anymore. We are witnessing bigger turnouts now that people are

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MEET THE GM

MY ENDEAVOUR IS TO INCREASE
THE MARKET SHARE IN KEEPING

WITH NEW INSPIRATIONAL
UPMARKET TRENDS

The Grand
Stairway

moving out of their homes. We will soon launch ITC Hotels’ Towers’
signature brand, Avartana. It promises to bring to our guests an Exclusive Room
exclusive blend of traditional and progressive renditions of South
Indian cuisine. Our newly opened rooftop bar, Skypoint offers will function to protect employees as well as operations,” he says.
breath-taking views of the city skyline. Skypoint and The Brass
Room have made ITC Royal Bengal a music hub. While The Brass LOOKING AHEAD
Room hosts new-age bands which plays jazz, blues and Western “With the changing environment, guests have taken a strong liking
music, Skypoint offers the best of Retro classics played by the for our home delivery menus – Gourmet Couch & Flavours, serving
city’s finest bands.” the best from ITC Hotel kitchens. We will soon have Avartana and
our exclusive members only Club Prive too. F&B is thriving and it is
COMEBACK CHALLENGE extremely dynamic in the city. The people of Kolkata are
The pandemic has been the biggest global economic as well as adventurous when it comes to exploring new cuisines and they
health emergency in recent times and the impact on travel and don’t mind spending for a new experience. My endeavour is to
hotel industry has been unprecedented. Organisations developed increase the market share in keeping with the new inspirational
rigorous contingency plans to limit its impact on employees, upmarket trends while ensuring the ITC flag keeps flying high in its
guests and communities and a huge focus on hygiene, cleanliness own city,” says the ITC Bengal General Manager, adding that the
as well as sanitisation remains strong. “At ITC hotels, offering our endeavour of a successful hotelier should always be to cultivate
guests experiences that are in harmony with the best environment and maintain the finest hotel operations and to develop and
and social standards is integral to our philosophy. Our ‘WeAssure’ maintain strong relationships with the guests. “He or she should
initiative launched during this period is an industry first in enhancing be driven by creativity and quality of new inspirational market
hygiene and safety protocols within our hotels,” shares Soneja. trends,” he opines. n

The challenges for the hospitality industry in wake of such
unpredictable events, he adds, is how fast the industry can react
and adapt. “While several businesses have traditionally not
factored such threats into their continuity plans. I believe that
working out a broader, more resilient approach to risk management

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RAFFLES THE PALM DUBAI

FEED‘EIRNDMIAARISKEATKFEOYR US’

AYMAN GHARIB, MANAGING DIRECTOR,
RAFFLES THE PALM DUBAI, SAYS THEY
HAVE WITNESSED A HIGH DEMAND
FOR WEDDINGS, SUITE AND VILLA
BOOKINGS FROM INDIA

BY BWH BUREAU and contrasted hospitality experience for local and travelling
connoisseurs, bridging the gap between tradition and vibrant
CLASSIC IN shape yet contemporary at heart is the best way to 21st century luxury. “All this complemented by the legendary
describe Raffles The Palm Dubai. Crafted by European artisans Raffles service which has been synonymous with extraordinary
and brought to life by masters in their respective fields, from the luxury and glamour,” says Ayman Gharib, Managing Director,
chefs to in-house furniture curator to stage performers, the Raffles The Palm Dubai.
property presents guests elegantly styled rooms and spacious
suites with stunning antique furnishings. A uniquely authentic Talking about the present-day hospitality market in Dubai
and how is Raffles The Palm Dubai positioned for the national
and international travellers, Gharib shares, “Raffles, as a brand,

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61

BEYOND BORDERS

has its charm attracting guests who are accustomed to curated
experiences, personalised touches and a vibrant culture. This
goes for both international and local guests. Overall, the hotel
sector is predicted to witness an increase in demand and on
property level, we expect to be part of this. We have seen a
momentum from the time of the opening of the hotel and we
anticipate that this will continue. Raffles The Palm Dubai is the
only palatial beach resort of its kind, blending timeless
craftsmanship with Dubai’s vibrant social culture in a luxury
beach resort environment.”

The hotel, says Gharib, has been positioned as a dining
destination with the variety of offerings including Piatti by the
beach, Matagi and Sola. “Weddings have been a key contributor
and we are proud to have hosted one of the most high-end
Indian weddings that was the talk of the town for months. Aside
from weddings and social events, the luxury setup and service
standards of the property have attracted high-end fashion
brands for launch events,” adds the man whose career with
Raffles began with a management role overseeing all of F&B
operations at Raffles Hotel in Dubai. It was in 2011 that he took

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RAFFLES THE PALM DUBAI

WE, AT RAFFLES THE PALM
DUBAI, ARE PROUD TO HAVE
HOSTED ONE OF THE MOST
HIGH-END INDIAN WEDDINGS

on the role of Hotel Manager at Raffles Hotel Dubai and was recent booking statistics and how he manages to meet changing
subsequently named General Manager in 2014. consumer preferences, Gharib shares, “The booking lead time
has shifted to shorter periods of duration while the length of
Sharing his views on how the property has fared and did stay has increased. We have also witnessed an increase in
the domestic customer make up for the loss of all-important demand on suite and villa reservations. Guests, especially
inbound traveller during the pandemic, the Managing Director, families, require pre-planned activities that the hotel offers for
Raffles The Palm Dubai, says, “We opened in October 2021 children. At Raffles The Palm Dubai, we have a variety of
which meant it benefitted from the high season period for Dubai, offerings for our little guests from the kid’s club to water sports
alongside the demand which was produced by Expo 2020. and an edutainment programme provided by our kids’ butler
Aside from international travel, we have seen positive demand team.”
from the local market where guests are looking for a relaxing
staycation during weekends or public holidays.” The property is, at present, working to achieve Accor’s
global goal of eliminating all single use plastic from its properties
Gharib says India is a very important key feeder market by the end of 2022. “As part of our efforts, we are eliminating
for them. “We have witnessed a high demand for weddings, single use shower and shampoo gel bottles by replacing them
suite and villa bookings from this market. We are using a variety with refillable dispensers in the rooms as well as removing all
of commercial and sales activities to promote our property in plastic straws, plastic cups and stirrers from the property
the market, which supported by the opening of Raffles Udaipur Furthermore, we have implemented recycling of plastic, paper
has helped increase the brand recognition for Indian travellers and used cooking oil. These are just some of the activities to
coming to Dubai,” he avers. highlight as we continue to grow and evolve these activities
within the property,” he says. n
With travel priorities having changed radically for both
leisure and business customers, what trends has he noticed in

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BEYOND BORDERS

CONFLUENCE OF LUXURY
AND LEGENDARY

TURKISH HOSPITALITY

RALPH RADTKE, GENERAL MANAGER, ÇIRAĞAN PALACE
KEMPINSKI ISTANBUL, SAYS THE PROPERTY HOSTS QUITE

A FEW DESTINATION INDIAN WEDDINGS EVERY YEAR

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ÇIRAĞAN PALACE KEMPINSKI ISTANBUL

BY SAURABH TANKHA

NOT ONLY does Istanbul serve as the economic and cultural hub ÇIRAĞAN PALACE KEMPINSKI
of Türkiye, the historic city founded as Byzantium in the 7th century ISTANBUL HOSTS
BCE by Greek settlers from Megara serves as an imperial capital
for almost 1600 years. The city straddles the Bosporus Strait that THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS
lies both in Europe and Asia. It is located on one of the world’s AND EXTRAVAGANT EVENTS,
most important waterways where stands the only Ottoman Imperial MEETINGS AND WEDDINGS
Palace and Hotel that once hosted Sultans – the Çırağan Palace
with heritage that dates back to the 17th century. IN TÜRKIYE

The Çırağan Hotel and Palace, which opened in 1991 as an
accommodation and event venue managed by Kempinski,
Europe’s oldest luxury hotel group during its 125th year anniversary
celebrations, includes a waterside summer villa and a marble
palace. Being a landmark, Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul has
a total of 310 keys, including 279 rooms and 20 suites in the hotel
section and 11 private palace suites in Çırağan Palace. It continues
to host the most prestigious and extravagant events, meetings
and weddings in Türkiye with the most beautiful indoor and outdoor

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BEYOND BORDERS

ÇIRAĞAN PALACE IS
THE SPOT-ON CHOICE FOR
SMALL AND LARGE-SIZED

EVENTS AND MEETINGS

venue alternatives. Since its opening, the royal-born continues to all invitations and much more, we meet the expectations of all our
be the symbol of luxury combined with legendary Turkish hospitality local and international guests to provide the level of service that
and impeccable service dedicated to excellence. luxury customers expect.”

At the helm of affairs is Ralph Radtke, General Manager, Radtke shares the hotel is one of the best examples of
Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul and Regional Director of balanced guest segments. In addition to being a choice for leisure
Kempinski Residences in Türkiye. Talking about the present-day and a business spot, it is one of massive meetings, events and
hospitality market in Istanbul and how is Çırağan Palace Kempinski F&B. “Banquets are the other main pillar of business in addition to
positioned for national and international travellers, Radtke says, rooms. With 18 meeting rooms and four outdoor event spaces,
“We are having a season with very high occupancy, thanks to Çırağan Palace is the spot-on choice for small- and large-sized
different accommodation options and large outdoor areas offered events and meetings. In summer, event scale leans more towards
by the property. However, it’s not just the location. The heritage is social events due to weddings and celebrations while in winter, it
definitely creating a reason to be here. We even have a history is time for MICE business,” he explains, adding that the individual
corridor which explains our history in detail with amazing photos restaurants at the property are also one of the most important
and how Çırağan Palace was the home of Sultans and now, our revenue generators. “We have two on-site restaurants at the
guests. The F&B options we offer in a vast variety are an important palace, with two more in the hotel side as well as a bar and a
reason for us to be the first port of call for visitors. In addition, we lounge. In summertime, we open one more outdoor restaurant and
offer a privileged service with palatial suites in the Palace section. a bar,” he says.
With impeccable service quality, continually reimagined and vibrant
F&B services, magnificent event venues are able to accommodate With travel priorities having changed radically for both
leisure and business customers, the trends, Radkte says, he has

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66

ÇIRAĞAN PALACE KEMPINSKI ISTANBUL

noticed the most is the demand of Palace Suites which has than 15 years. It is also the perfect place for weddings because
increased considerably. “This legendary hotel is an iconic hospitality nothing compares to be married at a real palace facing the
destination for both leisure and business travellers around the magnificent Bosphorus on one side and the palace facade on the
world. We have 11 Palace Suites in the historical palace that offer other. Almost 60 per cent of weddings are destination based and
a royal experience in line with local tradition, featuring large sash we host many different international markets from different
windows, high ceilings and captivating views of the Bosphorus, regions,” says Radtke, adding that due to new flexible travel
the historical peninsula and the palace courtyard or the park. restrictions, Indian weddings have 15 per cent ratio of this number.
Guests staying in the historical palace can enjoy time on private
terraces, relishing the refined tranquility of this genuinely royal “This year, we have five booked Indian weddings and a
experience. They are welcomed by a private butler to the sounds couple of social Indian events such as birthdays and celebrations.
of classical music and served a traditional Ottoman drink and a Not only destination weddings, there are leisure stays as well.
sherbet in the foyer of their lavish suite accommodation,” he Family travel trend is also becoming popular. In addition to Istanbul,
shares, adding they have revived an old tradition dating back to families visit Bodrum, Antalya and Cappadocia following their stay
the ancient water therapies of Turkish bath with natural and palatial at Çırağan Palace. We are the first hotel that invested in beautiful
soap service for palace guests. India and since then, we have our travel networks, joint events and
fairs. We believe in the Indian market and continue to engage
INDIA MARKET here,” shares the man who has been a veteran in the luxury
“Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul is the very first well-known hospitality industry with 50 years of experience at iconic hotels like
destination hotel and has been investing in the market for more Ritz Paris and Belmond Hotel Cipriani as well as in more than 15
countries on the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe. n

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COVER STORY

TALENT POOL

WHERE ARE
WE HEADED?

NMIMS School
of Hospitality
Management

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TALENT POOL

AS THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR WALKS ON THE ROAD
TO RECOVERY, THE INDUSTRY AND THE ACADEMIA ARE
WORKING TOGETHER TO BRIDGE THE GAP AMID NEW

TRENDS IN HIRING AND MANAGING TALENT

BY BULBUL DHAWAN

EMPLOYEES FORM the strong backbone of any business and the NOW, WHEN THE INDUSTRY
same holds true for the hospitality industry. But when a never- IS REVIVING, MOST OF THOSE
before situation like the pandemic impacts it and jobs are at stake, WHO LOST THEIR JOBS HAVE
the talent with hardly any option at hand for survival moves out in
search of greener pastures. So it happened in the hospitality FOUND WORK ELSEWHERE
domain which witnessed a fair percentage of employees migrating
for better options. And not only employees, the employers, in DILIP PURI
many cases, either had to let go of this talented lot or handed
them the pink slip. In fact, in 2020, the Federation of Associations Founder & CEO, Indian School of Hospitality
in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) and Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII) had estimated that the tourism value chain in India
including hotels, restaurants, airlines and tour operators among
others saw direct or indirect job losses to the extent of 38-50
million due to the pandemic.

Cut to two years later. The industry is now on the road to
recovery and there is positivity all around. But then there is a major
challenge at hand. Talent, and a sizeable one, that was let go
during that challenging period has bid a permanent goodbye to
the hospitality sector. This has left the industry in a tough demand-
supply situation as the number of guests has been witnessing an
upward graph ever since the life-threatening virus has chosen to
leave our leaves forever.

“The current talent scape is rather dismal. The hospitality
industry has seen significant job losses through the pandemic.
Now, when revival is happening, most of those who lost their jobs
have found work elsewhere in sectors and industries with greater
pay parity and regular working hours,” says Dilip Puri, Founder &
CEO, Indian School of Hospitality. To add to the challenge, he
further shares, many young hospitality graduates are seeking
careers in other customer-centric businesses which are aligned or
adjacent to hospitality.

These views were corroborated by Kamal Kant Pant,
Principal and Secretary, Institute of Hotel Management, Catering
and Nutrition, Pusa New Delhi. “We are in a tight spot as far as the
talent in the industry is concerned. The way the bottom of the
pyramid employees in the sector have perceived to have been
treated during Covid19 has resulted in their not returning to work,

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COVER STORY WE LEVERAGED OUR EXISTING
TECHNOLOGIES TO MAKE THE
Ecole Ducasse HR TEAMS MORE AGILE AND
Workshop at ISH
PROACTIVE

ARIF KHAN

Director - HR India, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts

leaving a huge void that must be filled in by new entrants,” he
says. The situation is such, he avers, that leading brands are
struggling to maintain their service quality, the demand for training
managers is skyrocketting and the average wage bills are on the
rise due to a few people available and being chased by multiple
establishments. Pant adds that talent crunch exists and opines
people are not reading into it enough. “The future regarding the
availability of talent seems bleaker as the way things are panning
out post-pandemic,” he shares.

Agreeing there is a scarcity of high-quality talent, industry
expert Satish Jayaram says that talent pipelines are indeed
depleting rapidly. “Seventy per cent of talent shortage will become
visible in frontline positions, the only solution being skilling rapidly
for job specific roles, and 17-20 per cent will emerge at supervisory
levels, re-certification / professional development must be
considered to fast-track this existing talent. Deficits of 10-12 per
cent will appear at the managerial level of the talent pyramid for
which leadership development programmes and cross-functional
expertise must supplement these gaps,” he explains.

Puneet Dhawan, Senior Vice President - Operations, Accor,
too feels the industry is facing a shortage of talent. Opining from
the industry perspective, he says, “Hospitality industry continues
to thrive while embracing the need to innovate and respond to the
evolving tastes and preferences of its patrons. We have witnessed
a rise in employment as hotels are continuing to garner higher
occupancies.”

CHANGING TRENDS
The pandemic indeed has made way for many new trends. One of
the most alarming ones, says IHM’s Pant, is the dwindling number
of applicants for enrolment in hospitality schools. “The attitude of

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TALENT POOL

Lobby at ISH

HOSPITALITY INVOLVES
CUSTOMERS OF DIFFERENT

FAITHS, ETHNICITIES,
CULTURES AND PROFESSIONS

DR RUCHITA VERMA

Director, NMIMS School of Hospitality Management

students towards the industry is transforming. In leading hospitality
schools, the number of graduating students offering themselves
for placement in core hospitality sector is alarmingly minuscule to
the comfort of leading brands of hotels and restaurants alike while
the preference towards the allied sectors like e-commerce, retail
and realty is increasing along with the desire for pursuing further
education in general management than hospitality management,”
he adds.

But that is not the only change. “Post-pandemic, the
hospitality industry has focussed on infrastructural overhaul with

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COVER STORY

A class at Lexicon
Institute of Hotel
Management

GRADUATES IN THE
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

SHOULD FOCUS ON
DEVELOPING RESILIENCE

VIMAL KUMAR

Principal, The Lalit Suri Hospitality School

the integration of new-age technology to prevent future disruption does business, including room bookings, payment procedures,
of the same magnitude as the pandemic while evolving with the digital posters, digital menus and automation in revenue
times,” shares Nasir Shaikh, Group CEO, Lexicon Group of management, it also curated various sessions for its team.
Institutes, MultiFit & EduCrack.
On the other hand, IHG, is working to ensure the members
With the adoption of technology, HR practices have receive the required training needed to manoeuvre an environment
changed at hotels too. “Accor has adopted various technological that is becoming increasingly technologically advanced, says
aids and developed tools which help our team, ‘Heartists’, keep Sudeep Jain, Managing Director, South-West Asia, IHG Hotels &
up with the changing technological landscape. We have greatly Resorts. “Efficient talent management has always been an
focussed on digital training of teams by using iAuditor, a self- important consideration for the industry and for us, along with a
assessment platform,” shares Dhawan. With change in how Accor significant focus on training of colleagues and investing in their

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TALENT POOL

THE INDUSTRY SHOULD COME

FORWARD TO NURTURE THE

YOUNGSTERS HOLISTICALLY

CHEF K THIRUGNANASAMBANTHAM

Principal, Welcomgroup Graduate School
of Hotel Administration

EFFICIENT TALENT
MANAGEMENT HAS ALWAYS
BEEN A KEY CONSIDERATION
FOR THE INDUSTRY

SUDEEP JAIN

Managing Director, South-West Asia, IHG Hotels & Resorts

professional development and well-being. In India, our growth has into a real-time Pulse survey to offer different questions that aim to
been underpinned by a strong talent agenda, and we have driven make a twofold impact – a better colleague experience and a
several initiatives to support internal talent development and invest better business. Saba Cloud, our e-earning platform ensured that
in providing the right training to external talent to join our colleagues were able to learn and grow throughout the pandemic.
workforce,” Jain shares. Tools like Sharepoint and MS Teams helped improve team
productivity even when most colleagues were working from home.”
Talking about the advancements taking place in Hyatt
Hotels and Resorts, Arif Khan, Director of Human Resources India, INDUSTRY-ACADEMIA PARTNERSHIP
explains, “We leveraged our existing technologies like Peoplesoft In building talent suitable for the industry, academia plays a key
and Tableau to make our HR teams more agile and proactive rather role. Over the years, this relation has developed into a more
than reactive. The Colleague Engagement Survey further evolved

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COVER STORY

interspersed partnership. “Industry academic partnership is critical
for any economy. A functional partnership between the two
eliminates waste of time, effort and money in grooming talent to
nurture the industry,” says IHM’s Pant. In fact, many hotel chains
like IHCL and ITC have their own institutes for honing talent
suitable for the industry.

ITC, for instance, created the Welcomgroup Graduate
School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA) in 1986. It also
“participates actively with Ministry of Skill Development &
Entrepreneurship to provide industry knowledge and infrastructural
support to various schools and vocational institutes across the
country”, says Sanjay Bose, Executive Vice President - HR and
L&D, ITC Hotels.

IHG has the IHG Academy, informs Jain, which has
launched a digital learning platform – IHG Skills Academy to offer
free online education, courses and opportunities. This is one of the
many hotel-academia initiatives taken by the Group. “Then we
have RISE, IHG’s mentoring and career development programme
created to ensure high potential female colleagues are given the
support they need to achieve their ambition of becoming a General
Manager,” he explains. These initiatives point towards the industry’s
commitment towards partnering with and lending support to
academia. However, on the flip side, the specialised institutes on
the academia side have a slightly different tale to tell.

“A significant part of education in hospitality and culinary
arts is spent on internships. In a four-year undergraduate

POST-PANDEMIC, THE
HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

HAS FOCUSSED ON
INFRASTRUCTURAL OVERHAUL

NASIR SHAIKH

Group CEO, Lexicon Group of Institutes, MultiFit & EduCrack

Students at Indian programme, students do two six-month internships. This is where
School of Hospitality hotels have missed the trick,” ISH’s Puri points out, explaining that
instead of encouraging bright young talent to pursue a career in
the industry, hotels often use them as casual labour. The need, he
says, is therefore, to collaborate “in fostering innovation, doing
cutting edge research and creating a skilled workforce”.

Along the same lines, IHM’s Pant shares, “Management in
the boardroom and in the other meetings may say the most logical
things but what matters is the experience and collaboration with
the academia at the grass-root level. The frontline managers and

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TALENT POOL

Students at
IHM, Pusa

supervisors who deal with the interns, fresh graduates and the EVEN THOUGH THE INDUSTRY
placement officers of the institutions don’t convey this message. HAS CHALLENGES, THE
On the contrary, there is generally a doubt in the abilities of the RIGHT APPROACH TO
interns.” This, Pant avers, leads to industry and academia often
functioning in silos, often blaming each other than working MANAGE THEM IS A MUST
together. And to “one imparting skill which would not be utilised
eventually and the other having to spend on reskilling in what is NIHAR MEHTA
required making the economy to suffer wasteful deployment and
redeployment of resources,” he opines. General Manager - Human Resources, Sarovar Hotels

BRIDGING THE GAP industry may look glamorous from the outside, but the hard work
These differing views point towards a hiatus that needs to be and long hours that go into making a fine hotelier can only be
bridged because without that tandem honing talent in the middle learnt if a person has the right attitude. Skilling is easy, people can
of such unprecedented crunch can be a difficult goal to achieve. be groomed and trained through robust development programmes
The first step is to understand the different needs from their talent but the learning has to happen at an individual level and the more
and the expectations talent has from the employers. “ITC Hotels receptive,” says Rajesh Kumar, Senior Vice President, Human
believes in the old adage of hiring for values and training for skills. Resources, Lemon Tree Hotels.
There are substantial training interventions designed to address
the needs of diverse segments of our talent pool. The organisation’s For Sarovar Hotels, “high integrity, ability to work hard as
expectations from its talent is steadfast commitment to its values the hospitality industry is a dynamic and challenging” are important,
which begins with customer-centricity and encompasses larger according to Nihar Mehta, General Manager - Human Resources.
aspects of nation orientation, excellence, customer trusteeship,
innovation and respect for people. We expect our employees to be
the torchbearers and exhibit these values in each interaction of
their professional and personal lives,” says Bose.

Accor, however, looks at standard skillsets apart from
specialised skills that vary with each role. “An eye for detail is a
critical skill and it is indispensable in our business. It is a
characteristic that sets one apart and ensures thoroughness and
accuracy. Additionally, great interpersonal skills, precise business
understanding, and the ability to manage business priorities and
strengthen key partnerships are essential. We also believe in
investing in our team’s professional development through sustained
technical training modules and pride ourselves on a workforce that
exudes a positive attitude,” explains Dhawan.

Lemon Tree’s policy is similar to that of ITC. “The hospitality

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SEVENTY PER CENT
OF TALENT SHORTAGE
WILL BECOME VISIBLE IN
FRONTLINE POSITIONS

SATISH JAYARAM

Industry expert

THE FUTURE REGARDING
THE AVAILABILITY OF TALENT
SEEMS BLEAKER AS THE WAY
THINGS ARE PANNING OUT

KAMAL KANT PANT

Principal and Secretary, IHM Pusa

“Good education, communication and grooming is an advantage Multi-tasking; Taking Responsibility; Time Management and Attention
always. Even though the hospitality industry has challenges, the to Detail. Some soft skills that are required for a successful career in
right approach to manage them is a must,” he adds. hospitality are Effective Communication and Leadership Skills.”

From an institute point of view, Dr Ruchita Verma, Director, “Graduates in the hospitality industry should focus on
NMIMS School of Hospitality Management, shares the skillsets developing resilience, multitasking abilities, cultural sensitivity,
that her H-school wishes to imbibe in the students. She says, compliance awareness, digital and contactless tech savviness, focus
“Hospitality involves customers of different faith, ethnicity, culture, on sanitation and safety and great communication skills,” opines
profession, etc. To deal with this, skill sets like Operation Skills and Vimal Kumar, Principal, The Lalit Suri Hospitality School. However,
Knowledge and Soft or Interpersonal Skills become imperative. students enter the industry with some expectations including learning
The first includes the skills and knowledge to use the right tools in opportunities, quality compensation and growth prospects.
the most effective manner, which is taught in practical sessions –
Speaking on what students can expect from the industry,

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SKILLING IS EASY, PEOPLE
CAN BE GROOMED AND

TRAINED THROUGH ROBUST
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES

RAJESH KUMAR

Senior Vice President, HR, Lemon Tree Hotels

Shaikh explains, “In my conversation with senior leaders in LOOKING AT THE FUTURE
hospitality across brands, points that stood out common and on “In the coming years, more synergy needs to be developed
high priority included renewed focus on work-life balance, between the industry and the academic fraternity that fulfills
enhanced employee-team benefits for self and family, fun at work, students’ aspirations and career goals. The academic institutions
relook the compensation at all levels and overall, health and must be more resilient to adapt to the changing environment. In
wellness.” The common point between these expectations needs this century, close connection between the educational
to be reached in order to find the equilibrium between the talent institutions and industry will ensure that right talent is distributed
demand and supply. While the industry needs to keep the to the right place. The industry should come forward to nurture
expectations of employees in mind, incoming talent needs to the youngsters holistically. This will mutually be beneficial to the
understand the difficult reality of working in the industry. It helps individual and to the industry,” says Chef K Thirugnanasambantham,
that despite the difficult working hours and the high expectations, Principal, Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration.
the industry does try to keep employees’ personal health in mind.
IHM’s Pant feels the pandemic put the recruitment of fresh
On how ITC ensures work-life balance of its employees, talent on a standstill while existing talent was allowed to go. “The
Bose shares, “With the pandemic induced mind-shift, the next one or two years will be ones of consolidation. Thereafter,
workforce has reprioritised the relevance of factors like personal dearth of talent is going to lead to higher compensation rates and
time, remote working, flexi shifts etc. Earlier this year, we launched more openings in the industry which will result in more fresh
a comprehensive set of policies including work from home, talent getting attracted to hospitality in the years to come. This is
extended child care leaves, travel support for caregivers and going to bring in better talent and better grooming of talent into
medical benefits for same gender partner among others.” the pipelines for the industry to rely upon,” he says.

Hyatt, on the other hand, provides its employees eight Another aspect that needs to be looked at is the diversity
leaves a month to allow them to spend time with family. “We’ve of talent in terms of gender and recruitment of differently abled
been dedicated to caring for our colleagues and have been candidates. “As an industry, we are getting better at this. Almost
listening to them through direct feedback, addressing their all companies, brands and hotels have robust diversity and
concerns and making tangible efforts to improve their on-job inclusion policies and mandates. There is still a lot of work to do
experience as well as holistic well-being. There have been training but we are on the right track,” ISH’s Puri avers.
and development programmes, new projects to upskill colleagues
in both on-site and online settings and we recognise and reward Asserting that growth opportunities, work-life harmony
members for their contribution to our growth. We participate in and a good income will impact hospitality career aspirants in the
salary surveys and do our own compensation benchmarking to future, Verma shares, “The hospitality sector is transforming
ensure we are compensating our colleagues right,” says Khan. because of a shift in the spending and decision-making power of
the world.” n

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COVER STORY

Photo: IGOR VETUSHKO

TIME TO PLUG THE
TALENT DRAIN

SEASONED HOTELIERS WHO MAY LEAD THE
FUTURE OF THEIR BRANDS SHARE PLANS TO

CULTIVATE, DEVELOP AND RETAIN TALENT

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TALENT POOL

BY BWH BUREAU

NOT JUST hypothetically, let us take it as a given. The only way ahead for
the Indian hospitality industry is up as it stands on the cusp of glory.

Glory in the sense that where we stand today is only a stepping stone for
much bigger industry presence over the next three to five years,

considering that hospitality, travel and tourism have yet to realise their full
potential if we were to compare India with other destinations like
Thailand, Maldives, Vietnam, Dubai or Bali. Bali, for instance, has

thousands of hotels on a small island location. Given the pipeline of
hotels in India, we are staring at a situation where talent may be in a

crunch if not already.

PRABHAT VERMA developing the talent pool for tomorrow. IHCL has collaborated
with international universities such as ESSEC Business School,
Executive Vice President – Operations, South India, France and Les Roche, Switzerland to offer key talent advanced
International & Ancillary Businesses, IHCL education opportunities such as MSc in Hospitality and Executive
MBAs respectively. Senior leadership inputs are also provided
IHCL is an organisation that invests in its people. They are at the through Advanced Management Programmes with INSEAD and
heart of all that we do. As the fastest growing hospitality company reputed educational institutes.
in India, we are constantly working towards creating and
Internally, we have a comprehensive plan in place to build
capacity and capability of colleagues across hierarchy. As an
organisation, we offer learning and growth opportunities for our
employees through various programme offerings such as SPEED,
Talent Identification and Development Initiatives (TIDI) and
Leadership Development and Assessment centres. High potential
talent are identified through these programmes and provided all
developmental opportunities to ensure we have a ready pipeline
of talent available to support the growth agenda of the
organisation. For our new businesses like ama, Qmin, 7 Rivers as
well as for Jiva spas, our in-house training academies build
capabilities and offer certification.

Learning and development is continuously piloting newer
technologies to increase the reach and effectiveness of the
learning methodologies. Exposure to international hotels and key
hotels within the group is a very successful learning methodology
which is a combination of experiencing and then implementing
new processes.

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ROHIT KHOSLA trades and are structured as practical short courses with in-built
on-the-job exposure, training in soft skills and in basic English as
Executive Vice President – Operations, well. Over 85 per cent of these trained youth secure immediate
North and West India, IHCL job placements in the hotel and service industry. The company
continues to build a quality talent pipeline for the hospitality
As an industry leader, IHCL is committed to nurture and contribute industry with an aim to develop and support deserving youth and
in providing best of talent to the Indian hospitality industry. their families in the country.
Towards the same, we have undertaken numerous initiatives over
the years. Last year, we partnered with CII and EHL Education
Group, Switzerland to offer a professional diploma programme to
hospitality industry students at CII’s Vocational Education and
Training by EHL (VET by EHL) Learning Centres across India.

Apart from this, some of the Group’s key initiatives include
our livelihood programmes under which we train underprivileged
and school dropouts as per industry requirements. We have
partnered with top institutes across India for training and
certification programmes. IHCL’s Building Livelihood Programme
has trained and certified over 20,000 youth so far. Many of them
have got employed and some have become entrepreneurs.
Taking ahead our commitment, IHCL is committed to skilling and
impacting the livelihood of over 1 lakh youth in India by 2030.

IHCL, along with Tata Strive, at present, runs skill centres
across India. A large number of these skill training efforts have
been in housekeeping, F&B services, spa, kitchen and bakery

GAURAV SINGH

Market Vice President – South & East India, Bangladesh
& Sri Lanka, Marriott International

At Marriott, attracting and nurturing talent is one of the core
pillars that supports and drives our growth strategy. In the last 23
years of our presence in India, Marriott has set new benchmarks
in HR practices and associate engagement. One of Marriott’s
best-known practices is to refer to all employees as ‘associates’
which symbolises respect and equality. Training and mentoring
are part of our leaders’ balanced scorecard. In addition, Marriott
invests in training systems and learning is woven into our long-
range strategic planning.

We recognise that we are at the cusp of a seismic change.
Potential employees look at the opportunity in the industry in very
different terms than the past generation of hospitality

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TALENT POOL

professionals. Throughout the last century, a career in the hotel that we hope to unlock. The English language has been a marker
industry meant stretched hours and inadequate pay. However, of knowledge and proficiency in the industry for an extended
this was worn as a badge of honour amongst the regimental period. Can we question this established dogma and focus on
workforce of past generations. There is a clear shift in the the ethos of service attitude? Genuineness, sincerity and
hierarchy of needs. At Marriott, we hope to flip this definition of a empathy? This language liberalisation can open up a new genre
hotel career – smart hours and just pay. Widening the base of the for hospitality. The hospitality industry has been a massive
qualified workforce, facilitating remote work and carrying our exporter of talent.
pride are all within the ambit of talent management. As we
measure the hours, we also measure the efficiency of redundant As a country, we must stem that tide and arrest the talent
processes. We ask ourselves, will every new layer of technology drain with opportunities that appeals to this diaspora. The growth
change the quality of interaction with our guests and associates? of the industry is a fait accompli. The pertinent question is
whether hospitality can channel the energy of the millennials and
There is a latent and untapped potential in Tier III cities Gen Zs in a meaningful and engaging way.

ATUL BHALLA development in Indian hospitality was undertaken by industry body
CII by introducing an 18-month Vocational Education and Training
Area Manager – West & East ITC Hotels and (VET) Professional Diploma programme by the Ecole Hôtelière de
General Manager – ITC Maratha Lausanne/ EHL Education Group of Switzerland at ITC Hotels across
the country. The programme is aimed at enhancing the skill set of
Investing time and interaction in new talent pool should be the long- enthusiastic hospitality students and enables aspiring candidates to
term strategy for organisations. Definition of job satisfaction for Gen Z receive the best of both hands-on training at ITC Hotels across the
is very different from Gen X and the millennials. We need to decode country, in every region as well as an in-depth understanding of hotel
the mind-set of Gen Z which is not just a developing recruitment pool operations by subject matter experts. This knowledge exchange
for the hospitality industry but will make for the prospective customers programme is beyond geographical and classroom boundaries and is
aiding business sustenance. As thought leaders, we need to really on to prepare a unique talent pool for the industry.
deep-dive into these younger generations’ expectations and lifestyle
perceptions. While this can be immediately addressed through regular
hospitality clinics in hotel management institutes with under-trainees
and undergrads to sensitise them with the business realities and
perks, equal weightage has to be laid upon academic infrastructure
that needs to catch up with relevant skill training.

The healthy resurgence of hospitality with a pent-up demand
is here to stay as one of the fastest growing sectors in recent times.
It will be upon the senior leadership at any hotel/ hospitality chain to
harbour the change of post-pandemic business mix and manage the
expectation of workforce by aligning the talent practices/ training
structures that are more relevant to the present times and are
competitive in larger spectrum of industries. I feel some of the factors
such as defining career pathways and unique benefits, including
competitive wages, flexible schedules, multi-functional growth
aspect, travel discounts and job advancement opportunities, will play
a huge role in attracting the right talent sets to the sector and retaining
them.

At ITC Hotels, there are regular apprenticeship programmes
offered for diploma holders with guided modules and structured on-
job training programmes. Earlier, in 2021, a significant initiative for skill

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BENITA SHARMA

Area Manager – Luxury Collection Hotels (North) and
General Manager – ITC Maurya

Good talent is and will continue to be of utmost importance for any
industry, especially hospitality which is a people’s business. The
availability of trainable resources having English as a mode of expression
also augurs well for the industry. Obviously, with fast growth in both
tourism and hospitality, the demand for cutting edge talent will accelerate.
Resources being always limited within organisations, one would have to
exploit the industry – educational institutions partnership model. The

industry would have to adopt schools of hospitality and craft. ZUBIN SONGADWALA
Going by the axiom ‘hire for attitude, train for skills’, the industry
Area Manager – ITC Hotels and
additionally would have to hire people with the right attitude and General Manager – ITC Grand Chola
disposition and train them in-house. Business would have to become a
nursery for talent. The importance of retaining and growing talent would ITC Grand Chola has always believed in its associates being the
also assume a greater significance. Organisations would have to redefine core of its business as people are the fulcrum of the hospitality
work cultures, where associates can have free expression and are given industry. Nowhere did we epitomise our firm faith and loyalty by our
a sense of inclusiveness. Organisations would also have to give faster people than during the Covid19 pandemic. Salaries were protected
growth to their trained resources even if that may mean losing them to despite the strained economic realities. Also, we incorporated a
competition. slew of engagement and training programmes to ensure we keep
pace with the changing momentum and new developments. These
ITC has a very large infrastructure dedicated exclusively to the included (and are ongoing) wellness programmes on physical and
training of its resources at Gurgaon which is being used for purposes of mental health for the employees and their families, team building
in-house education and talent development. Additionally, we manage activities, sports for bonding (cricket, football, carrom, etc), hosting
and run an education institute with the Pai Foundation at Manipal. All our tea with HR and open forum with the General Manager and staff
big hotels are also used as hubs for skill development facilitated by our welfare meetings among others.
Learning Services Managers. Mentoring of resources is considered an
essential part of every leadership position. Work from anywhere and With regard to training, 1,800 training man-hours took place
flexibility has gained significant importance during the pandemic and is on the premises during the period of the pandemic. We also
here to stay. At ITC, we have always believed and nurtured a gender instituted a WelcomAchievers 2.0 programme to recognise ace
balanced, gender diverse and inclusive workforce that strengthens our performers and shining stars. All testing, vaccinations and
business productivity. hospitalisations were taken care of by the hotel so that every
associate felt protected and safe. Every associate has been double
vaccinated.

We nurture and retain talent through timely appraisals,
regular feedback, appropriate guidance, thoughtful succession
planning, regular topical and developmental training. We also have
a flexible work policy, including work from home, timings to support
work-life balance, extended childcare leave, paternity leave and
caregiver travel support among others.

Ours is an inclusive, diversity-friendly ecosystem and all our
policies are forward-looking. We thus enjoy great repute in the
marketplace as a most desirable place to work in. We are sure we
will continue evolving with the changing times to always do our best
by our people.

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JAVED ALI options, learning on the move, mobile apps, video-based learning
and gamification – fostering affinity with learning group, linking growth
Senior Regional Director, Operations, South Asia – with learning
Radisson Hotel Group
Performance incentives based on goal achievement
I feel that stepping up to understand and respond to changing Social responsibility and community engagement: Instilling
consumer behaviour as well as adopting new practices and ensuring pride in being part of an organisation that takes care of people, the
flexible ways of working for employees have played a key role in the planet and the community.
sector’s ongoing recovery. Hoteliers are now in a transformational Career development & advancement opportunities:
period of finding new ways to adapt to the evolving industry to change Domestically and overseas
this reality. At Radisson Hotel Group, our people are at the core of our
business success and future. Keeping in mind the growing demand,
the challenge to hire good talent remains to be a key issue across the
industry. We are committed to growing and promoting talent keeping
the below key aspects in mind:

Recruitment: ‘Hire for attitude and train for skills’.
Onboarding: Innovative, engaging, and on-point, with a warm
welcome to the hotel, so that a new employee integrates quickly and
finds an affiliation with the new team
Regular touchpoints with team members during the early
days: 21-day follow-up – coffee or breakfast with hotel leaders,
listening in, pulse check – to demonstrate interest in team member’s
workplace satisfaction
Workplace culture: Fair and respectful treatment, focus on
each team member’s growth and development
Learning & Development: Very high focus – online learning

MAHESH AIYER

CEO, Carnation Hotels

We have a very sharp process of identifying our future leaders, through our
High Potential (HiPot) and Super High Achievers (SHA) programme. Every
potential future leader at Lemon Tree Hotels has an Individual Development
Plan (IDP), which is tracked and monitored at the senior level by mentors in
our corporate office. Our fast expansion has also helped in retaining and
promoting talent, as we promote mostly internally for new properties, and this
gives an opportunity for career development for high potential employees.
When it comes to retention, we have a clear strategy on employee
segmentation, and monitoring attrition across segments. We want it to be
least (below 10 per cent) in the HiPot and SHA segment, which is comprised
of high performing employees who fall in the critical for customer and critical
for business segment. For other segments, we continue to monitor attrition,
while also training and upskilling internal candidates to prepare them for the
next role, in case a vacancy comes up. As we sign more hotels and aim to
double our inventory in a few years, we have numerous opportunities of
vertical and horizontal growth for internal candidates in our system.

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COVER STORY

SANJAY KAUSHIK

Senior Regional Director, Operations, South Asia –
Radisson Hotel Group

Finding and retaining good talent has been the hardest test for the
hospitality industry, given the challenges posed by the pandemic.
However, given the changing business environment, the industry is
now adopting the new normal ways of working and is opening doors
to people from various other industries. Flexibility and agility is the
way ahead and industries like banks, hospitals, airlines, retail etc are
bringing new prospect to the hospitality business. Upskilling and
giving growth opportunities by keeping colleagues engaged through
incentives and courses is what we foresee attracting new talent
within the system. Providing certified crash or business courses
from recognised academic bodies always value adds to people’s
acumen and big motivator to develop loyalties.

VIKRAMJIT SINGH

President, Lemon Tree Hotels

Talent is a most crucial pillar for Lemon Tree Hotels, especially as we
are looking to expand to double our inventory in the next six to
seven years. Talent acquisition, development, retention and
engagement are all integral sub pillars, and are interlinked to the
culture of our company. We strongly believe in our hiring motto, ‘We
recruit for attitude and train for skill’. We have numerous robust
training programmes to cover all levels of talent and are constantly
re-inventing the speed and quality of this processes. We recruit
talent from all sources, including Employees with Disability (EwD)
and those from Economically and Socially Challenged Backgrounds
(EcoSoc), as long as they have a great attitude and showcase a
willingness to learn. Further, once a person joins our team, our
transparent, fun, non-bureaucratic and communicative culture helps
us listen to them faster and to make necessary adjustments at
individual levels. It’s this culture that keeps employees engaged,
and allows them to share their thoughts and ideas and to add value
to the system. n

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DID YOU KNOW?

THE HOTEL THAT STANDS
IN TWO NATIONS

The Hotel Arbez is located both in Switzerland and in France, as
the border runs through it. The Swiss-French border bisects the
honeymoon suite’s bed as well as divides the dining room, kitchen,
hallway, and several rooms. Located in the tiny village of La Cure,
it was built by a private landowner and businessman to specially
take advantage of an impending border adjustment between the
two countries. While the bar is located entirely in France, the upper
half of the stairway lies in Switzerland. At present, Hotel Arbez is
operated by the French company, SARL Arbez Franco Suisse, which
pays taxes equally to both the countries.

TOURISM
REVIVAL:
OPTIMISM
& WORRIES

BY MP BEZBARUAH

FAVOURABLE THERE IS optimism and confidence in the air load factor is reported to be around 85 per cent
TRENDS ARE for tourism and hospitality sector, both locally as against 49 per cent in May 2021 and 90 per
and globally. The revival process is undoubtedly cent in May 2019. This implies that domestic
SHOWING gathering pace with international arrivals having tourism is almost back to pre-pandemic level.
AVERAGE increased 182 per cent year-on-year in Q1 As the economy gathers steam, the threat of
OCCUPANCY 2022 to an estimated 117 million international Covid19 recedes and confidence returns,
IN THE HOTELS arrivals. Such strong rebound notwithstanding domestic tourism is sure to surge ahead.
AS WELL AS international tourism still remained 61 per cent
IN AVERAGE below the pre-pandemic level. The favourable trends are showing
REVENUE average occupancy in the hotels as well as in
PER ROOM The good news, however, is the apparent average revenue per room. In brief, industry
return of confidence in travel. The latest analysts have considered that the recovery of
UNWTO Confidence Index survey indicates that the hotel sector is back on course with all the
81 per cent of tourism professionals see better parameters like occupancy, ADR and RevPAR
prospects for 2022 and that a higher number of higher than their pre-pandemic levels. There
experts (48 per cent) now see a potential return are, however, regional variations, western and
of international arrivals to 2019 levels in 2023. southern regions showing better results in
general than the rest. These figures again are
However, as expected domestic tourism subject to seasonal variations and local
has been the main driver of tourism growth in conditions.
2022. The estimated domestic passenger’s

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MP BEZBARUAH

As optimism returns and the tourism and unexplored destinations and locations. THE
hospitality sector recovers, it is a time to think The new trend of working brought in by HOSPITALITY
of major policy initiatives on two fronts. First, SECTOR
learning lessons from the pandemic, to prepare the pandemic, facilitated by rapid advances in SHOULD SET
against future shocks – like economic safety technology, making it possible to combine AN EXAMPLE IN
net for the vulnerable sections, greater leisure with pleasure and work, is defining travel NOT RELAXING
coordination among the states on health and in more than one way. The workstation idea ON HEALTH
travel protocols as well as on relief measures. perhaps will change business travel considerably. PRECAUTIONS
Accor CEO has said that while their business is AND
Second urgent action needed to meet the booming and Paris is in “fire”, 20-25 per cent of INSISTING ON
future challenges, of sustainability, of creating business travellers are not coming back and OBSERVANCE
accommodation by according incentives like perhaps will never come back. Staycation and OF THE
infrastructure status, expanding access to leisure tourism rule the roost now. PROTOCOLS
destinations and spreading destinations to ease BY THE
carrying capacity and so on. For example, the In many countries, hotels are facing TRAVELLERS
distribution of tourists, domestic and shortage of staff to service the customers. In
international, is rather skewed so far. The top 10 Europe and elsewhere, the most disturbing
states/ UTs get 87.2 per cent of foreign tourists post-Covid19 experience has been labour
and 87 per cent of domestic visits. The other 26 shortage, caused by people who moved due to
states/ UTs receive on an average 0.5 per cent closure or decline of business or people moving
of arrivals. jobs looking for better options. Accor, for
example, reported a loss of about 15 per cent
While the signs of recovery are very labour. The severe impact of labour shortage
optimistic, there are worries and uncertainties on the civil aviation services in Europe has been
too. Occasional recurrence of the virus in widely reported. In hospitality, some industry
different parts of the world, still uncertain stalwarts have termed it a “wakeup” call to look
behaviour of the monkey pox, the volatile global at working pattern, pay, nature of staffing and
geo-political situation and looming threat of management structures.
recession in major economies like USA always
keep the industry on its toes. It is also necessary It has been mentioned that the younger
to abreast of the emerging trends in the world generation are neither attached to fixed jobs
and their likely impact on India. With the festival nor are enthused by traditional concept of
season approaching the demand is expected to loyalty and look for flexibility. Some of the
surge and the tendency to relax on health and reported figures are indeed worrying. One
safety protocols may be strong. The hospitality report says that Spain where tourism accounts
sector should set an example in not relaxing at for 13 per cent of economic activity and
all on the health precautions and insisting on Portugal with 15 per cent are experiencing
observance of the protocols by the travellers. shortage of 200,000 and 15,000 workers
respectively. Similar reports say that to
Airbnb is reportedly introducing a new overcome such problems Europe’s largest hotel
concept of “live and work anywhere”. It chain, Accor is experimenting with recruitment
combines the changed work process of people without any past experience.
“unfettered to office” with the desire and
requirement of leisure. According to Airbnb the As the future unfolds there will perhaps
scheme is working well in non-metro areas be continuous experimentation to find solutions
where local communities drive down to nearby to emerging challenges. As Friedrich Nietzsche
locations for work and long stay. It is also said “the future influences the present just as
happening in India too. If it gains momentum, it much as the past”. n
may change the complexion of tourism in the
country and spread tourism to hitherto AUTHOR BIO: MP Bezbaruah,
Secretary General, Hotel Association of India

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IT’S ALL ABOUT
THE PROVERBIAL
‘LEAP OF FAITH’’

HOSPITALITY BY MOHANKUMAR PK Hospitality industry, at present, is
INDUSTRY, AT undergoing a major churn in terms of coping up
THE GENERAL Managers of hotels and resorts with Gen X and Gen Y having gotten used to
PRESENT, IS have a tremendous opportunity to take the WFH, furlough and scaled down operations
UNDERGOING A plunge, given the new norm of intense focus on during the pandemic. Many professionals at
MAJOR CHURN cost optimisation and automation. They have to supervisory, management and skill levels got
set in motion an exercise, identifying key used to experiencing a less stressful balanced
IN TERMS OF competency job roles. Based on ABC ratings, life, allowing them to spend quality time with their
COPING UP they retain the ones who have the potential to be nuclear families. Besides, they could pursue
WITH GEN X multifunctional and multi-skilled associates and interests beyond their immediate job, explore
AND GEN Y are capable of expanding capacity to deliver hidden talent and look for alternatives beyond
more with limited resources. industry assignments. Most of them began
HAVING GOTTEN pondering over the vulnerability of the industry’s
USED TO WFH, ‘first and worst to be affected’ risk profile. This
triggered off career change search to safer and
FURLOUGH AND more stable segments like banks, hospitals and
SCALED DOWN start-up entrepreneurship in standalone F&B
business space in their hometowns. As most of
OPERATIONS them are young-double income-no kids’ couples
willing to seek work-life balance, enabling jobs to
augment their income even if it means a lower
salary but better family life.

Although the revival of business is filling
up hotel rooms, banquet halls and footfalls as
also boosting ARRs, it is not enough to cope up
with the inflation and natural rise in input costs,
thus narrowing margins. The new management
mantra is all about no frills, no freebies, a mix of
high and basic yield-centric value and volume-
driven sales while cutting down on staff ratios,
energy conservation and zero waste merely to
manoeuvre around this road to recovery and

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88

MOHANKUMAR PK

consolidation on RevPAR to re-establish market Training kitchen at THE PROBLEM
share dominance in the long-term. Organised Lexicon Institute of OF PLENTY
branded players as well as unorganised MSME Hotel Management HAS TAKEN
sector in the lodging and catering industry have THE ENTIRE
had to do right sizing of human resources across Indian way of hospitality, getting our guests used INDUSTRY BY
the board to stay on board. to being pampered with overwhelming service SURPRISE WITH
through multitudes of associates are now getting THE IRONY OF
We are familiar with weekend exodus from to be extremely challenging even for an exclusive ‘HOUSEFUL
metros to drivable getaway resorts as the new premium brand with shrinking clientele. The BUSINESS AND
phenomenon. The biggest beneficiaries have 5W1H of What, When, Where, Why, Who & How SCRAMBLING
been leisure resorts within a five-hour drive of this “change” depends on industry stakeholders FOR TALENT’
location from a big city. Almost sold-out who have to tackle the ongoing challenges on a
occupancies back-to-back with family stays, crisis management mission mode as talent
weddings and birthday events have turbo- crunch is spiralling rapidly.
propelled the recovery phase remarkably well
over the last quarter. Even better is the current Herein lies the vexed “to be or not to be”
quarter (2) which has reported an upswing for all dilemma. The future, as is increasingly evident, is
city hotels with near full occupancies and back to all about “redefinition of service offerings”
pre-pandemic ARRs. (personalise luxury/ full/select/ limited), embracing
wholesale automation including extolling the
This problem of plenty has taken the entire guests to play their role (refer co-creating with the
industry by surprise with the irony of ‘houseful customer) to live the experience and derive
business and scrambling for talent’. It brings us maximum value for self. When and who will initiate
to the unprecedented challenges of ‘wooing both a very bold disruptive “service concept” of
the trained and fresh hotel management minimal or limited service component in all areas
graduates as well as the pool of skilled school of a hotel starting from the lobby reception to all
freshers for shop-floor work to rethink on shifting F&B facilities is now a matter of time with the bold
away from their core industry of hospitality.’ and daring brand coming out openly and claim
the first industry move.
The hotel industry is no longer an attractive
career choice for bright, new gen high performers
who are unhappy with work-life balance in terms
of workplace hours, below par salary levels, no
flexibility on timing or days to choose for WFH,
highly demanding customer pressures leading to
stress and servient kind of atmosphere and a
high risk volatile industry. When compared to
other industries, compensation and perks are
limited for managerial aspirants. Then there is
stifling atmosphere in a top-driven hierarchical
culture and limited career growth up to mid-
management roles only, leisure destinations don’t
have adequate infra for families like healthcare,
quality education, leisure activities, access to
airports for a quick getaway to hometown and
back, seasonality in business means all incentives
are subject to revenue depleted during low
seasons.

Given that almost all these factors are not
going to quickly disappear especially on the

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89

MOST NEW In this futuristic scenario in India, upmarket Employees at Lemon
YOUNG hotels are already re-strategising their service Tree Hotels
philosophy to move into an unobtrusive smart
MOBILE SAVVY way of gaining maximum benefit with minimum executing no frills but efficient time sensitive
WORKFORCE smart staff and minimum human service aided by service in tune with the new age business/ holiday
IS WIRED FOR automation. As a matter of fact, the new internet- traveller. The world is ready to embrace the
EXECUTING savvy Gen XY associates (executive and skilled change and change we must.
NO FRILLS workforce) indoctrinated by the global trend of
“smart lifestyle” are simply ready to move into this While these are conducive to getting back
BUT EFFICIENT new-age “DIY” work environment. the top performers into a new work ethos of “less
TIME SENSITIVE is more” with a promise of services sector
In order to future proof the hotel operations benchmarked compensation packages, these
SERVICE IN and business, the hotel GMs need to dramatically boys and girls thus incentivised will flag of a
TUNE WITH change their mind-set and lead a major reverse flow of talent trend to the hospitality
THE NEW AGE transformative leap into the next practices as industry. The entire concept of “best pay to best
BUSINESS/ envisaged here. Only those who dare and take talent” will easily offset from savings gained from
the plunge to bring about a platonic shift in the right sizing exercise put in place to make up for
HOLIDAY way in which hotels and resorts are managed the enhanced pay packages to the ‘A’ level smart
TRAVELLER globally will go beyond this point of uncertainty associates now limited in numbers, very similar to
enveloping our domestic industry today. the successful models in the developed world.

Nevertheless, this will be a painful-fail The new millennium hotel GMs themselves
prone movement forward. However, with a have to be able to ride this new wave of value-
carefully planned out strategy and a realistic driven cost-centric smart hotels & resorts striving
execution plan with contingencies provided hard to perfect the art, science and maths of
complete with total buy in from all stakeholders at hospitality while ensuring it is leading to
all levels, the hotel leadership can initiate a trial sustainable business growth and expansion for
phase of a few selected areas of the hotel. Most the owner/ operator/ brand and most importantly,
new young mobile savvy workforce is wired for for all the members of the team. n

AUTHOR BIO: Mohankumar PK,
Founder & CEO, Turnstone Hospitality LLP

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YATEENDRA SINH

THE PAST,
PRESENT AND
FUTURE OF
HOSPITALITY
EDUCATION

BY YATEENDRA SINH

THE BETTER THE LACK of quality education in the hospitality institutions were content-ready, the best hotel
INSTITUTIONS sector leads to a corresponding scarcity of talented companies preferred attitude over knowledge.
employees. Nowhere was this seen as prominently Now, this was an ideal example of working for
SOON as in the last century ie the period between 1900 cross-purposes and thus resulting in ‘scarcity’ of
FOCUSSED ON and 2000. The hotel, restaurant, tourism and talent.
THE EMPLOYER services’ companies continued to complain about
the availability and quality of employees. In terms Between the period of 2001 to 2022, there
AS THE END of quality and quantity, graduate output was was a realisation within hospitality academia that
CUSTOMER AND inadequate. Thus, the scarcity. The focus of skill training was no longer adequate and that
education and curriculums was to train students in listening or learning to their clients was a key to
THE STUDENT hard skills and service procedures so the topics good educational curriculum. Then started a
AS THEIR frequently included: debate: Who was the customer – the student who
PRODUCT studies at the school, the parent who pays the
Food knowledge tuition fees, the government or the licensing or
Soups, stocks meat cuts and cooking proce- accreditation agency or the customer of the
dures industry who employs these graduates? The better
Service technique equipment etc institutions soon focussed on the employer as the
Front office, check-in, checkout, baggage hand- end customer and the student as their product.
ling etc Accordingly, curriculums were adapted and faculty
Housekeeping, cleaning techniques and man- asked to stay relevant with real examples of
power rostering etc. industry and case studies within their courses.
Course topics which got added onto the past skill
Though graduates from hotel management

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91

courses included human resource management, times throughout their lives – going to study HOSPITALITY
marketing, accounting and finance, revenue whenever they need new ‘toolkits’ for business PROGRAMMES
management and more. success. OF THE FUTURE
WILL HAVE
Despite this change being welcomed by SOFT SKILLS PREDOMINANT
the stakeholders, the hospitality industry still Hospitality programmes of the future will have FOCUS ON
complained about ‘scarcity’ of talent. So, it was as predominant focus on acquiring soft skills – critical ACQUIRING
an effortless exercise as the net result remained thinking, public speaking, problem-solving, SOFT SKILLS
the same in the present phase of hospitality leadership, ethics etc. All these are areas which – CRITICAL
education. This ‘scarcity’ was further increased will enhance the emotional quotient of the THINKING,
with labour loss experienced during the period of graduate. Soft skills form the core of customer PUBLIC
the pandemic which scarred the industry satisfaction, the main target for any hospitality SPEAKING,
dramatically. employee. PROBLEM-
SOLVING,
Though it is almost impossible to predict STUDENT AGES WILL VARY GREATLY LEADERSHIP,
future, herein is an attempt for the period between With the advent of lifelong learning, capacity ETHICS...
2023 and 2033. refreshment and shorter programmes, we will also
have diverse age members of cohorts. The future
ABUNDANCE OF INFORMATION teams will comprise all age brackets and professors
Data is now easy to find so the internet makes will have to creatively ensure respect and
every student, professor, parent and employer knowledge exchange within first career, second
equal as for as the basics of hospitality are career and third career classmates. Thus, schools
concerned. One doesn’t really need to go to a of the future will be a diplomatic balancing act. The
hotel school to learn about stocks, soups and best advantage of older cohort members will be
recipes or the difference between a club and grilled that they transfer life experiences to the younger
cheese sandwich. In this paradigm of abundant members – if all parties can respect one another.
information, what good education will do is help
the student analyse and conclude what is MICRO ENTERPRISES – WEB 3.0, 4.0…
actionable knowledge and discard the rest as raw The future of hospitality is aggregated ecosystems
data. So, the skill of the future is epistemology – of microenterprises. The movement has already
what constitutes knowledge. started with online booking companies, food
delivery agents, flexible part-time employees and
BLENDED LEARNING guests who seek multiple levels of service delivery
Education of the future is no longer limited to etc. This change will sweep through education as
classrooms and full-time contact in a campus. well. Since good education prepares graduates for
Courses will be delivered part-contact, part-digital, industry, institutions will also be forced to practise
some simultaneously and some as self-paced what they preach; curriculums will have greater
learning. In general, physical and virtual learning content on diversity, entrepreneurship, financial
worlds will become seamless to the advantage of agility etc. Likewise, the faculty will be a grouping
the learner. of senior professors who run their own enterprises.
This will be fantastic for all concerned and each
ACHIEVEMENT LEVELS – NOT DEGREES course will become a live example of the new
The present time ladder of education is: world of microenterprise and self-responsibility.

12 or 13 years of schooling Finally, I forecast that having lived the past
+ 4 years to a bachelor’s degree and present of talent ‘scarcity’, we are at the leap-
+ 2 years to achieve a masters off point to abundance of talent and an exciting
+ 3 years to a PhD future for individuals and organisations who do the
right things for themselves and humanity. n
This time-scale past high school will be
fragmented into multiple smaller achievements AUTHOR BIO: Yateendra Sinh is
and academic recognitions and inspired by Principal, YS & Associates
gamification tiers and status levels. Over the next
decade or two, we forecast that the students will
move between study and work seamlessly multiple

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92

MARKET ANALYSIS

A 339.3% YOY
REVPAR GROWTH

INDIAN HOSPITALITY SECTOR WITNESSES
AN EXPONENTIAL GROWTH IN Q2, 2022,

AT PAN-INDIA LEVEL

BY BWH BUREAU

PRIMARILY DRIVEN by the demand for weddings and events as conferences being planned.
well as stellar recovery of corporate travel, the Indian hospitality The total number of hotel signings in Q2 2022 stood at
sector witnessed strong growth in Q2 (April-June) 2022. In Q2
2021, not only the country but the entire world was in the middle 47 hotels with 4,010 keys. The hotel signings witnessed a
of the second wave of the pandemic and it had a significant significant increase of 90.9 per cent as compared to signings in
impact on the performance of the hospitality sector. As a result, Q2 2021. Domestic operators dominated signings over
Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) witnessed an exponential international operators with a ratio of 52:48 in terms of inventory
growth of 339.3 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in Q2 2022 over Q2 volume.
2021. Furthermore, the sector witnessed a stellar 44.6 per cent
growth at a Pan-India level in RevPAR compared to Q1 2022
wherein the sector was still emerging from the third wave of the
pandemic, according to JLL’s Hotel Momentum India (HMI) Q2,
2022.

The demand across the sector soared during Q2 2022
primarily driven by weddings and Meetings, Incentives,
Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) and business travel.
Furthermore, corporate MICE demand also witnessed a recovery
in the form of corporate off-sites, team meetings, training and
so on. Domestic leisure continued to be an important segment
during this period driven by the pent-up demand of travellers
who had not experienced a summer vacation for the past two
years.

The next two quarters are expected to remain busy on
the back of domestic leisure amidst long weekends and
festivals. Business travel will continue to grow and will remain
the main demand driver for the sector. Whilst wedding and
social function demand will continue to be an important driver,
MICE demand is expected to witness an uptick in the coming
months with many corporate meetings and large format

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MARKET ANALYSIS

Hotel Momentum India (HMI)

Quarterly Hospitality Monitor Q2 2022

Key Hotel Market Performance Q2 2022 Performance Trend Chart

Q2 2022 ADR (in INR)

10,000 90

Cities Change over same period last year 9, 00 0 Gurugram 80
Goa
RevPAR AOR ADR 8, 00 0 Mumbai 70
Change (%) change (pp) change (%) ADR / REVPAR (IN INR) 7, 00 0 Hyderabad 60
6, 00 0 Chennai 50 OCCUPANCY (%)
Bengaluru 660.1 54.7 83.8 5, 00 0 Bengaluru Delhi Goa Jaipur Kolkata 40
Chennai 227.5 32.4 68.7 4, 00 0 JaiHpyurderabad Mumbai 30
310.5 38.2 86.0 3, 00 0 Ahmedabad Chennai Pune20
Delhi 564.5 53.9 66.4 2, 00 0 Bengaluru Delhi 10
Goa 326.0 41.4 71.8 1, 00 0
Hyderabad 314.7 39.2 109.5
Mumbai 00

Source: STR RevPAR: Increase Stable Decrease Source: STR

Review Highlights AlIl nsdixusketyrymNaerkwetss witnessed exponential growth in
RevPAR levels in Q2 2022 as compared to Q2 2021, due to the
• All six key markets continued to witness a y-o-y growth in
RevPAR in Q2 2022 compared to Q1 2022, when the low• baCsheoicweitHnoetseslseidnklsas15t -yeaarrmdausrtienrgfrathncehissecaognredemweanvte of the
pandewmiitch ScuobuapGlerdouwp iothf HtohtelssitneIllnadriapaedrfdoinrmg a2n,2c0e0 koefysthtoe itssector
WE cEouXntPry wEaCs amTidsTt tHhe sIeSconMd wOaveMof tEheNpanTdUemMic. this yeeaxri.stBinegnpgoarltuforulioeomf 2e,r9g0e0dkeayss. tJhLeL wRaesvtPhAeRexgclruoswivteh leader in
• Goa remains the RevPAR leader in absolute terms in Q2 Q2 20a2d2virseogrifsotretrhinisgtraangsraocwtiothn.of 660.1 per cent over Q2 2021,
TO CONTINUE ON THE2022 compared to Q2 2021 on the account of 53.9%p
increase in occupancy levels. followed by Goa and Hyderabad with YoY growth of 564.5 per
BACK OF LONG WEEKENDS, cen•t aJnudjh3a2r 6Grpoeurpcheanstexrepsapnedcedtiviteslyo.perations to enter the
• Bengaluru saw the steepest increase in RevPAR in Q2 2022, h“oWspitihtaliteyxspecotnoernintiIanldiagwroitwhtthhe aaccqruoissistionaoll f thpee1rf3o0rmance
FpwEriethvSiaou6Ts60yI.Ve1a%rA. gLroSwth,coWmpEareDd tDo thIeNsaGmeSpe,riod in the tinhdeicreavtIkNoievrRyassl6iFo7na.f5ibirncfuirvesoeldirsnebte.oysrsMinaatrneridroetlstethisoautnerdel indeAsmtirnitastairofnrosm, QN2CL2T0f2o2r marks
stakeholder profitability in the
EV• ETNotaTl nSo. of&signBingUs inSQI2N202E2 SstoSod aTt 4R7 hAoteVls EwitLh
4,010 keys, which is 90.9% of more rooms signed in Q2 hstcoeoocntt•ehttolienr.bThuionhoeWevdetdteeeauGrlxtsaeaooetlcxodrl cpygddao.ersetmocam1Awtmn2sa,td%ohnsSdidfbsueraoumrmtrvmiseoimoicsnnJemueeupslrstelrTyisinnhca1tgeoxu8dtl(,imriGdn2auSa0pvtaTy2eot2)slor.CceoIooanNfunnefRentdwi1rcnee0iuld0dcae0onacorpnopveofnouerufrrrdniatdathctheyeeeendsrhcntoiaemheflaflxip-tntseiftttehuewess
2021.
qevuea•nrttesaNr,nseanwnoudDnalebftlehhueiesMfionburenagsicrcsakipntatorlaafCvnloedorlnpreegonvreaewwtnieolayenlkoc(eNfonvDnadMtrsriCoi,bu)ufisenttsicnrtragievdaaetslosesdl,itchtwehinseesdegdsroinwgtsh,
• Domestic operators dominated signings over international story,”fosr a20y2s2-J2a3,idinecelupdinDgatnhgo,seMfoarnhaogtienlsganDdirgeucetsotrh, ouHsoetseblsy and
operators with 52:48 ratio in terms of inventory volume. Hospituaplittyo GINroRu9p,8,0S0.outh Asia, JLL. n

Supply & DemaBnWHdOTELIER JULY-AUGUST 2022 www.bLwehaotdeleierr.cSompeak
Growth for Six Cities 94“ Sanjay Sethi | CEO – Chalet Hotels
The stellar performance of the hospitality sector over the past few
Supply* Demand months has boosted confidence levels of hotel owners and operators.
The confidence is further amplified by the return of the business
1.6% 244%

ROTHIN BANERJEE

RWE-AEY‘NPWGAIENNDEOEEPMREERICDATTEH’E

ROTHIN BANERJEE, AREA
DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING

– DELHI-NCR, PUNJAB, HP
AND J&K AND DIRECTOR OF
ENGINEERING – TAJ PALACE,

NEW DELHI, SAYS HE IS
ALWAYS ON LOOKOUT FOR
INNOVATIVE SYSTEMS AND

PIONEERING CONCEPTS

Tata Suite BY BWH BUREAU
Taj Palace, New Delhi
FOR CLOSE to two decades, Rothin Banerjee has been associated
with IHCL and it has been a journey which the Area Director of
Engineering - Delhi NCR, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu &
Kashmir and Director of Engineering – Taj Palace, New Delhi, says has
been absolutely delightful and enriching. “I joined the organisation back
in 2005 as Project Manager at the Taj Deccan, Hyderabad. I then
essayed a dual role, handling both operations as well as projects. From
the lobby and restaurant to the bar and the shopping arcade, for over
two years, I led major renovation based project work at the hotel, in
addition to ensuring the upgradation of the property’s MEP system,” he
says.

Thereafter, at the Taj Krishna, Hyderabad where he handled
engineering operations and spearheaded several sustainability focused
initiatives such as the centralised sewage treatment plant for two
properties (Taj Krishna and Taj Deccan), in-house lab, water treatment
for use for horticulture and cooling tower purposes, a centralised

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ENGINEERING

Water Treatment
and Bottling Plant

Lush Green Lawns responsive to change and innovation is what has greatly benefitted
Taj Palace, New Delhi many of us post the pandemic,” explains Banerjee.

laundry operation for all IHCL hotels in the city, the installation of high ENGINEERING INNOVATIONS TO SAVE ENERGY COSTS
efficiency chiller screw and magnetic, the upgradation of service Environmental stewardship as one of the key pillars of Paathya, our
elevators, installation of high efficiency boilers etc). “At the Taj Palace, initiatives to lead positive change with IHCL’s core values of trust of all
New Delhi, it has been an enriching role since 2010 when I moved to stakeholders, awareness around the needs of our ecosystem and joy
the Capital city. We remain an industry leader in the engineering domain at heart, he shares. “At Taj Palace, New Delhi, we are an EarthCheck
and have successfully pioneered a host of initiatives that have set Platinum Certified hotel and have pioneered a host of initiatives to drive
benchmarks for the hospitality industry,” shares Banerjee whose most our efforts under environmental stewardship: biogas plant; MBR & UF-
memorable experience till now has been receiving the National Energy based STP and ETP plant; chiller plant management; energy monitoring
Conservation Award in 2016 for Taj Palace, New Delhi in recognition of system; condensate heat recovery system; RE-Gen drive for elevators;
the sustainability initiatives. “To receive a recognition at national level on-site water purification and bottling plant; endo-cube device for cold
was truly an unforgettable moment,” he avers. rooms which reduces running hours of the compressor; VFD-driven
motor and AHUs; auto-tube cleaner system for chiller condenser;
CHANGE IN ROLES, POST-PANDEMIC agnisumukh burners which reduce gas consumption and heat load of
“The pandemic has been the biggest black swan event of our lives and ambient; low weight cooling tower fan etc,” Banerjee shares.
has completely re-engineered the way we operate. From exploring
systems that may reduce the efficacy of viruses to touchless operations, WATER CONSERVATION METHODS
air purification, surface treatment, UV sanitisation, electrostatic The Director of Engineering – Taj Palace, New Delhi, water conservation
precipitate devices, cam-fil, ionisation etc, we have had to go above is one of the key areas of focus and ensuring maximum recycling and
and beyond what we usually did as Chief Engineers. Being agile and reuse is the goal at the property. “We have upgraded our existing STP
& ETP with MBR & UF technology, which ensures the quality of treated
water is equivalent to that of drinkable water. The ETP plant has been
designed in a manner such that it recycles water back to laundry.
Measuring and monitoring progress is critical and our online water
monitoring system for all major areas at Taj Palace, New Delhi helps us
in our analyses,” he says.

SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES
“Our monthly team meetings ensure free flow of ideas and suggestions
for improvement. Sustainability is a continuous initiative and we are
always on the lookout for innovative systems and pioneering concepts
that will further out progress in the environment stewardship sphere,”
explains Banerjee. n

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SHATBHI BASU

THE QUEEN
OF MIXOLOGY

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F&B WORLD

SHATBHI BASU ADVISES YOUNGSTERS TO RELY ON
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND PASSION TO CREATE CONFIDENCE

AND GOOD BODY LANGUAGE TO BE SUCCESSFUL

BY SAURABH TANKHA

SHE BEGAN her life wanting to be a veterinary surgeon, then I BEGAN BY PORING OVER
moved to exploring the skills of the Chinese kitchen as a trainee BOOKS TO EDUCATE AND
chef and finally fell into the joys of mixology. “Bartending taught UPGRADE MYSELF ON THE
me to be a leader, a trainer, a writer, an author and a TV presenter. HISTORY, HERITAGE AND
I can still cook! And I’m certain there’s more to explore in the PROCESS OF ALCOHOLIC
future,” says the country’s first woman bartender, Shatbhi Basu.
BEVERAGES
When Basu was put in charge of the bar along with
restaurant operations and training, she realised her theoretical
knowledge would not be enough. “So, I began poring over books
to educate and upgrade myself on the history, heritage and
process of alcoholic beverages and in the techniques of
bartending. The more I learnt, the more interested I became and
knew that I wanted to build myself to be the best I could be in
the field of beverages,” she shares.

Born in Mombasa, Kenya where her grandfather moved
when he was 18 along with his older brother and her mother
along with her siblings. “She moved to India for further studies
and married my father in Bombay (now Mumbai) – he had left his
home in Karachi during the Partition to begin life again,” shares
Basu who studied Hotel Management from IHM Mumbai, Class
of 1980, and did her graduation in Economics by correspondence
from Osmania University.

Conventionally, a woman entering male bastion for the
first time ever is never an easy task and there are chances of
discrimination en route. “No, there was no discrimination but
challenges – we had very little to work with, very few good
equipment and not enough exposure to techniques. Books were
expensive as well so I would save from my salary to go hunting
for books in second-hand stores. They were the only source of
knowledge!” says Basu who enjoys the freedom of expression
and the joy of sharing everything she has absorbed over the
years with others so that they may enjoy and benefit from it.

Not only does she give credit to her parents but the entire
family which chipped in to assist her learning process when she
decided to be a professional bartender. “In fact, my first book on
bartending was presented to me by my aunt and mother while I
was in college. They all sent me books, magazines, menus from
around the globe and brought samples of liquids when they

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SHATBHI BASU

came to visit to help my understanding of taste profiles and training in the field. “It was the 50th year of Indian Independence
nuances. My first experience of a cocktail was at home with my and it occurred to me that 16 years after I started bartending,
father,” says Basu who has Victor Bergeron or Trader Vic as he there was still no school or course specialising in understanding
was known as, the man behind Tiki bar revolution for inspiration. beverages and mixology. I saw the gap and decided to take up
“It was his book, The Trader Vic Bartender’s Guide, that put me the challenge and begin to walk the path of academics. I’m glad
firmly on the path to where I’m today. And, of course, my family I did. It makes me so proud to see all those who passed through
– the entire extended lot – and my closest friends who stand STIR doing well and standing strong. I bask in reflected glory!”
beside me always,” adds the Queen of Mixology whose favourite shares Basu who feels one can’t be perfect.
drinks are wine and whisk(e)y as she is fascinated by them.
“You can just be the best that you can be every day,” she
On what made her once say: ‘Girls who work behind bars adds. Three qualities she says can help one become successful
in India are possibly safer and more secure than girls who go out are passion for the job, thirst for knowledge and ability to adapt
for a drink’, the world-renowned bartender shares, “Well, that’s to change and evolve.
absolutely true and I still say it. This was in response to people
questioning how safe it was working in a bar! Think about it. The For youngsters, especially girls, desirous of entering the
bar counter separates us from people outside and our fellow industry, Basu advises, “Become a bartender if you have a
bartenders are also our protectors of sorts. Nobody can get to passion for beverages. Work hard – do more than just your job
us and for most part people who come into our bars are good as that’s how you grow. Build your knowledge base – knowledge
people who show us respect. In a crowded, dark bar, on the is confidence. Build on your techniques and communication
other hand, you are more likely to get jostled or touched and skills. Learning is constant. Believe in yourself. Walk the path
hence potentially less safer than behind the bar.” that takes you where you want to be with conviction. And one
for the girls – Don’t try and be one of the boys. Rely on your
In 1997, Basu set up the STIR Academy of Bartending for knowledge, skills and passion to create confidence and good
people interested in learning about bartending and getting body language. That is what will shine the light on you.” n

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TRAVEL

‘AVIATION INDUSTRY
NEEDS TO FIND INNOVATIVE
SOLUTIONS COLLECTIVELY’

DEEPAK RAJAWAT,
CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER,
VISTARA, SAYS THEY REMAIN
COMMITTED TO DENSIFYING
THEIR DOMESTIC NETWORK

WHILE INTRODUCING
NEW ROUTES AND VIABLE

DESTINATIONS

BY SAURABH TANKHA

THE NATURE of travel has undergone tremendous transformation that the trend is likely to stay for the foreseeable future,” says Deepak
post the pandemic. Customers’ priorities have changed, with factors Rajawat, Chief Commercial Officer, Vistara.
such as safety and hygiene taking centre-stage. Increased preference
for direct connectivity to avoid exposure and due to fear of Having commenced commercial operations on January 9,
dynamically changing restrictions, especially on long-haul routes, is 2015 with an aim to set new standards in the aviation industry in
perhaps one of the most prominent travel trends that have emerged India, Vistara’s domestic market share has reached ~9 per cent,
from the pandemic. Another significant behavioural change has been highlighting its consistent growth. “We have expanded our fleet by
the rapid adoption of technology. There has been a significant over 25 per cent since April 2020 taking the count to 53, including
increase in web check-ins in the past two years which also m akes 41 Airbus A320, five Airbus A321neo, five Boeing 737-800NG and
ground operations significantly more efficient for the airlines. People two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. We are on course to ramp up
are also increasingly adopting online, self-service tools for end-to- our fleet in order to strengthen our network globally, and we expect
end transactions including booking of ancillary services and more. to take the number to 70 aircraft by 2023,” he shares.

Full-service carrier Vistara, India’s highest-rated airline on
Skytrax and TripAdvisor as also the winner of several ‘Best Airline’
awards besides being lauded for cabin cleanliness and safety
standards, has been among the first ones to introduce state-of-the-
art infrastructure and user-friendly measures for its customers.
Vistara is well-placed to cater to that requirement as more wide-
body aircraft are expected to join the fleet soon. “Our flights to
London, Frankfurt and Paris continue to perform well, establishing

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