An ideal hospitality professional is characterized by a combination of interpersonal finesse, a genuine passion for hospitality and to diverse situations, a keen eye for detail, and a commitment to continuous learning.One of the highlights of my journey has been the involvement in the preopening phase of several hotels. This exposed me to the challenges and excitement of setting up a new property, honing my skills in strategic planning and operational execution.Read MoreIn my view, passion towards your work is required to succeed in this Industry. It doesn’t matter if you are a Front Of The House employee or Back Of The House employee, you should be passionate enough for the happiness of your internal and external customers.
Read MoreUnlike most hotels which work for 6 days, we but being the leader in the industry, we have 5 days workweek for our employees.
“Be yourself and always be humble and curious to learn”
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
My tryst with hospitality began in the year 2010 and while unknown to me, my fruitful journey in HR was not planned. My learning at the hospitality school helped me become a confident and outgoing personality which truly was a life-changing element for me. It was during my industrial training, that my interest leaned towards the human resources field where I enjoyed the guest’s interactions and found happiness in assisting them. My operational journey in human resources began in 2013 with Park Hyatt Goa and I currently head the human resource vertical at Conrad Pune.
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
Success is never easy and it doesn’t come overnight. One should be constantly disciplined, passionate, and dedicated to their work. If you have the vision to grow, never hesitate, be adaptive to changes and have the will to be a lifetime learner, you will gradually succeed in this industry.
Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?
Attitude is the foremost attribute I look for – Attitude cannot be taught or inculcated, it comes within. Commitment & Ability to work with the team comes secondary. Hospitality is all about people serving people, technical knowledge can be taught or learned but if you don’t have the right attitude – organizational culture can go for a toss.
Editor: What advice would you give to a young, aspiring hotelier for their internship?
Be yourself and always be humble and curious to learn. Ask questions at every point of your training, and take every day as new learning. In order to get successful, you need to step out of your comfort zone and give your 100% at work. Be positive at every point, remember your internship will be the most difficult tenure of your degree – make the best of it.
Editor: What is the one tech/app/software feature you would like to see? This could be for guests, operations, etc.
Artificial Intelligence has been sort of dominating our industry. Personally, I would love to see software that can read the minds of employees – want to be so quick in gauging if anyone is feeling demotivated or needs immediate attention. This will help in controlling attrition and enhance work-life balance.
Editor: What is your favorite interview question and why?
What does being a Manager mean to you? This question helps me to understand how the candidate views the role of a manager and you can understand his/her thinking towards work, whether he is a potential leader or a Boss. Whether likes to give orders and demand results or work along with the team to achieve goals. His/her answers will help you to determine if the candidate is the right choice for your organization.
An ideal hospitality professional is characterized by a combination of interpersonal finesse, a genuine passion for hospitality and to diverse situations, a keen eye for detail, and a commitment to continuous learning.
One of the highlights of my journey has been the involvement in the preopening phase of several hotels. This exposed me to the challenges and excitement of setting up a new property, honing my skills in strategic planning and operational execution.In my view, passion towards your work is required to succeed in this Industry. It doesn’t matter if you are a Front Of The House employee or Back Of The House employee, you should be passionate enough for the happiness of your internal and external customers.
you are enjoying what you are doing, along with your hard work and commitment a person will definitely succeed and prosper-Neha Kumari
Read MoreConsistency & Creativity will lead you to success-Neha Rana Dutta
Read MoreWhat would you like to change in hospitality?
Hiring Process Without Resumes. Focusing solely on human potential and providing employment to anyone willing and able to work. I believe this approach is 100 % possible in Hospitality.
Read MoreWith the dynamic situation in the market, we must review our revenue targets on monthly basis & similarly review the level of manning required to serve the expected level of business.
Read MoreHuman Resource is more than a department. It is dealing with Human and their emotions. You need to be compassionate towards the employees. They expect you to listen to them and their problems and provide the best solution.
Read MoreRead MoreThe most important thing if possible will be to change the perception of people towards the work requirement of hospitality industry wherein people assume a job of a chef as to be that of making food while it’s an art similarly people look at Housekeeping as a menial job while the kind of eye for detailing & passion is involved is not respected. This has to be changed and this can only be changed only if the industry propagates this first.
Create unique experiences. Today guest doesn’t buy rooms or villas, they buy experiences.
Read MoreI believe in the saying " A chain is as strong as its weakest link" one should always give respect even to the lowest level of staff working in the organization. Treat the staff with the same dignity, regardless of the nature of the work they do. Throughout my experience I had witnessed the housekeepers are treated in a low profile, however, the situation changed 360 degrees in this pandemic, and happy that the Housekeeper and the sanitary workers are given their respects as front-line warriors
Read MoreRead MoreWhile we continue to navigate these challenging times of COVID era, it is important for us to explore the possibilities to emerge from this challenge by finding innovative new ways to impress customers. It is also equally important to create an environment where people can bring their whole self to work each day- so they can be their best and therefore better care for other which help in building high performing, inclusive teams, with thriving talent so they can deliver on organization purpose and ultimate success
“In order to build a rewarding employee experience, you need to understand what matters most to your people”
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
I belong to the city of destiny, Visakhapatnam. Where I have completed all my schooling 10+2 from Kendriya Vidyalaya & Graduated in Business Management(BBM) from GITAM University., later I perused PG Diploma in IR&PM, Labour & Industrial Relations and Masters in Human Resources management(MHRM) from Andhra University.
I am a thorough Human Resources Professional with 13+ years of experience in the hospitality industry.
My career into hospitality industry is certainly an accident & was not aware of this industry any time before as a whole, however the destiny is what it decide for us to cherish lifetime. People also have this misconception that if you do work in a hotel then you’re either a receptionist, doorman or a housekeeping attendant which are all absolutely false assumptions and merely stereotypes.
It all started with the first flag ship hotel of Accor Hotels in Hyderabad, India i.e.; Novotel Hyderabad & Hyderabad International Convention Centre in the pre-opening as a Human Resources Coordinator (July 2006 to Aug 2011)., this is the property taught me all the skills & best practices that I have used in the coming stints of my career. later I was transferred to be part of another pre-opening property of Accor Hotels in Visakhapatnam, India i.e., Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach as Human Resources Executive and promoted to Asst. Manager – Human Resources (Aug 2011 to July 2014). I moved to Qatar Airways in Doha, Qatar as Huma Resources Officer (July 2014 to Jan 2015). I returned back to India and joined HMSHost International, An Auto grill Company as Asst. Human Resources Manager where I used to handle the Airport HR Operations of India and Middle East (May 2015 to Sep 2016)., later I have moved to Visakhapatnam with Fairfield by Marriott Pre opening team as Human Resources Manager (Apr 2017 to Aug 2019) and moved to Surat, Gujarat with Surat Marriott Hotel as Human Resources Manager( Aug 2019 to current)
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
The key thing for our industry is a definite commitment to a very high level of service culture and also a personal commitment to those beliefs. One have to keep personally motivated and passionate about the industry. I believe having the right attitude is the most important thing to succeed in the hospitality industry, along with common sense. A ‘can do’ attitude with a smile. Generally people see only the glamorous side of hotels, but there is a lot of hard work and long hours that go on behind the scenes.
Editor: What advice would you give to a young culinary student?
All it takes is to enjoy the work and sky is the limit. Honesty, passion, smartness and sense of humor., a mix of all these attributes with the right kind of attitude will definitely give an extra mile in his/her career.
Editor:What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?
The right kind of attitude is definitely an essential part of what we look for when hiring for our hotel. Also, we require candidates to have strong interpersonal skills as they have to deal with clients and customers at all time and someone who is flexible and a team player.
If someone wants to be working with me should be no excuse, all that they need to have a right attitude towards work & associates, Dedication, the urge to be different from others, should be able to perform under extreme pressure, constantly challenging self for an improvement etc.
Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?
The hospitality industry is competitive, and businesses need to keep up with the latest hospitality trends to avoid being left behind. Additionally, keeping pace with the industry as a whole is a great way to ensure our business delivers the kind of customer experience people want and expect. However, the needs and priorities of customers have also changed due to COVID.
1. Safety & Hygiene - As the world adjusts to the virus and efforts to contain the spread. It is essential that safety & hygiene are a priority for hotels, which will certainly builds confidence among the Guests and associates.
2. Mobile Check-In Service - Offering a mobile check-in service is one of the most useful hospitality trends for reducing the need for human-to-human contact and this is an especially important concept within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated efforts to contain the virus.
3. Healthy & Organic Food & Drinks - There has been something of a cultural shift with people becoming more aware of the things they are putting in their bodies, leading to healthy food and drinks trend., hence hotels are now are very much keen to cater the healthy & organic way of food style.
4. Sustainability - This has been one of the most noticeable hospitality trends of recent times, customers are concerned with environmental issues and want to know that the businesses they deal with are behaving ethically & promoting the eco –friendliness.
Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.
With the changing trends & competition, the hotel industry is making all the best possible efforts to meet the guest & associate satisfaction., however 2 things I would like to change in our industry would be
1. Long working hours, especially at the shop floor which is an on-going and need to be changed for a proper work life balance of associates.
2. Salary structures or pay scale, which is still a debating point in most of the hotels but not all.
One with a Team
An ideal hospitality professional is characterized by a combination of interpersonal finesse, a genuine passion for hospitality and to diverse situations, a keen eye for detail, and a commitment to continuous learning.One of the highlights of my journey has been the involvement in the preopening phase of several hotels. This exposed me to the challenges and excitement of setting up a new property, honing my skills in strategic planning and operational execution.In my view, passion towards your work is required to succeed in this Industry. It doesn’t matter if you are a Front Of The House employee or Back Of The House employee, you should be passionate enough for the happiness of your internal and external customers.
Unlike most hotels which work for 6 days, we but being the leader in the industry, we have 5 days workweek for our employees.
you are enjoying what you are doing, along with your hard work and commitment a person will definitely succeed and prosper-Neha Kumari
Consistency & Creativity will lead you to success-Neha Rana Dutta
What would you like to change in hospitality?
Hiring Process Without Resumes. Focusing solely on human potential and providing employment to anyone willing and able to work. I believe this approach is 100 % possible in Hospitality.
With the dynamic situation in the market, we must review our revenue targets on monthly basis & similarly review the level of manning required to serve the expected level of business.
Human Resource is more than a department. It is dealing with Human and their emotions. You need to be compassionate towards the employees. They expect you to listen to them and their problems and provide the best solution.
“I always believe in nurturing talent by guiding them in the right direction. ”
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
Journey Started in 2010 as HR Recruitment Consultant in a small city of India (Amritsar, Punjab). Not sure whether it was my destiny or co-incidence 😊that I got an opportunity in Hospitality industry in Nov 2011. It was not an easy move as Hospitality industry is still a TABOO in small cities of India, however when it is your destiny then everything gets into place on its own. I was not from Hotel Management background and everything was very new to me, however with the support of my seniors and determination to become successful in Human Resources, I kept on taking all challenges and moving forward.
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
It is not about how to succeed in this or any other industry, i believe that an individual should have a goal in his/her life and determination and focus to reach out there. Be Strong, Never Loose your Focus and Keep moving until and unless you reach out to your goal in life. There are many ways to succeed in your career, however its an individual who decides to choose which way. I was lucky enough that I got mentors in my life who have always guided me and helped me to grow.
Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?
I firmly believe that if an individual have a positive attitude and eagerness to learn, he/she can become an asset to an organization. Skills can be taught easily as it is a professional competency, however behaviour being a personal competency cannot be changed until and unless an individual knows about and willingly work on the improvement.
If someone wants to work with me: I always believe in nurturing talent by guiding them in the right direction. I am a firm believer of providing Equal opportunity as per the capability of an individual to shape up their career.
Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?
These days there is lot of competition in the market in terms of Hospitality Schools and Hotels as well. Hence the quality in hospitality industry has been deteriorated with time.
Digitalization is the biggest trend these days in our industry which has its own impact, Yes on one hand it is very user friendly, However on the other hand it miss that personal and human touch which is very important in our industry.
Editor: Tech is now an enabler for great hospitality. Can you share with us some of the techs that go into creating your guest experience?
Tech/app enabled rooms with attributes like key less check in, in room controls, online in room dining order placement facilities etc
Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.
• Taking back Hospitality Industry where the quality of product and people was always the first approach
• Enhanced hygiene and safety protocols and standards
“I am a firm believer of a saying, alternately attributed to Buddha Siddhartha Guatama Shakyamuni and the Theosophists, that goes: When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
Firstly, thank you very much Eclat hospitality team for giving me this honour to share my journey and experiences in the hospitality industry. It all started in the year 2000, exactly 20 years back I choose to step into this industry. There was such a positive vibe when I decided to join my hotel Management course.
I am a hotelier by choice. I am a firm believer of a saying, alternately attributed to Buddha Siddhartha Guatama Shakyamuni and the Theosophists, that goes: When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Apparently, I have found my academic destiny in my hometown Visakhapatnam- The City of destiny. I have done my three years diploma in HM&CT at Coromandel Institute of Hotel Management and technology. A great mentor Mr Satish who was then my faculty have given me guidance and motivation to explore new frontiers in hospitality and build up confidence in me to move forward. Three years just passed by and I have gone through the industrial exposures at Chennai and Bangalore during my academics which gave me a complete insight of the real operations and that’s how I stepped into the industry.
My first job, I started as Telephone operator followed by different positions. I drifted slightly away from the industry for a couple of years and had taken a Job in BPO which was the most happening profession that time in the town, however, my instincts have driven me to go back to the Hospitality industry. While trying to get back to the industry my mentor Mr Satish has made me understand and realize the orator skills I possess and how these skills could be developed to nurture myself as Training personnel which is one of the key positions in the hospitality sector. With his mentoring, I have given my first interview for the position of Assistant Manager Training & Development and from there stepped into a new era and was heading my career in Training & Development. It was a great experience to be with the HR team and lead Training which gave me multiple opportunities to understand HR functions and support my HR Team on the areas where they require my presence and support.
The overseas opportunity was a miracle and it all happened through Linkedin. An anonymous connection has guided me through job applying process for the Maldives and later turned to be one of my best friend Mr Mohan currently working with Accor – Novotel, Hyderabad. I stepped into the Maldives in the year 2013 as a Training & Development Manager and later got a lateral movement into Human Resources as an HR Manager.
Since January 2019, I am heading the position of Cluster HR Manager working with Sun Siyam Resorts Vilu Reef & Iru Veli. It’s very fortunate that seven years back this group have given me first opportunity to step into the Maldives as Training Manager and the same group later gave me an opportunity as Cluster HR Manager and life goes on.
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
Primarily it’s the individual’s choice on how much and how successful they would like to see themselves in this industry. Hospitality is not constrained to only hotels or resorts nowadays. Every possible customer interaction has created a platform for hospitality requirements and then the limits of employments have been pushed to various industries. Off late many businessman/ woman and entrepreneurs, private and government sectors have realized the importance of hospitality and they created many career opportunities. When we talk about success in Hospitality, only the vintage wines are sold for a higher price the more they age the more value they gain, however when you look at peoples success it’s all about how smart they understand their current roles and grasp the new functions and techniques of the next level. Most of the organizations believe in lateral movements, and therein comes the training and development role in place which develops the resources and assists them to achieve their career goals.
Eventually, talent and skills are not required to age in the same position in this industry for a long time. As I said currently there is a huge talent acquisition going on internally and hence each and every resource who can prove their capability have abundant opportunities to succeed in the industry. Love and passion for what you do, thinking out of the box and demonstrating your innovations, being creative, being knowledgeable with the current affairs, being empathetic, master the art of listening and being available as and when required would definitely guide you towards success.
Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?
There is a tremendous change in the hiring and selecting process compared to the past. We have abundant resources available in this competitive market, however, logistically challenged place like the Maldives needs resources who are stable and consistent during their employment contract period. It would be very challenging to get a replacement with the required skillsets when we especially seek EXPAT replacement as not everyone is readily available to join immediately. During the HR screening and interview process, we try to understand the emotional stability of a candidate, which primarily includes living on a secluded remote island and amidst the ocean with different nationals under one roof.
Flexibility in working with other nationals and their opinions about team works and past experiences on demonstrating their team works is one of the key attributes. Adaptability, Physical and Mental fitness along with the flexible attitude in nature are very highly desirable. Unfortunately, there are still no clinical ways to imbed positive attitude in a person, as it has to be cultivated within oneself out of their passion and enthusiasm towards their work or anything which motivate them. So, definitely positive attitude is something we definitely look at during our hiring process.
To work with us, they need to be themselves demonstrating the skills they have been hired for by enjoying their works and giving their best. You are hired as you are a specialist in your area of competency and from there you are expected to focus and learn ahead as per the hierarchy.
Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?
As we see the travellers are combinations of age groups nowadays resorts have started to define their strategies based on the demographic group’s personality traits and habits. Nowadays everything needs to be instant and quick and with quality while exceeding expectations. The hotels are now customizing their services as per the choice of the customers. We hire a language specialist to give a homely conversation feel to our guests. Menus are designed in the native languages for the guests. The majority of guests today are self-sufficient, tech-savvy travellers who are comfortable using apps or mobile websites.
Hotels need to make sure their offerings are up-to-date and user-friendly. At business meetings and conferences, travellers expect hotels and conference centres to have high-quality tech equipment and knowledgeable support staff. Increased emphasis on health and well-being. Guests today are taking charge of their health; hotels are responding with well-equipped fitness centres, pools and spas. Increasingly, travellers are expecting innovative wellness options. In addition to healthy food options, growing trends include lighting that energizes, air purification, yoga spaces, in-room exercise equipment and even vitamin-infused shower water. Eco-friendly practices are becoming the norm, as properties focus on renewable energy resources and water scarcity.
Many hotels are installing solar panels and updating systems so that air conditioners and lights automatically switch off when guests leave their rooms. We at the Maldives we give a perfect getaway from home holiday to all our guests. Providing Hassel free experience whilst our guest stay is our main agenda. While giving them adieu we ensure we have packed millions of sweet memories for them to carry home and relish, recollect and revisit us again.
Editor: Tech is now an enabler for great hospitality. Can you share with us some of the techs that go into creating your guest experience?
Technology has enabled a great comfort for all the travellers. Easy check-ins, check-outs, and a complete data storage of preferences where we know what our guest choice is. In fact, we receive video calls from our guests before they visit the resort and are very excited to speak to the staff before their arrival. It’s all enabled by technology.
Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.
The industry is a self-simulator and the changes are adapted whenever a need arises. Human Resources was once known as “ PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT “ and now the industry has emerged with different synonyms for the same department as Human Resources Development, Talent & Culture Development, Human Capital Management and many other terms.
Change 1 – There should be an extensive justification to be done for the term “RESOURCES “in Human Resources Department while recruiting. I would like to see a recruiting pattern worldwide which few companies are already following currently. Recruiting should be based on skills, potential, experience and passion for what they do. Rejecting the profiles for the employment gaps an individual has in his/her life should be re-looked at, as you never know what bought the gap and probably you are contributing most wonderful resources you have met to another competitor only by following the tailor-made guidelines. I will give an example, I have interviewed a Chef from Thailand in my past who had close to, two years gap in his profile, and when asked about it, he shared about his passion for Paragliding. He saved his earnings to learn this paragliding course and during this process, he met with an accident which delayed his solo flight and took a bit longer to master the art of flying and finally he was flying all on his own. Once he fulfilled his dream he decided to work and we hired him. After coming on board with us, his Tom Kha Kai soup was a super hit in the resort. Perceptions should be parked at their own levels and we should move forward with facts. Talent has no limitations.
Change-2 REFERENCE CHECKS!! I have been debating on this for quite some time and I feel this would be accepted worldwide very soon. Rejecting the profiles based on reference checks has to be re-looked by the companies. A candidate goes through the whole process and gets rejected at a point of “REFERENCE CHECK “. Ideally, the organizations don’t even know about the person giving reference checks and their code of conduct in the company. Relying on someone’s reference comments and rejecting the profiles have to be looked at. An hour of the interview with a candidate and the final decision is decided by one email from an anonymous sender is baseless to consider unless there is a proven and evidential history of gross misconducts and criminal history. In my opinion reference checks received should be discussed with the candidate if you feel he/ she is good to be hired by not revealing the identity of the referee. The candidate should be confronted about the past to get the facts and commitments for the future as this would ease the working environment. It gives confidence and guidelines to the candidate whilst their employment on their future commitment.
“I would like to change the exploitation of line-level staffs which still persists in most of the organization despite Labor laws. Working in the hospitality industry means long hours and less personal life. It can be seen in most places that they are not rightly compensated- monetary wise or any other way.”
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
My hospitality journey started with an opportunity which I felt was worth exploring. I come from a non-hospitality background (Master in Economics) and was occupied with two jobs in Nepal when I got the opportunity to join Six Senses in 2008 as a training intern for 3 months with a possibility to get a permanent contract. There was a risk to leave 2 permanent jobs to get one probable permanent job abroad in a different field than I was in. I took the risk and grabbed the opportunity. I never had to look back after that and climbed the ladder up to Human Resources Manager from being a training intern.
My journey to Human Resources Manager has seen me taking different positions like Training Coordinator, Administrative Executive, Manager in Training- HR, Assistant HR Manager and finally HR Manager.
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
Hospitality is about human emotions and that is the most important factor. While giving your full effort on whatever you do, be genuine, be passionate and constantly innovate then nobody can stop you. You will outshine others with these characters and definitely leave a mark with success kissing your feet.
Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?
Attitude, passion and self-presentation are the attributes I look for during the recruitment process.
If someone wants to work with me, they have to give 100% (or more sometimes) effort on whatever they do. Be passionate, innovative and empathetic to staff needs.
Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?
In this current scenario of COVID -19, health and safety is the prime factor impacting the hospitality industry.
Besides this, I can see an increasing interest of people in wellness and sustainability is impacting the hospitality industry. People are becoming more aware now and want to be a responsible guest leaving as low impact as possible to the environment whilst travelling. More and more people are getting inclined to overall wellness during holidays too. Gone are the days when you say cheating on holidays and just eat unhealthily and enjoy as if no tomorrow. Guests are more self-conscious. As I worked in the Maldives I am answering this through my experience there. Wellness activities like yoga, gym with instructor, healthy options in the menu other wellness activities on the weekly calendar is the must for the guests now. Hotels should change their strategies to meet this demand to sustain in the industry.
Editor: Tech is now an enabler for great hospitality. Can you share with us some of the techs that go into creating your guest experience?
Everyone loves recognition and the software that helps the hotels recognize the guests, their preferences and their special events is the most important one at this time. Opera is mostly used for this purpose in the hospitality sector. Besides this, online platforms like review pro which collates guests feedback from all the online sources, ‘at your wish’ software which helps to record guests maintenance issues, arrival and departure time etc, micros software for food and beverage orders and storage in stores
Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.
Hiring Process- in most of the places, staff are hired depending upon their qualification and experience and the other attributes like attitude, passion gets on the side. This restricts the bright inexperienced people to enter the industry. All HRs should be liberal on this and should not hesitate to take risks if you find the right talent
The exploitation of line-level staff - Working in the hospitality industry means long hours and less personal life. Undoubtedly line staffs are the ones who handle the floor until the last guests leave and work tirelessly for long hours. It can be seen in most places that they are not rightly compensated- monetary wise or Any other way. Labour laws are there but very few are following and compensating their staffs accordingly. Proper compensation for these frontline heroes should be practised everywhere.
I personally look for the desire to learn and grow, and the attitude and creativity to bring our IHG Winning Culture to life.
Read More“We look for Positive attitude, Team Player, Product knowledge, Integrity & Leadership skills”
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
Nikhil: My journey started in the HR solutions from Adecco & then Randstad where I initially worked in the staffing sector for them. Post that I worked in Fortune ITC & then moved to my current role in Marriott. In my career I have worked with various sectors & gained good insights while working in the said sectors. It’s been a fruitful journey of 11 years in which I have learnt a lot. The biggest learning was basically in the pre-opening of Fair-field by Marriott Pune Kharadi in which my knowledge from the HR Solutions Company & compliance helped me in having a seamless opening of the property.
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
Nikhil: Good communication, and by communication I mean able to actively listen to the guests concerns & being able to get them resolved. Also taking the feedback from the guests in the right spirit helps us in converting the guests to become a loyal customer thus getting repeated business. Good communication from everyone impresses the guests and this help us in succeeding in the industry.
Apart from communication you need to be a good observer and calm personality. An observer observers all the fine details and listens carefully which is how we are able to give a personalized service to each guest and create a wow moment for them which is also called an experience. Calm personality is equally important as you don’t know what come through that door. A guest who had bad start of the day, a celebrity , a guest who missed his flight or a family who is on vacation with lots of expectations. With a calm mind you can take correct decisions for your guest, company, team and yourself.
Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?
Nikhil: Turnover and hiring new employees can be both time consuming and costly for businesses. We try and retain as many hard-working associates as possible, promoting internal talent is the first priority that we in Marriott have. There are certain qualities we look for when hiring new employees, which often can be discovered in the first interview. Few of them being Positive attitude, Team Player, Product knowledge, Integrity & Leadership skills. For People who want to work with Marriott, I believe they should have the above said attributes but the most important would be is to have positive attitude in life towards everything & smart work.
Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?
Nikhil: The biggest trend that I foresee in the hospitality sector is going to be the safety standards that will be followed post the Covid 19 normal. People will be more conscious about their well-being in the hotels rather than the luxury part. Also a lot of hotels would see more emphasis on accepting the new normal ensuring the safety and security of the associates and team.
Editor: Tech is now an enabler for great hospitality. Can you share with us some of the techs that go into creating your guest experience?
Nikhil: Marriott as a company believes a lot in being tech savvy. We have platforms such as GXP (Guest Experience) which enhances us in serving the guests more efficiently. It helps us in identifying repeat guests and anticipate their needs using past requests and case history. Collecting and managing guests preferences. Mobile chats with guests right from pre arrival to check out to ensure the guest journey is seamless. A guest experience is created from the time they think of taking a holiday or business trip and they start planning.
Marriott has made sure it is present on social media and interact with all kind of travellers by giving them great information and insight about the city, hotel, places to explore. Mobile check-ins are available at most of hotels, we have robots serving in some hotels , now with Covid-19 all our hotels will offer contact less dining experience in a sense you can see the restaurant & IRD menu on you mobile , you can order food on your mobile when you are in the comfort of your room, you can pay directly via QR code.
Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.
Nikhil: I as a person would certainly like the below mentioned changes in the industry
A) Parity in norms for operating
B) Ready pool of talent across the board
An ideal hospitality professional is characterized by a combination of interpersonal finesse, a genuine passion for hospitality and to diverse situations, a keen eye for detail, and a commitment to continuous learning.One of the highlights of my journey has been the involvement in the preopening phase of several hotels. This exposed me to the challenges and excitement of setting up a new property, honing my skills in strategic planning and operational execution.In my view, passion towards your work is required to succeed in this Industry. It doesn’t matter if you are a Front Of The House employee or Back Of The House employee, you should be passionate enough for the happiness of your internal and external customers.
Unlike most hotels which work for 6 days, we but being the leader in the industry, we have 5 days workweek for our employees.
you are enjoying what you are doing, along with your hard work and commitment a person will definitely succeed and prosper-Neha Kumari
Consistency & Creativity will lead you to success-Neha Rana Dutta
What would you like to change in hospitality?
Hiring Process Without Resumes. Focusing solely on human potential and providing employment to anyone willing and able to work. I believe this approach is 100 % possible in Hospitality.
With the dynamic situation in the market, we must review our revenue targets on monthly basis & similarly review the level of manning required to serve the expected level of business.
Human Resource is more than a department. It is dealing with Human and their emotions. You need to be compassionate towards the employees. They expect you to listen to them and their problems and provide the best solution.
everything hospitality
only hospitality
