Dr Vivek Pathak has spent more than three decades preparing young people for hospitality — long enough to see the industry, its students and the meaning of a hospitality education change dramatically. From building NIPS Institute of Hotel Management in Kolkata to navigating a new generation that questions more, expects more and has more career choices than ever before, Pathak has a clear view of what the industry is getting right — and what it needs to rethink.
In an age where AI can explain a recipe, generate a training module and answer almost any question, Pathak makes a compelling case for what technology cannot replace: the human act of teaching, observing, correcting, mentoring and serving. For him, hospitality is still learnt through experience — and through people who are willing to stand beside you and show you how it is done.
This is a conversation about hospitality education, the talent gap, changing student expectations, industry responsibility, AI and the long apprenticeship of learning to serve.