Exclusive Interview | Rajnish Chopra, Founder of RC Hospitality Solutions
/“I always tell senior leaders, just get your Basics of Basics right.”
About Rajnish Chopra
He is a qualified hotelier with degree in Hotel Management from IHM, Ahmedabad and Diploma In Management (DIM ) from IGNOU .
He has wide and varied experience of over 20 years in Hotel Operations, Training and Consulting. Rajnish started his career with Taj group and worked with Taj properties Pan India & abroad.
Subsequently worked at leadership positions at Orchid Hotel, Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG Hotels ), Le Meridien Hotels. Rajnish was Vice President –Operations –Pan India for very popular restaurant chain –BJN Group.
Presently Rajnish is founder of RC Hospitality Solutions – Hotel Training & Consulting company based out of Mumbai and has trained more than 1,25,000 hospitality professionals in India, UAE, Bhutan and Thailand.
CRITICAL SKILLS FOR FUTURE IN HOSPITALITY
Hospitality Industry is in a very dynamic state of transition , especially post covid. Few skills which will be very vital as per my experience of interacting with hundreds of professionals every month are as below:
1.Tech Savy Mindset : Technology as process enabler will be very vital to be market leader in hospitality.
2.Knowledge to infer data analytics : Data analytics are going to play very key role. Knowledge to infer analytics will drive the business in right direction. Success will have to be designed and not achieved by chance .
3.Skill of focusing on Basics of Hospitality: Fortifying your basics in hospitality will be very vital instead of creating complex products and service designs as trained manpower will be huge challenge in times to come. I always tell senior leaders, just get your Basics of Basics right.
4.Networking & Relationship Building : Building honest relationships with your external as well as internal guests will be key indicator for your performance.
5.Evolving mindset : Evolve or Perish will be mantra ! With rapid evolution of our customer behaviour both intrernal and external, we need to be always ahead of them.
What does the future look like?
1. Bleisure will overtake pleasure – more and more clubbing of business with pleasure will thrive , more so post pandemic it has gathered momentum.
2. Increased use of tech – we are already into this zone , all vital processes will be tech driven like room reservations, check in and check outs , saving lot of time .But at the same time more qualitative human interaction play crucial factor in creating niche.
3. Rise of sustainable and eco friendly practices : As climate change accelerates, many conscientious travelers will prefer hotels who prioritize sustainability and eco-friendly practices. Whether it be through sustainable amenities, communicating more about what your hotel is doing to be more environmentally friendly .
4. Increased focus on safety & health : Health and safety post-pandemic have moved from a “nice-to-have” to a must. Guests want to know what you are doing to protect them, whether it’s carrying out regular disinfecting of all surfaces, providing antibacterial gel dispensers throughout the hotel, or offering complimentary masks upon check-in, implementing hygiene strategies is an important part of taking your hotel into the future.
All my training programmes are customised after analysing the real time trends which are prevailing .This results in effective and tangible post training outcomes.
VISION INTO REALITY:
Absolutely , when you start on your own as an entrepreneur, it’s a daunting task with multiple roller coaster rides. Reaching 1 Lac + mark of was herculean task for me . I am very focused on the vision which has been created by me when I started RC Hospitality Solutions.
Its an ongoing journey of creative & updated content creation, dedication and motivation to add value in lives of individuals.
Even all the projects we executed at RCHS have received excellent reviews by all our clients.Our focus on striving to excel and attitude of zero defect process is key to success.
The future looks great, we are acquiring minimum 2 to 3 new clients every month which is encouraging data. All my participants have rated 90 % excellent score in my trainings.
TRAINING MODULES BY RC HOSPITALITY SOLUTIONS:
1.Service Excellence Module : The focus is on internal & external guest sensitivity
2.Lead to Excel : Leadership programme for hospitality professionals
3.Food & Bevarage for Competitive Advantage : Detailed F&B workshop which enhances your skill to have niche in your competitive set.
4,Smart F&B Service Module : Basic F&B Module –Focus on practical aspects of service cycle in varied formats
5.Train The Trainer – Focus on hospitality domain
What signs do you look for to see if the trainee is assimilating what you are training for?
I conduct pre and post training tests .
Lot of companies have linked my sessions to their KRS ‘s
Most of the companies , I do follow uo sessions to gauge effectiveness of the programme and identify any tangible change of behaviour or business results depending on the module learning outcome.
Apply Kirkpatrick model -4 levels of evaluation –Reaction-Learning –Behaviour -Results
