Exclusive Interview | Mr. Vimal Kumar, Principal, The Lalit Suri Hospitality School, Faridabad, Haryana
/“The industry needs to now understand the changing needs of the new generation; concepts of work-life balance, the visible growth chart, available perks and benefits and defined work hours are priorities of Gen Z.
Hotels have to change the internal working environment that has usually been projected to be stressful and is treated as an excuse for harsh communication and limited respect for new joiners and trainees.”
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
The journey into the hospitality domain began 28 years down the line with my joining at IHM Lucknow in the then in vogue program; i.e., 3 years Diploma in Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition. After the initial hiccups and readjusted mind frame the interest level automatically picked up and I nurtured myself to become a professional ready to become a part of the challenging hospitality industry. The credit definitely goes to my mentors, seniors, colleagues and all those who were a part of the IHM Lucknow fraternity.
First decade of industry experience began with my first assignment with ITC Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur was a great learning experience that gave a beautiful insight into how the industry actually functions. The exposure of having worked with non-core hoteliers who were the masters in their own trades made me understand the dignity of labor and the possibilities of attaining greatest heights if one puts in hard work and dedication into the chosen profession.
I have had an amazing academic journey of next two decades that commenced with me working as a Lecturer and helping to establish a college in Lucknow as founding team member. Throughout my career in teaching, I have actively sought out challenges, which have enabled me to move up the ranks of management in a shorter span. As a result, I have been entrusted with leading hospitality management colleges as both Principal and Director in India and Nepal since 2011.
The current assignment of Principal with The Lalit Suri Hospitality School, a leading private IHM under NCHMCT often brings back the memories of the golden days as a student in IHM Lucknow.
Maintaining an energetic and up-to-date approach to education is my priority, driven by my daily interactions with young students. Observing students develop into competent professionals and admirable individuals provides immense satisfaction and motivates me to stay committed to this delightful profession.
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
Hospitality industry has one the best set of people who put in their best despite the hardships and concerns raised. This class of individuals who is ready to out-perform in any given situation has the suppleness, quick adaptability to multicultural work environments, very strong physical and mental strengths, an eye for details and application of the appropriate tools and techniques at the right time and an addictive smile that can not be ignored.
The communication dexterity has to be great irrespective of the language barriers. The competence to patiently listen, comprehend the correct meaning and then conveying the message with empathy takes the professionals a long way in respective careers.
It is also essential to have compliance awareness, digital and contactless tech-sense, changing regulations with respect to hygiene and safety esp. in the post covid era. This would an asset when we have customers coming in with enhanced concerns of safety, complex stress levels, and out of the box demands for food and beverages that can align with personal definitions of good health.
Editor: What according to you can trainees do while they are training at hotels to make it a win-win for them & the hotel/unit?
The institutions can change the perspective of hospitality graduates towards the industrial training by conducting pre-training workshops with them. It is essential that before the training commences the student has a clear picture of what would transpire during the training period.
The students on the other hand have to be prepared to accept the changes willingly and find opportunities to learn a minimum of one skill a day. The trainees should professionally interact with reporting supervisors, colleagues and training teams at the hotel to keep them abreast of their learning and exposure on regular intervals. This would assist the hotels to identify the gaps and find ways to create a rewarding experience to the trainees. The opportunities to be a part of the exclusive events that are normally not available during the college days has to be looked into and ensured that they learn the best as trainees.
Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?
The hospitality industry has witnessed a sea-change in expectations of its traditional clientele post covid. The customer has developed into a more learned individual and is aware of what one a looking forward to on a trip. They are not hesitant to demand a particular color, setting, view or even the type of beds they want during their stays when it comes to the choice of accommodation. The once fancied food and beverages not linked to a hale and hearty lifestyle are not in demand anymore.
The loyalty days are becoming a thing of past as the industry is evolving at a much higher pace than expected. It has shifted the onus of getting a customer repeat the visits to the property, back to the industry. The premise of offering loyalty bonuses, free upgrades, unmatched benefits, etc. is not attracting the customer anymore.
The dynamics of travelers have changed whether it is the genders in the travel group, the age group, number of holidays trips in a year, duration of stays or the spending power of Gen Z, The Baby Boomers or the Millennials.
Enhanced use of Artificial Intelligence Tools and Digitization of services are here to stay and are disrupting the algorithms of demand and supply, revenue projections, occupancy statistics. The leading brands should find ways to collaborate and create integrated platforms to aptly asses the turn of events and convert them into excellent business opportunities.
Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.
The hospitality industry also has evolved with time which is the best thing about it. The business is booming and back as usual after two of the toughest years in the history.
The industry needs to now understand the changing needs of the new generation that is getting ready to join the hospitality professions. The concepts of work-life balance, the visible growth chart, available perks and benefits and defined work hours are priorities of Gen Z; if addressed suitably would bring in the right talent.
The demand of hospitality graduates and availability of high paying opportunities with good lifestyle in allied sectors is on the rise. The once captive market for students completing degree and diploma programs in hotel and hospitality has opened up like anything that is a visible challenge to hotel brands. Hotels have to change the internal working environment that has usually been projected to be stressful and is treated as an excuse for harsh communication and limited respect for new joiners and trainees.
Editor: What do you expect the industry to do to support academics?
The industry – institutional interaction sessions need to be organized by both the stakeholders. We need to look into the changing facets of hospitality industry in mutually beneficial and cordial communicative gatherings. It is time that industry and academia meet more often.
Deputation of faculty members to the hotels for retraining and re-evaluating their learning has often been discussed but has not been picked up due to shift limitations.
This can be looked into very easily. The results shall be amazing as the teachers would go back to the institutes with refreshed set of skills, attitude and knowledge.
Vice-versa the deputation of supervisors and senior team members from the hotels for a week-long duration to the hospitality institutions to make them understand the psyche of new generation shall give an insight into how things have changed. The senior leaders from the industry are invited for guest lectures but this is the time when both the parties present their best sides thus putting a blanket on the actual scenarios as free interactions are usually not allowed.
It would also be a great give back to the respective alma-mater if the hotel team members start visiting their own institutions and get a feel of the ground realities. The comfort levels would be great and the resultant outcome can be used to pioneer the changes in HR policies.
Mr. Vimal Kumar Principal,The Lalit Suri Hospitality School, Faridabad, Haryana.
(PIHM under NCHMCT)
Mr. Vimal Kumar, an alumnus of IHM Lucknow, has more than 28 years of broad expertise in academics and hotel operations. By serving on the Board of Studies of numerous universities that offer hospitality programmes at the undergraduate and graduate levels and actively participating in updating and developing advanced syllabus in accordance with industry needs, he has played a crucial role in bringing about positive changes in hospitality academics and curriculum.
He has held senior positions as a Principal and Director at prestigious schools in India and Nepal, where he has overseen programmes in business administration, information technology, computer applications, aviation, and other fields in addition to hotel management. He is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Hotel Management. He has a 3 Year Diploma in HMCTA&N in addition to M.Sc. in Hotel Management &CT, an Arts degree, M.Phil. (Tourism) and has also qualified UGC NET for Lectureship.
His adherence to the disciplinary codes and regulations is an outcome of his schooling with Sainik School Ghorakhal and a family background of defence services.
