Hotel Business Review (January-February 2017)

Jan-Feb ’17

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Editorial

HOTEL Business Review

HOTEL B u s i n e s s

R e v i e w

An Exclusive Business Magazine for the Hotel Industry

Publisher cum Editor

Rajneesh Sharma

rajneeshhammer@gmail.com

Associate Editor

Swarnendu Biswas Resident Editor

Sharmila Chand (Delhi) Ashok Malkani (Mumbai) Layout & Design

Hari Kumar V Abhishek Singh Rathore Production Assistant

Mamta Sharma

Advertising Sales

Delhi: Debabrata Nath, Sumesh Sharma Director Sales

Sanjay Anand Mobile: +91 9811136837 Director Operations

Rajat Taneja Mobile: +91 9810315463 Editorial & Advertising Offices: Delhi:

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E-mail: info@hammer.co.in © 2017 Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. No article can be reproduced in part or as whole without prior permission of the Publisher.

Hammer Hotel Business Review is a bi-monthly magazine, printed and published by Rajneesh Sharma on behalf of Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd., 206, Samrat Bhawan, Ranjeet Nagar Commercial Complex, New Delhi. Printed at Swan Press, B-71, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi-110 028. Annual Subscription rate within India is Rs. 450 and overseas US $110, for surface mail. Single issue is available for Rs. 90 in India and US $25 overseas. Cheques are payable to Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd. Editorial Policy : Editorial emphasis in Hammer Hotel Business Review magazine is on educational & informational material specifically designed to assist those responsible for managing instututional Hotel business.

Articles are welcome and will be published on the sole discretion of the editor.

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The attrition seems to be a long-standing problem for the Indian hospitality industry, which in turn can and does hamper the industry’s productivity as well as creativity. The major reason for this perpetual lacuna is obvious one; low pay structure of the rank and file across the Indian hospitality industry, which are accompanied by long and erratic working hours.

But there are many other reasons too.

Some of the effective ways to tackle attrition in the industry is not only better pay scales but also ensuring of better work life balance for the employees engaged in the industry. Another way of addressing this challenge is training of the workforce, not only at the induction stage but also at regular intervals, as training can be a great incentive for the personnel to stay with the organisation and bolster their professional profile in the process.

Training can also clearly define the roles, responsibilities and rewards of the personnel concerned and thereby greatly contribute towards reducing their job related frustrations and disillusionment with the organisation. Training at regular intervals can also impart a sense of belonging among the employees with a given organisation (in our case hospitality properties or hotel and resort chains), thereby curtailing the attrition rate in the process.

Besides training and other above-mentioned methods, continual motivation can check attrition, by boosting the morale of the personnel. In our Cover Story, we have endeavoured to discuss the various methods adopted by our hospitality industry to check the attrition menace comprehensively.

If attrition is an enduring challenge for our industry, automation is a new opportunity which our hospitality industry is adopting in a big way. The hospitality properties which would not adopt the sophisticated new-age technologies are likely to lose out on revenues, in today’s times and also in the near future. The Business Story discusses how our hospitality industry can benefit from new-age technologies.

The Feature section deals with the fitness requirements for today’s hospitality industry, how the hospitality properties in India can generate additional revenues from their in-house gyms, and also the crucial role of nutritionists for regular visitors to gyms, which the hotels and resorts can find to be useful.

Our Profile section deals with growth and vision of Keys Hotels, which seem to be powered by the hospitality chain’s dynamic CEO, Anshu Sarin. In this postmodern age of increasingly powerful social media, which is also characterised by the huge popularity of online hotel bookings, the role of reputation management in the hospitality industry becomes more crucial than it ever was. Our Technology section discusses the work of a new-age entrepreneur who is managing the reputation of hospitality properties through employment of sophisticated technologies.

Some of the food & beverage trends for 2017 and beyond, which are already or would be prevailing across the Indian food service industry, are being extensively discussed through our F&B section.

Besides the opinions, analysis and insights presented through these and other articles and features, the issue, as usual, has a comprehensive collection of industry information through its News, Event and Report sections.

We hope that our esteemed readers would be very much engrossed while reading between the covers of this issue. I hereby sign off while wishing you all a stupendously successful Aahar 2017, where I am expecting to see you all in huge numbers.

HOTEL B u s i n e s s

inside

R e v i e w

An Exclusive Business Magazine for the Hotel Industry

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COVER STORY

Attrition in the Indian hospitality industry is a bane that the industry has been trying to tackle for long, to no avail. Almost every department of the Indian hotel industry is affected by this lacuna. The ‘associates’ must have an environment that inculcate a sense of loyalty for the hotel, and the hotels need to provide it for them.

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BUSINESS

FEATURE

Sophisticated equipments are only part of the story behind a successful gym. The hospitality properties thinking of having gyms should not only have quality equipments and quality fitness trainers with proficiency in an impressive array of fitness styles, but should also have the options of differentiated fitness regimens, as a guest’s fitness requirements and capacity of endurance can vastly differ from another.

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PROFILE

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TECHNOLOGY

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HOUSEKEEPING

Keys Hotels is a brand of Berggruen Hotels, which is in turn funded by the New York-based proprietary fund named Berggruen Holdings.

The hotel chain, which has presence in India since 2006, is on an ambitious expansion spree.

Virtually every industry is being transformed by technology and hospitality industry is no different.

Technology is playing an important role in today’s hospitality and tourism industry. Both customers and businesses can benefit from advances in communication, reservations and guest services systems.

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In this post-modern digital age, where geographical distances in our planet have become history in the virtual world and where social media is gaining power by the day, the role of reputation management, especially for an industry like hospitality whose fortune is highly sensitive on guest satisfaction, has become extremely crucial.

From sophistication in operations through increased application of technology and automation to refinement in attitudes towards the workers, housekeeping in hotels in India of today has substantially enhanced its role during the recent years.

F&B

Let us have a look at some of the key food & beverage trends in 2017 and beyond which are or would be prevailing across the Indian food service industry and are expected to shape the contours of the industry in the times to come. Adopting them can enhance guest experience for the hotels.

DEPARTMENTS 04 Event 10

News Scan

22 Appointment 24 Report 60 Operations 64

Product Preview

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Business Opportunity

68 Interview

Cover Pix: The Claridges, New Delhi

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Event

HOTEL Business Review

EVENTS’ CALENDER Gulfood 2017 26 February - 2 March 2017 Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre www.gulfood.com Aahar 2017 7-11 March 2017 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi www.aaharinternationalfair.com

Aahar 2017:

Poised to be a Success Story

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ahar, the international food & hospitality fair, will be taking place at its regular venue of Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. This would be the 32nd edition of Aahar.

Aahar is regarded as the largest trade fair in the food & hospitality sector in India.

The 32nd edition of the mega annual show for the food & beverage and hospitality industry would be taking place during 7th -11th March 2017. The forthcoming event is being organised by India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO).

Aahar 2017 will be demarcated into two separate but concurrent exhibitions.

They are ‘Hospitality India’ covering hotel& restaurant equipment and supplies, and ‘Food India’ covering food, processed food & beverage products.

The impressive product ranges displayed at the fair would include bar accessories, bed, bath and table linen, bakery products and equipments, chafing dishes, tableware, cutlery, chopping boards, crockery, glassware, garden furniture, kitchen ware, spa amenities, stainless steel products, brass platters, toiletries, sanitary fittings, laundry equipment, dish washing machines and

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packaging machinery related to food products, among others.

The event is expected to be visited by a galore of professionals and entrepreneurs from the food & beverage and hospitality industry. Like the previous editions of the show Aahar 2017 is also expected to give a fillip to the business potential of Indian food service and hospitality industry. Besides facilitating business, Aahar also serves as a platform for the food & beverage and hospitality industry players to disseminate/ gather relevant information and gauge trends that can greatly benefit many participants.

Here it deserves a mention that about 1,000 exhibitors from India and abroad showcased their products at Aahar 2016, which was a marked improvement from the figure of 872 exhibitors, who took part in Aahar 2015. 75 foreign participants from Canada, Germany, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, Taiwan, Spain, Thailand, Norway, Turkey, and USA took part in Aahar 2016. Around 50,000 trade visitors visited Aahar 2016.

Going by the ongoing trends in the Indian food & beverage and hospitality industry it can be safe to assume that the forthcoming edition of Aahar is expected to supersede even these impressive figures of Aahar 2016, and is poised to become a stupendous success story worth emulating.

Expo GastroPan 2017 23-25 March 2017 President Expo Center, Targu Mures, Romania www.gastropan.ro/en HOTELEX 2017 28-31 March 2017 Shanghai New International Exhibition Center, Shanghai,China www.hotelex.cn Food and Hotel Vietnam 25-27 Apr 2017

Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam www.foodnhotelvietnam.com Tuttofood 2017

8-11 May 2017 Fieramilano, Italy www.tuttofood.it HOFEX 2017

8 - 11 May 2017 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, Hongkong www.hofex.com SIAL China

17 - 19 May 2017 Shanghai New International Exhibition Center, Shanghai,China

www.sialchina.com Thaifex- World of Food Asia 2017

31 May- 4 June 2017 Impact Challenger & Exhibition Center, Thailand www.worldoffoodasia.com

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SIAL CHINA 2017:

Dedicated Zones for Meat, Dairy, Beverage and Wine For the first time in SIAL CHINA, non-alcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverages will be demarcated into two zones — the Beverage Zone and Wine Zone

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esponding to market trends, Asia’s largest professional food and beverage exhibition, SIAL CHINA, scheduled to be held during 17th -19th May 2017 in Shanghai, will set up four dedicated zones — for meat, dairy, beverage and wine — four of the top product sectors in China in terms of continual fast growing market demands.

These four zones will showcase products from international and domestic exhibitors, and SIAL CHINA will provide a platform to promote international industry collaboration and innovation.

“As a platform for growing food and beverage industry, it is important that we support market trends. At SIAL CHINA 2016, these four sectors received high interest, and we have seen this momentum carry into SIAL CHINA 2017,” said Jim Liu, the President of SIAL CHINA. The 2016 edition of the show attracted 283 domestic companies, 275 international companies representing 29 countries, and 19 international pavilions to the Meat Zone.

Liu pointed out that consumption among upper-middle-class households in China is growing at 17 percent per year and demands for premium food products such as high

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quality meat, dairy products, wine and beverage will soar even higher.

“According to the Ipsos survey, 81 percent of the Chinese consumers in the first and second-tier cities often or sometimes buy imported food product,” Liu noted.

Through 2016, the meat industry in China remained robust. In 2017, China’s beef importers are expected to grow 15 percent and China will account for one quarter of global pork trade.

In response to exhibitor demand, the Meat Zone at SIAL CHINA 2017 will occupy two halls.

In the dairy sector, demand for quality dairy products has fueled this sector's growth in China.

In 2016, demand for liquid milk grew by 380,000 tonnes, and the 2017 Chinese SIAL CHINA 2017 Highlights • 3,200 exhibitors from over 67 countries • 80,000 visitors • 149,500 sq. m • 21 product sectors including four dedicated zones: meat, dairy, wine, beverage and wine

cheese market is expected to become a RMB 5.38 billion industry, up from RMB 3.5 billion in 2015. With the average household in China consuming just one-fifth of an average EU household, potential for the growth in China’s dairy market is significant.

At SIAL CHINA 2017, for the first time at SIAL CHINA, non-alcoholic beverages and alcoholic beverages will be demarcated into two zones — the Beverage Zone and Wine Zone.

As a whole, China’s beverage sector grew below one percent in 2015.

China, however, remains the world’s largest consumer of alcoholic beverages, with its consumption expected to come in at 84.37 billion litres in 2016.

SIAL CHINA is dedicated to offer an impressive and international experience to exhibitors and professional visitors.

HOTEL Business Review

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ITDC’s CSR Initiative AccorHotels Comes to Brings Laurels Kerala India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) was bestowed with ‘Best PSU award for CSR Initiative’ in Miniratna Non Financial Category, at the 4th Edition of Governance Now PSU Awards 2016.

The award was presented to ITDC at a star studded award ceremony in New Delhi, where Umang Narula, Chairman & Managing Director, ITDC, and Piyush Tiwari, Director, Commercial & Marketing, ITDC, received the award from Ram Vilas Paswan, the Union Minister of Food and Public Distribution and from the renowned actor Jeetendra.

ITDC has adopted Qutub Minar as a part of its CSR initiative under the aegis of Government of India’s Swacch Bharat Abhiyan and organises regular cleanliness drives at the monument’s premises. It has provided a dedicated workforce to supplement the staff of ASI, involved in maintaining cleanliness of the monument.

For its ‘Clean India Campaign’ at Qutub Minar, ITDC also won the ‘SKOCH Silver Award’ at the 46th Skoch Summit 2016 under Skoch Blue Economy Award. The award was presented recently at a function in New Delhi.

Skoch Group is a Gurgaon-based think tank dealing with socio-economic issues, with a focus on inclusive growth.

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AccorHotels opened its first property in Kerala with the launch of ibis Kochi City Centre on 13th January. Located on Ernakulam’s commercial hub – MG Road, the hotel is a few steps away from the upcoming Kochi Metro station and a short drive from the Ernakulam Railway Station.

Popular local tourist attractions, shopping hubs and commercial centres are within close proximity, making the hospitality property a suitable choice for corporate travellers and holidaymakers.

The hotel has 115 well-appointed guest rooms furnished with the signature ‘Sweet Bed’ by ibis, in-room amenities and WI-FI access.

“We are pleased to open our first AccorHotels’ property, ibis Kochi City Centre, in Kerala. Kochi is an upcoming smart city and commercial hub and we are proud to open its first international economy hotel,” said Jean-Michel Casse, Senior Vice President, Operations, AccorHotels India.

“With a sharp focus on today’s connected business traveller, the hotel promises to be a sophisticated stay destination with a host of innovative facilities, all at an attractive price point,” Casse affirmed.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts Launches New Property in Colombo Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts recently opened a new property in Colombo. The 24-floor Mövenpick Hotel Colombo is the first international five-star property to open in the city in 25 years, a milestone that reflects the country’s new-found energy and optimism.

The hospitality property introduces a unique ‘vertical experience,’ with every floor, from the ground to the roof, offering a different themed concept, taking guests on a journey of discovery.

The property is characterised by its modern architecture that blends the diamond-shaped exterior with the organic hanging gardens, which boasts 14,310 plants.

Located in the heart of Colombo’s thriving business, commercial and political district, close to the city’s famous ‘Pola’ — the bustling local market — and several historical sites, the property’s open-plan design with oversized windows offer a sense of space.

All 219 rooms and suites of the property feature floor-toceiling windows.

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HOTEL Business Review

Green Glory for Balaji Sarovar Premiere Solapur In recognition of its green initiatives, Balaji Sarovar Premiere Solapur has been recently certified with the Indian Green Building Council’s Leed India Gold rating.

This is the first gold rating received

by Sarovar Hotels and also the first in the city of Solapur.

“This distinction is an endorsement of the hotel’s contribution to the environment.

It signifies our endeavour in the integration of world class green best practices with contemporary design elements to deliver the best of hospitality and services in the greenest manner,” said Berzin Master, General Manager, Balaji Sarovar Premiere Solapur.

Opened in 2013, Balaji Sarovar Premiere Solapur has been practicing several environment-friendly measures such as water efficient landscaping, innovative waste water technologies, storage and collection of recyclables, construction waste management, in addition to a wide spectrum of other green practices.

Sarovar Hotels Opens New Hotel in Delhi NCR Beginning the new year on a high note, Sarovar Hotels recently opened a new hotel in the National Capital Region of Delhi.

The new hotel, named as The Muse Sarovar Portico, Kapashera, offers easy access to the domestic and international airports.

“We are glad to be opening the year with this important addition to our portfolio.

Strategically positioned, The Muse Sarovar Portico is convenient to commute to and from the airport, making travel easy for frequent travellers,” said Ajay K. Bakaya, Exeutive Director, Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd. “Excellent banquet and conference facilities are the prime services we aim to focus on here,” Bakaya added.

AccorHotels Announces Partnership with Qatar Airways Leading global hospitality chain AccorHotels has joined hands with Qatar Airways to offer members of their respective loyalty programmes Le Club AccorHotels and Qatar Airways Privilege Club, an even more generous travel experience.

With the new partnership, members of Qatar Airways’ loyalty programme can now convert their ‘Qmiles’ into Le Club AccorHotels (LCAH) points at the conversion rate of 4,500 Qmiles for 1,000 LCAH points. This will help them purchase free nights and discounts on their next stay in over 3,400 hotels and to access multiple rewards — Elite Experiences, Dream Stays, La Collection e-boutique, etc. — offered by the Le Club AccorHotels’ loyalty programme.

The more than 30 million Le Club AccorHotels’ loyalty programme members who have already notched up 2,000 points can convert them into Qmiles and access a network of over 150 destinations where Qatar Airways flies.

“Qatar Airways Privilege Club is delighted to further enhance the benefits offered to our members by partnering with AccorHotels and Le Club AccorHotels,” said Ian Di Tullio, Vice President, Customer Loyalty & Relationship Management, Qatar Airways.

“This unique partnership will provide a rewarding travel experience to our members by offering them even more options to earn and redeem their Qmiles at some of the best hotels and resorts worldwide,” Di Tullio said.

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New Accommodation Address for Corbett Visitors Countrywide Hospitality recently launched its first resort, Le Reserve Corbett, for tourists visiting Jim Corbett National Park, the oldest national park in the country.

“We are extremely delighted to be bringing a one of its kind accommodation facility in Corbett. Le Reserve Corbett is a place where nature meets luxury,” said Karan Tewari, Founder & Director, Le Reserve Corbett.

Each element at Le Reserve Corbett has been designed keeping in mind the expectations of adventure enthusiasts and nature lovers. Keeping it natural, the resort has a façade made out of recycled woods, bathroom hanger made of wood and jute ropes, lamp shades using cane, wash basin stands in cut out woods. The interiors also can amaze the guests with hand painted wall art of the big cats.

Ambrosia, the multi-cuisine restaurant, offers unfussy yet flavoursome food. For the discerning foodies, the menu here also offers some authentic local Kumaoni dishes alongside other cuisines, which guests can indulge in without having to

leave the resort.

The resort has an exclusive private dining area located on the first floor overlooking the inner courtyard, which has been created for couples or those who are looking for some private moments of celebrations over some delicious food. A spacious banquet space is available where corporate groups can host their conferences, events and off-sites.

In order to ensure guests a complete jungle escapade, Le Reserve Corbett offers activities such as guided nature walk, village walk, elephant bath, angling, picnic/lunch by riverbank of Kosi, apart from the quintessential jungle safari.

Le Reserve Corbett is also the first investment in hospitality property by Countrywide Group which plans to open its next hotel in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.

An Award for the Berggruen Hotels’ CEO Anshu Sarin, Chief Executive Officer, Berggruen Hotels, bagged the coveted ‘Food and Hospitality World (FHW) Business Excellence Honours — Woman in Hospitality’ award, presented at the 30th edition of FHW, a global food and hospitality show, held in January at MMRDA Ground, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai.

“It feels great to receive this award. I would like to thank my colleagues, our business partners and above all our guests for their continued belief and support. It is awards like these that not only motivates one but also reflects on our industry’s growing belief in gender diversity and meritocracy,” Anshu said.

Berggruen Hotels runs hotels under the Keys brand. There are currently over 21 Keys Hotels in India spread across 17 cities.

With close to 20 years of experience in the hospitality and aviation industries, Anshu is an industry stalwart. She plays a central role in growing and expanding the Keys Hotels brand across India. Her efforts have been focused towards energising and elevating the brand at one level and strengthening the sales and distribution network on the other.

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HOTEL Business Review

ITDC Makes Debut on National Stock Exchange The shares of India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), the only public sector undertaking under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism — began trading under the trade-for-trade segment on the NSE from 30th December 2016. The company’s stock at the time of debut was priced at Rs. 229 and settled at Rs.211 at the day’s close. ITDC is already listed on Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

“It’s a matter of great pride for us to be listed in India’s largest stock exchange (NSE) and world’s third largest stock exchange in terms of transactions. ITDC has been a valuable proposition for investors on BSE and we are sure that it would continue its legacy on NSE as well.

At ITDC, we are moving with positive momentum and are sure that we are going to make some remarkable performances in the coming years,” said Pradip Kumar Das, Director, Finance, ITDC.

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Courtyard by Marriott, Agra Marks Second Anniversary with 100 Kg Cake Courtyard by Marriott, Agra recently celebrated its second anniversary with a 50 feet long cake weighing about 100 kg.

This cake was prepared by the culinary team led by Executive Chef Vivek Kalia. The guests at the hotel along with the

Marriott associates together had the honour of cutting the elegantly crafted cake with edible printing depicting the hotel’s achievements over the last two years.

“Over the last two years, Courtyard by Marriott, Agra has become a preferred getaway destination offering Indian hospitality with a global flair. We are extremely excited about celebrating the hotel’s second anniversary today. Our team has come up with this unique idea for the occasion. This is the longest cake baked in Agra and it showcases the hotel’s achievements in the last two years!” said Abhishek Sahai, General Manager, Courtyard by Marriott, Agra.

“The third year of hotel’s operations will be even more exciting,” Sahai noted.

Lemon Tree Bags ‘Best In Building Career Award’ Lemon Tree Hotels, one of India’s fastest growing hotel chain companies, won the Best in Building Career Award at The Total Rewards Conclave 2017, recently organised in New Delhi. The award is an initiative of People Matters, which is India’s leading knowledge and media platform in the human resources space.

Organised for the fourth time, the conclave is India’s largest dedicated rewards and benefits event focused on providing expert insights, information and exposure to industry experts, strategic advisors and senior HR professionals. The Total Rewards Conclave brings every year some of the emerging trends and shows how organisations are leveraging them to make an impact to business.

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AccorHotels Celebrates Talent at Annual India Awards AccorHotels recently announced the winners of the 2016 edition of AccorHotels India Awards. Hosted at the picturesque La Brise at Novotel Goa Shrem Hotel in an evening of revelry filled with lots of energy and enthusiasm, the annual awards ceremony recognised outstanding employees across the 22 award categories for their exemplary performance and contribution.

Instituted in 2014, AccorHotels India Awards is an innovative platform to recognise and acknowledge the group’s high performing employees and make them ‘feel valued’ for their spirit of hospitality and unconditional efforts to ensure success of the group’s vision.

This year, AccorHotels received a total of 260 nominations from employees across all its properties in India.

The entries were adjudged by an AccorHotels’ executive team led by Jean-Michel Casse, Senior Vice President — Operations, AccorHotels India.

Among the proud recipients, Boipi Vaiphei, Housekeeping Associate, Novotel Chennai Sipcot and Hari Prasad, KST Executive, Novotel Imagica Khopoli walked away with the

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‘Spirit of Conquest Person of the Year’ and the ‘Unsung Hero of the Year’ awards respectively.

Congratulating the winners, Ashwin Shirali, Regional Director of Talent & Culture, AccorHotels India, said, “Everything we do at AccorHotels is built around our culture in ‘placing guests first’. AccorHotels India Awards recognises talented employees across hierarchy and functions who live our values and culture in fostering a positive working relationship together.”

First Royal Tulip Hotel Opens in Kufri Golden Tulip Hospitality Group, South Asia recently announced the opening of its first five-star luxury hotel in Kufri, with the launch of Royal Tulip Kufri.

Located at 8,600 feet above sea level, Royal Tulip Kufri offers the majestic views of the Himalayas, exquisitely spread over acres of cedar forest range.

“We are excited to present Royal Tulip Kufri, the first international luxury hotel in Kufri, that will offer the highest standards of luxury, comfort and world class services to its customers,” said Vimal Singh, Managing Director, South Asia — Golden Tulip Hotels & Resorts/ Louvre Hotels Group.

The Golden Tulip hotels chain traces its roots back to the early 1960s, when the first Golden Tulip hotel opened its doors in the Netherlands. As part of the Louvre Hotels Group, the worldwide hotel chain operates three well-known hotel brands: Tulip Inn, Golden Tulip and Royal Tulip, with a total of over 240 hotels in 45 countries within its ambit.

“In keeping with the group’s motto, Royal Tulip Kufri brings an ethos of international standards with local flavours.

The company is looking to expand aggressively in the next few years across South Asia, thereby adding significant value to the hospitality sector,” Singh added.

Royal Tulip Kufri features 54 luxuriously appointed guest rooms and suites, offering panoramic views overlooking the beautiful Kufri valley.

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HOTEL Business Review

Download MKN Connect Software for Free Those who use appliances of German professional kitchenware provider MKN can now download the latest version of the MKN Connect software for free, the company announced in a statement.

The software will facilitate simple communication between MKN appliances and a desktop PC. With the MKN Connect software, FlexiCombi and FlexiChef appliance users can create and organise cooking programmes easily on a desktop PC. Hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) data can also be conveniently managed using the software as it can be visualised, archived and printed simply with just a click.

The Connect software is suitable for all appliance sizes and data transfer can be performed by means of a USB stick, the company informed.

The MKN Connect software can be downloaded free of charge from the company’s website.

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Ramgarh Heritage is Now Part of WelcomHeritage Hotels’ portfolio WelcomHeritage recently added a new hospitality property to its portfolio. It is the majestic WelcomHeritage Ramgarh in Panchkula, Chandigarh. The resort is located inside a property which is over 325 years old. The present owners are the descendants of Chandail Rajputs whose original seat of power was Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh.

WelcomHeritage Ramgarh is an amalgamation of heritage and luxury experience with a world-class accommodation and an awe-inspiring heritage; interwoven in historical elegance. The property is dotted with historic art and antiques, a legacy passed down for eight generations now.

The property offers 26 well-appointed rooms and suites with five categories, namely Luxury Rooms, Premium Rooms, Heritage Rooms, Heritage Suite Rooms and Ramgarh Suite Rooms.

The resort is conveniently located at a 30 minutes drive from the Chandigarh International Airport and 20 minutes drive from the Chandigarh Railway Station.

HotelREZ Hotels & Resorts Adopts Sabre’s Hospitality Solutions HotelREZ Hotels & Resorts has completed the migration of its member hotels to Sabre’s SynXis Central Reservations and device responsive booking engine, thereby securing its ability to provide more than 1,000 HotelREZ customers with access to Sabre’s industry-leading technology.

Sabre’s broad portfolio of hospitality solutions empowers hoteliers to create and deliver a unique and differentiating guest experience, based on their specific brand.

“Our customers rely on us to provide them with access to the very best technology available in the marketplace so that we are able to focus on driving incremental revenue for their hotels, through our network of travel agency partnerships and our global sales and marketing initiatives,” said Mark Lewis, CEO and Founder of HotelREZ. In Asia-Pacific, HotelREZ Hotels & Resorts has properties in India, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

“We chose Sabre for their innovative technology, product development roadmap and commitment to helping our independent hotel members succeed, both now and in the future,” Lewis observed.

Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, US, Sabre Corporation serves customers in more than 160 countries around the world.

Sabre’s software, data, mobile and distribution solutions are used by hundreds of airlines and thousands of hotel properties to manage critical operations, including passenger and guest reservations, revenue management, flight, network and crew management.

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Appo intments

HOTEL Business Review

Jean-Michel Casse

AccorHotels recently promoted Jean-Michel Casse as its Chief Operating Officer — India and South Asia. A seasoned hotelier, Casse brings with him over three decades of industry experience and deep understanding of varied cultures, having worked across multiple international markets in Europe, Asia, Middle-East and Africa.

In his most recent role as Senior Vice-President for AccorHotels, India, Casse has played a pivotal role in the group’s success in India.

South Asia, and particularly India, is a significant market for AccorHotels globally. In India, AccorHotels operates a network of 10 distinctive brands, which span across all segments — from luxury to budget.

The group now has 46 hotels in the country.

“Jean-Michel has played an integral role in our success in India since taking over responsibility in 2008. He will lead teams in the region to ensure AccorHotels’ continued growth momentum in India and South Asia,” said Michael Issenberg, Chairman and CEO, Asia Pacific, AccorHotels.

Nazma Mamaji

Novotel Hyderabad Airport recently announced the appointment of Nazma Mamaji as the Director of Sales and Marketing for the hotel. In her new role, Nazma will be responsible for scaling new heights of revenues for the hotel, bringing in greater visibility and aiming for higher team engagement in the surging hospitality market of Hyderabad.

A seasoned hotelier, Nazma brings to her new role over a decade of hospitality experience with deep expertise in business development and team handling. Prior to joining Novotel Hyderabad Airport, she was associated with leading hotel chains such as Hilton, Hyatt Hotels, IHHR Hospitality and Indian Hotels Co ltd. In her previous stints, Nazma played an instrumental role in sculpting strong foundation of MICE business and travel trade segments for the brands she was associated with.

She is a Hotel Management Graduate from Dr. D Y Patil College of Hotel Management Mumbai.

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Jan-Feb ’17

Rohit Chopra

Rohit Chopra is the new Regional Director of Sales for AccorHotels India. In his new role, Chopra will be responsible for expanding the proposed sales structure in the country by developing various global sales offices in India. He will also contribute to AccorHotels’ global sales network, goals and objectives and drive promotion of sales & marketing programmes.

A seasoned strategist who enjoys taking on new challenges, Chopra’s career as a hotelier spans over two decades, including extensive experience in working with global hospitality leaders such as IHG, Marriott and Hyatt in leadership roles.

He became a part of the AccorHotels family in 2013 as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Novotel Pune in the pre-opening stage and was an integral member of the team that successfully opened and positioned the property in a challenging business environment. Most recently, he was the Executive Assistant Manager, Sales and Marketing at Novotel Pune.

Ashmita Kamble

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pune-Chinchwad recently appointed Asmita Kamble as the new Executive Housekeeper. A Graduate in hotel management from Pune University, Ashmita has over 11 years of experience in the hotel industry.

Ashmita began her career with Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur in 2006 and later on moved to Oberoi, Mumbai in 2007 as Housekeeping Supervisor. She then joined the pre-opening team of Westin Pune as Housekeeping Supervisor in 2009.

She later became a part of the pre-opening of Crowne Plaza, Okhla, New Delhi and worked her way up as the Housekeeping Executive in 2010.

Thereafter, she joined Hyatt Regency Mumbai as Assistant manager in 2011, and then joined Hyatt Place Goa/Candolim as a core member of the pre-opening team.

Ajith Nair

AccorHotels has announced the appointment of Ajith Nair as the new Director of Sales and Marketing for Novotel Imagica Khopoli. In his role, Nair will be responsible for leading and further improving all aspects of the sales and marketing communications, and promoting brand strategies of the hotel.

A seasoned hotelier, Nair has been in the hospitality industry for over 16 years. Prior to joining AccorHotels, Nair was the Director of Sales and Marketing at Radisson Blu Resort, Karjat.

“We are thrilled to have Ajith lead our sales efforts at the hotel. His key expertise lies in developing and implementing sales strategies in sync with market conditions, client engagement, revenue and team management which makes him the perfect choice for this role,” said Srinivas Srirangam, General Manager, Novotel Imagica Khopoli.

“We look forward to his collaboration in the pursuit of providing the best of Novotel Imagica hospitality to our guests,” Srirangam said.

Bhawna Verma

Bhawna Verma has been recently appointed as the General Manager for Courtyard by Marriott Gurugram Downtown. With an illustrious career spanning over 16 years in the hospitality industry, Bhawna brings with her great experience in handling operations and in guest satisfaction and engagement. Her new role would entail overseeing and implementing high operational standards and driving performance across verticals at the hotel.

“I am honoured to join and be part of the Marriott family. I look forward to take guest experience to even higher levels, enhance profitability while providing the team with great development opportunities,” Bhawna said on her appointment.

In her illustrious career, Bhawna has worked with many renowned properties in India such as Holiday Inn & Suites, Bangalore; Crowne Plaza, Gurugram; Hyatt Regency, New Delhi; The Imperial, New Delhi; and Taj Palace, New Delhi, among others.

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HOTEL Business Review

Louvre Hotels Group Buys Majority Stake in Sarovar Hotels The move will help sustain the development of Louvre Hotels Group, which has been present in the Indian sub-continent since 2007 and currently manages 22 hotels under its Golden Tulip umbrella brand

L - R - Saurabh Chawla, Pierre-Frédéric Roulot, Anil Madhok, Ajay K. Bakaya

L

ouvre Hotels Group, the second largest hotel group in Europe, announced on 12th January its acquisition of a majority stake in Sarovar Hotels.

Sarovar Hotels said there would be no change in management of the group following the acquisition.

“Over the last two decades, Sarovar Hotels has grown to be one of the fastest growing hospitality chains in India. The association with Louvre Hotels Group will help us to spread our wings further and we will continue to develop our brands. With local and international capabilities, we aim to be the leading brand in the business and bring in major benefits to our guests,” said Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels.

Sarovar Hotels Group has 75 hotels on the premium, mid-range and budget sectors, through three leading brands — Sarovar Premiere, Sarovar Portico and Hometel.

In addition to the above three brands, the group also has two well established F&B brands — The Geoffrey’s Pub and the Oriental Blossom — and manages the 24

Jan-Feb ’17

lodging and catering facilities of various institutions in India.

Furthermore, the group manages 10 hotels under the Radisson, Park Plaza and Park Inn brands.

Buying majority stake in Sarovar Hotels will also help sustain the development of Louvre Hotels Group, which has been present in the Indian sub-continent since 2007 and currently manages 22 hotels under its Golden Tulip umbrella brand.

This deal clearly demonstrates the ambition of Louvre Hotels Group — a subsidiary of Jin Jiang International Holdings Co. Ltd., one of China’s largest tourist and travel conglomerates — boosting its development through strategic deals on high potential markets.

“Number 2 in Europe, Number 1 in China, and now a leader in India, we really are a major global player, present in all major markets, and in all the hospitality segments. Sarovar is a fantastic platform, very promising for the future, mostly due to the professionalism and the local expertise of its smart team,” PierreFrederic Roulot, CEO, Louvre Hotels

Group, pointed out.

Both hotel groups share the desire to continue developing Sarovar Hotels’ brands.

Sarovar Hotels was founded in 1994

by Anil Madhok, a hotel industry expert on India, Singapore and Sri Lanka markets. Besides him, Sarovar Hotels is also run by Ajay K. Bakaya and Mansoor Adil who have built it into a robust and effective hotel platform combining excellent marketing, human resources, operations, management and technical services.

Leveraging its hotel expertise and seasoned management staff, Sarovar has developed significantly over the past five years, growing from 4,500 to nearly 6,000 rooms in over 50 cities. The group is set to add more than 20 hotels to its network shortly.

Over the last few years, Sarovar has also started to develop its brands outside India’s boundaries, targetting Africa, and more significantly Eastern Africa, which de facto also strengthens Louvre Hotels Group’s positioning as the largest hotel group in this part of the world.

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HOTEL Business Review

The Pride Presents Green Luxury L

ocated in close proximity to Delhi and Gurgaon, Pride Plaza Hotel Aerocity, New Delhi is the first luxury hotel in the capital by The Pride Group of Hotels. It was launched on 27th January 2016, and has completed its first anniversary in the recent past. The hotel is already attracting an average of 65 percent occupancy.

The wonderful paintings by Krsnaa Mehta are placed all over the property.

The building of the classy hospitality property entailed an investment of Rs.350 crore. The hotel houses 385 rooms, which are well-equipped with premium amenities and advanced technology.

Classy Rooms and More According to Pankaj Mathur, the GM of the property, the hotel’s rooms can be demarcated into three categories.

“The Deluxe Rooms, which are spread across 280 sq.ft., feature state-of-theart amenities such as 42 inch LED TV, multimedia hub, Twin/King bed, 3 fixture bathroom, work table, tea/coffee maker, mini bar, and electronic safe. The Superior Rooms are spread across 300 sq. ft. and these rooms also feature state-ofthe-art amenities such as 42 inch LED 26

Jan-Feb ’17

TV, multimedia hub, Twin/King bed, 3 fixture bathroom, work table, tea/coffee maker, mini bar, and electronic safe,” elaborated Mathur.

“Our Premium Rooms are spread across 320 sq.ft. Along with a range of state-of-the-art amenities, these rooms also have 4 fixture bathroom with bath tub. On booking of a Premium Room, the guests get free pick and drop to the airport, and complimentary 4 pieces of laundry, high tea, access to the Plaza Lounge and happy hours at the bar,” he added further.

The Ora Regenesis Spa of the hotel has well-appointed spaces and facilities to pamper your body and soul. Here expert therapists can reduce or eliminate your stress levels. “The hotel also features a state-of-the-art gymnasium that is equipped with quality fitness equipments.

There is a crystal clear swimming pool, where guests can lounge about or take a dip to cool off,” stated Mathur. The hotel also has five state-of-the-art banquet halls, spread across 12,000 sq. ft.

Tempting Tastes The F&B options at the hotel are wide and varied. Café Pride, the all-day dining

multi-cuisine restaurant of the hotel offers authentic Indian, continental and oriental cuisines with a trendy interactive kitchen.

“Here guests can enjoy flavours from across the globe besides a huge variety of Indian regional cuisines, complimented by true Indian hospitality. The outlet offers an attractive choice of elaborate buffets & and a-al-carte options,” expressed Prithipal Singh, F&B Manager, Pride Plaza Hotel Aerocity, New Delhi.

Oriental Spice, Stallion, Mr.Confectioner, and Aqua Grill are other F&B outlets of the five-star property. Oriental Spice is a pan-Asian fine dining restaurant, where one can enjoy delicacies from the orient. The outlet has a live kitchen. Here if you can settle your bill before 9:00 pm you can avail 50 percent off. Oriental Spice is open during 7:30 pm– 11:30 pm, everyday of the week.

Stallion, the lounge bar can help you unwind after a long and tiring day with invigorating cocktails, mocktails and other beverages. The décor of this lounge bar is alluring, which sets the mood for a heady evening.

Mr. Confectioner is the hotel’s pastry shop, where one can get a wide selection

Re p or t

HOTEL Business Review

of bakery and patisserie items along with an elaborate choice of tea/coffee and various soft beverages.

“Aqua Grill is a seasonal poolside restaurant where you can get the most terrific, mouth-watering and smoky barbecues. The outlet has Indian, American, European, Asian, Arabic, Spanish and Mexican grill. The guests can here relish a wide array of sumptuous grilled offerings,” stated Singh.

According to Singh, Shumai Dim Sum from Oriental Spice, and Chili Marinated Himalayan Trout, and Galauti Kebab from Café Pride have already become great hits with the guests at the hotel.

April onwards, we have also planned to promote the authentic Indian cuisines and their original flavours.

As we have observed, because of lots of experimenting and fusions in the food industry, many people have forgotten the original taste of the Indian delicacies and through this promotion we will try to project the originality of Indian cuisines,” elaborated Singh further.

Savvy Promotions

Environmental-friendly Hospitality

The hotel also has some future promotions lined up. “As the summer season is going to hit soon and the exams are about to be over, we have planned to do a summer camp for kids where they can learn how to make healthy salads, smoothies, mocktails, cakes, pastries and many more with our expert Chefs. This we will start from the first week of April,” informed Singh.

“Being a truly Indian hotel, from

The hotel has several eco-friendly or green measures, which can interest the environmentally conscious guests.

“They are solar panels for hot water generation, STP (sewage treatment plant) for recycling waste water and using it again in cooling tower, flushing WC, for plantation and in fountains.

Installing of LED lights in the rooms and public areas to save energy is another

green measure of the property,” affirmed Mathur. “In future, we are planning to divert the source of all our hotel’s lighting to the solar energy, in order to save more electricity,” he added further.

“We also have the Environmental Card for bed linen. The linen is only changed when the card is placed on the linen by the guest; otherwise we follow the daily practice,” articulated Balbir Singh, Executive Housekeeper, Pride Plaza Hotel Aerocity, New Delhi. Moreover, according to Balbir, “For cleaning the guest rooms and public areas, the chemicals being used are 100 percent environmental friendly.”

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27

Training and Motivation for Reducing Attrition Attrition in the Indian hospitality industry is a bane that the industry has been trying to tackle for long, to no avail. Almost every department of the Indian hotel industry is affected by this lacuna.

The ‘associates’ must have an environment that inculcate a sense of loyalty for the hotel, and the hotels need to provide it for them.

In the previous issue the causes of tackling attrition and ways of preventing attrition in the Indian hospitality industry were discussed at length. Here, Ashok Malkani takes a further look at the specific methods adopted by the industry to ensure the employees’ long association with the hospitality properties, and the ways and means of training these ambassadors of the hotel to provide service par excellence. The departments affected by attrition across various hospitality properties are also discussed.

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Jan-Feb ’17

Cover Story

T

he demand and supply affects economies of all industries and the hospitality sector is no different.

Presently, there is a lot of pressure on hotels’ bottom lines, in the country. With new hotels coming up there is also the demand for skilled manpower. Since the supply of skilled manpower is limited there is an increase in per-employee costs.

Hoteliers in the Indian hospitality industry say their payroll costs have almost doubled in the last three years.

Industry sources claim that today, the Indian hotel industry’s payroll costs range anywhere between 20 percent to 30 percent of a company’s average revenue; up from 15-17 percent three years ago.

Companies blame this on high attrition rates across the industry, overhiring and growing sizes of food and beverage outlets. But despite substantial enhancement in payroll costs in the Indian hotel industry during the recent years, the attrition rates in the industry are showing no signs of abating.

Departments Affected “Banquets, front office, housekeeping, F&B are some of the departments of the hotel, which are affected by attrition. All these departments are operational departments and there is a huge demand for employees in these departments, in abroad and on cruise lines. The salaries abroad and on cruise liners cannot be matched by us and hence there will be attrition in these areas,” averred Lyndon D’mello, HR

HOTEL Business Review

Head, Hotel Marine Plaza Mumbai.

“The steps taken by our hotel to prevent attrition include employee participation in various activities and also incentive schemes,” he added further.

“In my opinion, front-of-the-house departments of hotels in India are subject to the maximum attrition, as the personnel engaged in these departments possess a certain skill set which is synonymous to the hospitality industry alone and therefore they find a lot of demand in the industry,” explained Divyangana Srivastava, Director of Human Resources, JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu.

Kamlesh Barot, Director at Vie Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. and past President, Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) — HRAWI, opined, “Front office, housekeeping and F&B production are the main areas that register the highest attrition in the industry. In our case too, the front office, housekeeping, F&B service, and also bakery confectionery are areas of concern for attrition. To address this issue and for retention efforts we maintain team spirit and do detailed tripartite appraisals, wherever and whenever due.”

“Currently, we are facing higher attrition in F&B production and service. To counter this, we have started a training session for the employees on a regular basis. In addition, we have started various employee engagement activities where the staff can enjoy and take time out from their daily hectic activities for about an hour to feel relaxed,” offered Satyajit Kotwal, General Manager, The Resort, Mumbai, Madh Malad.

“We also provide growth opportunities by giving internal promotions. We undertake grievance checks on a monthly basis and if anything is found, we try to rectify it immediately. We conduct exit interviews with employees that help us to know exact reasons for their leaving, and then we work on straightening those out,” Kotwal pointed out further.

“Attrition in hotels in India is felt mostly in F&B service and production.

In the F&B service department it is due to long hours of work and in production it is mainly due to increasing demand in the market,” opined Udayan Damodharan, Director of HR, Novotel Kolkata Hotel and Residences.

Daljeet Kaur, Assistant Manager, HR, The Mirador, Mumbai, said that all the departments of hotels – banquets, front office, housekeeping, F&B, production – have attrition on a cyclical basis, which according to her, is good, as its gives the industry new and energised staff. “However, we do work towards and endeavour to make these employees stay with our hotel by taking all requisite measures necessary,” affirmed Daljeet.

Vikram Sharma, the Director of Human Resources, Jaipur Marriott Hotel revealed, “The maximum attrition in the Indian hotel industry is recorded in the operational departments, at the rank and file level.

These departments are highly skillbased and labour-intensive. Moreover, there are various lucrative options available for a skilled workforce in the market. In fact, hospitality professionals are preferred by different service sectors

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HOTEL Business Review

Vikram Sharma

and cruise liners.”

Training is Belonging Regular training of the employees or the associates is one of the ways to tackle the problem of attrition in the industry and to make the employees more productive. Not only regular training can clearly define the roles and responsibilities and expected rewards of the personnel, thereby greatly reducing their disillusionment and job related frustration, but can also enhance the efficiency and job satisfaction levels of the employees.

Training at regular intervals can also impart among the employees a sense of belonging to the given organisation, which can eventually check attrition levels.

Moreover, as stated before, regular training also helps in improving the efficiency of the personnel and help transform an employee from less skilled to more skilled, which in turn can reduce the scarcity of skilled labour in the Indian hospitality industry due to attrition, to a great extent. We can see that training not only prevents attrition, but also acts a safeguard against attrition. “Our well-structured training programmes help our associates to add value and develop them into future leaders,” proffered Sharma.

Most of the employees in the organised segment of the Indian hospitality industry come from hospitality institutes and are duly trained but almost the entire industry is in concurrence that employees make or break a hotel and the industry needs to undertake regular programmes to guide 30

Jan-Feb ’17

their personnel to be the epitomes of hospitality.

“The training imparted in the hospitality institutes is basic knowledge which makes the students aware of the industry’s best practices and gives them the peripheral perspective on things.

However, like in any other industry or profession, it is a different world once you personally step into it. The finer aspects of the trade become known only once you are playing the role in live environment and it takes time and patience to get a better grip of things,” declared Barot.

“The faculty at the hospitality institutes too needs to be trained online to keep themselves apprised of the recent developments in the industry.

We have always encouraged our institute affiliates to send their faculty to our member hotels in vacations,” he added further.

“As far as the hotel industry is concerned, soft skills training sessions are a necessity which helps the staff to brush up on the various etiquettes for a better customer satisfaction.

Not only politeness but product knowledge, confidence, suggestive selling, incentives, appraisals, complaint handling, team spirit are honed due to training. Courtesy forms a part of our initial training session for each department’s employees, followed by telephone manners,” informed Barot.

However, Divyangana is all praise for the curriculum of hospitality training institutes in the country. “I do believe that the training imparted at hospitality training institutes in

Divyangana Srivastava

Daljeet Kaur

the country is sufficient for graduates who look to start their career in the industry, as most institutes, apart from textbook knowledge provide intensive practical training, along with industrial training opportunities, which together creates a holistic learning experience,” declared Divyangana. “The JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu takes great pride in the training programs designed to groom hospitality graduates for the next level,” she added further. “ ‘Symphony of Service’ is one such Marriott brand training that focuses deeply on developing associates’ soft skills, as per the brand guidelines. It includes various modules focusing on grooming associates to be better prepared to take care of guests on the shop floor,” she affirmed.

Kotwal is of the opinion that “those who come from hospitality institutes are trained well enough, but then we have noticed that they do lack knowledge in some aspects of the job. To bridge this gap, The Resort, Mumbai, Madh Malad conducts training sessions for them, covering various subjects like handling of complaints, handling calls, proper communication, welcoming guests, etc. which sometimes institutes do not provide training in.”

“It is essential for employees in our industry to be trained at regular intervals, therefore we conduct a number of training sessions for our staff which consists of soft skills training as well as on the job training. Recently, we conducted a training programme for our front liners and senior supervisors regarding presenting themselves as a

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HOTEL Business Review

Kamlesh Barot

brand. We also held a training session for our staff across all sections, about handling of complaints. During the programme, members were given case studies and were then provided with guidance on how to handle such situations,” elaborated Kotwal.

“The training imparted in the hospitality institutes is, at times, insufficient and therefore hotels need to take special care to impart training in an exemplary manner during induction as well as on the job training, which they do,’ asserted D’mello.

Damodharan also believes that the institutes’ training is not up to the mark.

“Hospitality institutes in India, by and large, still focus on the old method of class room teaching which is far from the real world. Hotel schools have to update themselves with the latest trends and shift the focus to practical training from class room teaching,” he said.

“Hotel Marine Plaza Mumbai has special program, conducted during weekly training within the departments, to inculcate a sense of politeness. We also send our employees to outside faculties to attend special programs on etiquette & politeness, which is coordinated by the in-house Training Manager,” D’mello added.

Srinivas Srirangam, General Manager, Novotel Imagica Khopoli, disclosed, “We have a dedicated Training Manager as well as specific departmental trainers who build schemes that focus on relentlessly refining conduct and approach of our teams. Our programs offer learning experience that not only leverage the potential of our employees, but also helps in building on new skills 32

Jan-Feb ’17

which in turn improves the quality of service we provide to our guests.”

“Grooming and etiquette become second nature to professionals in this industry and to enhance their potential we have programs such as Grooming and Telephone Standards. Aside from this, AccorHotels in India has a virtual training named Academie Accor, which offers more than 150 leadership and behaviourial related courses, offering different training solutions to various needs,” Srirangam added further.

“Being a part of AccorHotels Group, Sofitel Mumbai BKC has a structured Learning & Development function which is monitored by the AccorHotelsAcademie. There are various campuses across the world of which one is AccorHotelsAcademie India,” averred Salil Desai, Director of Talent and Culture, Sofitel Mumbai BKC. Pradeep Yadav, the Training Manager of the same hotel, added, “There are trainings designed specifically to cater to Sofitel Ambassadors; to help them deliver the desired guest experiences.

Apart from these brand trainings, there are certification sessions from AccorHotelsAcademie by a certified Academie trainer and these are mostly outbound. In the era of digitisation, we also have an online learning portal for key ambassadors to promote self-paced learning.”

“The education imparted by hospitality institutes are helpful, however individual chain or property inductions and trainings are what eventually groom the graduates professionally. Institutes can do

Pradeep Yadav

some modules and leadership and confidence building which would be helpful in stages also. The Mirador, Mumbai conducts various trainings on a monthly basis on operational, soft selling and grooming,” informed Daljeet.

“The hospitality training institutes do find it difficult to keep pace with the ever evolving changes in the industry; be it new trends in culinary concepts or a new software on revenue management. There has to be a mechanism of frequent sharing of information between hotels and institutes. This can be achieved collectively by means of special sessions by industry experts to the students and cross exposure of the faculty at the hotels. I believe the hotel schools in the country in general should focus a lot more on the interpersonal skills in the overall development of a student,” declared Sharma.

“We have a dedicated in-house training resource to conduct various training programmes. All the training programmes are primarily focused on enhancing the skills to serve our guests brilliantly. Marriott has standardised training modules focusing on enhancing the soft skills, problem resolving techniques, handling guest problems and service excellence trainings,” affirmed Sharma.

Harvesting Loyalty

Lyndon D’mello

Training is an important investment in human resource, but though it is often necessary for checking attrition, it is not sufficient to prevent attrition. Along with regular training, building trust

Cover Story among associates is also necessary to infuse loyalty among the hotel industry personnel.

“It is very important to have a constant dialogue with the associates, to understand their expectations and make genuine efforts to meet those expectations,” Sharma pointed out.

“Building trust is the key to build loyalty amongst associates. This is only possible by clearly defining the vision of the company and the expectations out of them. The easiest way is to be open, fair and honest while discussing a problem with the associates. Respect and trust your team and you will get the same in return. If you make a mistake, apologise and admit you were wrong. This will allow associates to relate better, and they will appreciate your honesty,” elaborated Sharma.

“At Marriott we focus a lot on creating an environment to support each other. The strong performance management process of the company helps in constructive dialogue with

HOTEL Business Review

Satyajit Kotwal

the associates on their strength and development areas and outlines a step by step approach in overcoming them,” he conveyed.

Damodharan disclosed that at Novotel Kolkata Hotel and Residences they conduct an annual employee satisfaction survey. “I am happy to say that we score 90 percent on employee

loyalty,” he asserted.

Kotwal claims that at The Resort, Mumbai, Madh Malad “we ensure that we give our staff enough liberty and independence to make their decisions and we also trust them with their responsibilities. If a company empathises with the staff, the staff will also empathise with the company. It generates a sense of ownership among the staff towards the company.”

“A good manager breeds loyalty.

Giving a healthy working environment where an employee feels like coming to work, breeds loyalty. At Hotel Marine Plaza Mumbai, we ensure both the above,” asserted D’mello.

“Our associates stay with the company for years due to the company culture that promotes positive initiatives like ‘open door policy’, wherein associates can feel free to discuss and share their concerns/ideas with their fellow associates, with the General Manager and leadership teams.

A number of other initiatives like

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HOTEL Business Review

Different Strokes

Srinivas Srirangam

‘Associate Appreciation Week’, monthly and annual rewards & recognition forums, associate F&B discounts, birthday and anniversary celebrations, etc. make for a very positive workplace atmosphere,” disclosed Divyangana.

“We constantly keep our associates abreast of developments and decisions in the top management and maintain as much transparency as possible. This helps in trust building and a healthy work environment,” said Barot.

“At Novotel Imagica Khopoli, we take great care in creating a work environment that is easy to adapt to.

We respect every employee, reward good work and offer both professional and personal growth,” averred Srirangam.

“The concept of one size fits all may not always work well since each employee has distinguishable requirements and qualities. The office must be willing to address their needs and eager to nurture their talents.

Udayan Damodharan

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Jan-Feb ’17

Hospitality properties in India are now trying different strategies to manage their shrinking workforce. The strategies which need to be studied and implemented to check attrition in the Indian hospitality industry, according to experts, are: Nurturing a Positive Culture: Find factors contributing to attrition rate like inappropriate recruitment, employee dissatisfaction levels, underpayment and more.

Then hotels should take feedback from the staff. Taking employee feedback on regular basis helps in identifying their problems and providing the necessary solutions.

Encouraging staff members to interact with each other also brings in positivity to the work culture.

Rewarding their Efforts: Employees appreciate being valued and rewarded for their efforts. Besides monetary remuneration, there is the need to acknowledge good work in person or through staff communications; highlighting their effort on social media or bestowing them with ‘employee of the month/quarter’ award will encourage them to stay back.

Training till they Achieve Perfection: The training aspect plays a relevant part.

As discussed before, trainings would also give them a sense of belongingness to the hospitality property where they are working.

Empowering them with Technology: Induction of new-age technologies, like hotel software, will help in easing the load of the staff and give them a lot of free time to concentrate on enhancing the guest experience.

To sum up, if you understand your employees, analyse the factors that demotivates them and provide them with timely solutions, it will help you retain the efficient employees. This in turn can contribute towards your hospitality property’s growth and development, amidst fierce competition.

Having said that, it is important to have a set up that treats everyone equally and refrains from discrimination on all grounds. Building unity and healthy employee relations too help significantly in raising the levels of satisfaction within the team. During the evening our team often goes in for a quick game of volleyball or goes for lunch together.

Succinctly, it is essential to make sure that your employees feel content and valued – by doing so you will be ensuring that they are not in a hurry to leave,” affirmed Srirangam.

“At The Mirador, Mumbai we create an environment of team work and togetherness which enhances their self-worth in both team and as an individual,” averred Daljeet.

Ensuring job satisfaction of its employees can also facilitate the Indian hospitality industry to prevent attrition.”Recognition and praise are tools that can raise the morale of the associates,” Sharma observed, while at the same time maintaining, “I believe if associates feel better about their jobs, they are less likely to leave. Even more importantly, they will try to be better at what they do.”

Salil Desai

Along with giving them adequate job satisfaction, not giving excessive workload to the personnel is also an effective way to induce them to stay with the organisation for long. “The first and the simplest strategy is to keep optimum staffing levels to avoid extra work load on the associates. A tight check on the working hours helps us maintain the work life balance.

Regular engagement activities like fun and games, mediation classes, etc. keep our young workforce focused and energised,” Sharma pointed out. n

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Business

HOTEL Business Review

The Role and Benefits of

Automation

Attrition and the increasing labour costs, all over the globe, have made it imperative for the hospitality industry to adopt technology that would not only be able to cut operational costs but also be guest-friendly.

Some of the hotels abroad have not only installed automated self service check-in and check-out kiosks for guests in a hurry, but also robots as concierges and for other duties.

In India, robotics has not yet been introduced but technology is definitely being employed in almost all operational fields of the hospitality industry to ensure expediency while at the same time, adhering to the need for user-friendliness. Ashok Malkani finds that technology and automation also helps improving communication with the guests as well as among the management and employees.

V

irtually every industry is being transformed by technology and hospitality industry is no different.

Technology is playing an important role in today’s hospitality and tourism industry.

Both customers and businesses can benefit from advances in communication, reservations and guest services systems.

Technology allows continuous communication and streamlines the guest experience, from reservation to checkout.

Automation has been a hot topic in the hospitality industry over the past few years.

Globally, it has resulted in introduction of not only robotic concierges and electronic butlers but to fully robotic hotels. The global hospitality industry has been embracing this technology to improve their operations and revolutionise the guest experience.

Though robotics has not yet emerged in 36

Jan-Feb ’17

the Indian hospitality industry, technology is making rapid inroads to improve the working of hotels in the country.

Technology has been introduced in all segments of hotel operations. The hotel operations can be divided into two areas: (i) front office, and (ii) back office. The front office area includes reservations, registration, guest history, guest accounting, telephones, room service, restaurant, accounting, housekeeping and night auditing. The back office area includes accounts, receivables, inventory control, food & beverage cost control, purchase management, payroll, personnel and budgetary cost control, etc.

The Growing Role of Technology It has been calculated that even a 5 percent saving made through the use of computers over a period of one year for a

hotel of the magnitude of approximately 400 rooms shall pay for the computer system cost.

The justification of computer installation is not only in terms of economy and control but it provides improved service and guest handling. This eventually means a more satisfied guest, which in turn entails potential for more revenues for the hospitality property.

Saeid Heidari, General Manager, JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, stated, “Technology has brought with itself paradigm changes in the workings of the hospitality industry. Technology has influenced every aspect of the business framework at hotels — be it the front office that is powered to seamlessly monitor the traffic of inbound and outbound guests or be it a guest who is now in a position to select from a variety

Business

Saeid Heidari

of rooms available on the web and make a digital check-in. Technology has played a crucial role in facilitating the business to have a more convenient, conversant and valued relationship with its customers, besides facilitating seamless internal communication and processes within the organisation.”

“Express check-in and mobile checkins are seen being used by more and more guests. Quick and efficient service has become ever important in order to cater to the on-the-go business traveller who stays at the hotel; all of these have been possible owing to the rapid evolution of technology. Point of sale systems has become more sophisticated, allowing hotels and restaurants to work more efficiently. Today, information relating to guest preferences (through customer relationship management softwares), loyalty points and programs, room and table inventories available, reports and analytics — everything is available on the click of a button, thereby facilitating prompt decisions in the interest of the business and guests. The smart phones and other smart appliances have enabled hotels to showcase their property and venues within, through engaging virtual tours, 360ovideos, virtual walk-throughs and high quality audio visuals,” elaborated Heidari further.

Biswajit Chakraborty, General Manager, Sofitel Mumbai BKC, declared, “Mobile applications, travel websites are some of the several platforms by which guests receive customised offers and discounts.

The hospitality space has become very competitive with increased personal communication between hotels and the guests.”

“Selected hotels have started deploying tablets in place of traditional F&B menu cards. This is helping guests understand the F&B items of the hospitality properties in an interesting way, using visual communication with details of a dish supported by a video and pictures, calorie content, preparation method, serving time and more,” Chakraborty explained.

“Just like the web check-in service at airports, guests now want to check-in at a hotel and use the automated kiosk to order room service with a digital device, instead of standing in queues or moving around the hotel premises to order food,” observed Chakravorty.

The role of technology in the hotel industry can be easily manifested by the occupancy sensors, which can detect when the guests have entered the room and activate the lights and temperature control.

Alternately, lights and temperature can be controlled by having the guests insert their room key into a reader near the door.

“Technology has played a vital role in the growth and development of the sector and has impacted the hospitality industry for good in bringing about ease in operations, from planning to the execution of the task at hand,” Saurabh Bakshi, General Manager, Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, averred.

He went on to cite various tools of technology which have brought about the change in several departments of hotels.

They are: Revenue Optimisation System (ROS): It calibrates and formulates suggested room rates and prices based on the history and forecast information fed into software.

Revenue Plan (Rev-plan): The system generates important reports like a pace report, establishment’s productivity and is of great assistance in accurately forecasting the revenues for the company.

Valhalla: It is a tool utilised to assign rate codes to globally preferred accounts and thus eases the processes of tracking the flow of business and collates the same, which is used for history and forecasting.

Property Management Systems (PMS) and Reflex: Gives the users a holistic overview of the complete property’s progress by generating department specific reports and displaying the information in the form of an interactive dash board, which is monitored by the respective departments.

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37

SERVING THE INDUSTRY FOR OVER 2 DECADES

Business

HOTEL Business Review

Opera: A simplified operating system, which significantly increases the efficiency in making bookings, blocks, reservations and further internal communications.

Property Reservations Systems Network (PRS Net): It is the intermediate between the bookings we receive and the property management system (PMS) as it tracks the inventory and flow of reservations from one system to another.

Automation Benefits The effect of automation has helped hotels in various ways. Most of the hotels – be they a part of the chain or a stand-alone hotel – have adopted automation to help them meet the demands of the guests and maintain their profitability level.

“Automation has encouraged the rise of online booking systems where guests are now able to reserve a room, restaurant table or even an event ticket without going through the hassle of picking up the phone or even physically going to a point of sale. This implies a much larger volume of bookings as automated systems offer superlatively quicker and efficient bookings as compared with any manual effort,” said Heidari.

“Automation in general, and in particular to our hotel, has brought a whole new dimension of customer service that allows for fool-proof transactions, data security, customer relationship management and consolidation of insightful consumer statistics. This in turn helps the business control costs, invest intelligently for optimal returns and healthy profit margins, and facilitates to table newer innovations,” Heidari

38

Jan-Feb ’17

Biswajit Chakraborty

proffered.

“The efficiency automation has brought to the table is remarkable and has left everything required literally on the fingertips of our guests. It is because of these initiatives that costs which were borne by the company before, like paper, and hours of work by the associates, have reduced drastically and thus eventually saved costs immensely,’ articulated Bakshi.

“By having a successful presence online we have the chance to improve and build the relationship with our guests.

Having a platform that allows guests to speak directly to a hotel – or to any business – and to be able to receive a swift response makes people feel heard and does wonders for customer satisfaction,” Heidari pointed out.

“Automation does help in cost reduction and increased revenue for hotels. For instance, mobile-based request menus allow guests to easily ask for products and services using their personal devices, which can translate into more sales. Some industry leaders even suggest that automation can help minimise the energy costs associated with running a hotel, as keycard-activated lighting and air-conditioning in guests’ rooms means electricity won’t be used while the guests are out of their rooms,” observed Chakraborty.

“We at Sheraton Grand Bangalore are in the process of implementing the room automation system, where the guest will be able to control the lighting, television, closing of window screens and in room ordering from the touch screen device kept in the room,” aired Bakshi.

“Automation has helped in generating business and profitability for hotels. It also gives clarity to goal settings and business processes that are to be executed.

Moreover, automation facilitates personnel to effectively execute on their tasks and provide an efficient reporting mechanism,’ summed up Chakraborty.

“Sofitel Mumbai BKC uses stateof-the-art technology right from our Property Management System which provides accurate guest history and information that makes identification easier and helps improve anticipation of guest needs, based on their patterns during previous stays at different AccorHotels addresses,” he noted further.

“The AccorHotels’ mobile application is also a tool that has been developed for consumer convenience with simple steps for making room and restaurant reservations across all AccorHotel properties, as well as for managing loyalty programs,” the GM stated.

Technology Facilitates Communication Besides helping the industry give a better service to the guests, technology in the hospitality industry is also improving internal communication.

“Technology today has introduced various avenues for more efficient communication. For example, instant messaging platforms, specifically texting and of course the more convenient ‘Whatsapp’ have improved communication within the organisation.

It makes for a great forum to not only instantly share ideas, leads and feedback, but also for sharing pictures (like those of guests for recognition) and videos, that can be taken at any part of the hotel from the ambassador’s phone and then instantly shared with the entire team via groups,” disclosed Chakraborty.

“Another strong tool that has been extensively used not only at Sofitel Mumbai BKC but in the entire AccorHotels system worldwide, is LinkedIn Elevate. This helps in sharing articles and trends with all employees that could enhance their knowledge and is also a great platform to discuss and get feedback from colleagues around the globe,” he added further.

“Automation has certainly assisted in communicating the vision and mission of the brand to all employees through

Business perform the work but also significantly reduce the energy and effort required to accomplish the same.”

Improving Customer Relations

Saurabh Bakshi

our portals, internal newsletters, and HR activations. In terms of processes, it has inculcated a certain discipline and rigour to work. Most employees are happy with the clarity that automation provides. Of course, the trick is to ensure that managers do not lose their personal equation with employees and guests to automation,” proffered Chakravorty.

“Robust hardware and high speed Internet have led to hassle-free electronic communication between management and employees. Not to forget mentioning that instant messaging platforms have assembled the management and onground personnel in one place, making sure that teams work in tandem with each other,” claimed Heidari.

“As mentioned earlier, we believe that technology has played the most significant role in unifying communication. It has only improved the ease in communicating across scalar chains and hierarchical structures. For a brand like Marriott, that believes in the Open Door culture, these advancements have only brought the management closer to the employees,” Heidari affirmed.

“Most establishments have a common platform or system to which all associates are given access to when they are enrolled into the company. This platform and system not only promote communications coming in from the company directly to its associates but also provide messages and updates,” averred Bakshi while pointing out “Automation has given employees more time to focus on minute details in the tasks they perform. The automated systems and gadgets not only reduce the time taken to

Besides improving internal communications and giving better service to the guests, computerisation has also improved customer relations.

“At JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, technology has also created an environment for guests where services can be delivered without being intrusive. For instance, when a guest reviews us on an online review platform, we are able to instantly reply in acknowledgment. The progress of digitisation has only brought us closer to the customers wherein we are able to engage with them on real time basis,” analysed Heidari.

“Automated messages have always been a great assistance in communicating with the guests at the Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel. This process doesn’t hamper our efforts from personalissng these messages. A combination of both, automated and personally drafted messages, are shared with our guests. This solely depends on the occasion and the purpose of the message,” added Bakshi.

“Nowadays, guests no longer need to wait in line at the front desk to check-in or check-out of a hotel.

Through automation, they can use their smartphones or an on-site kiosk and save time. There are apps, for instance, which have already automated the web check-in process with just a few simple clicks. This helps users save considerably on time and effort,” explained Chakraborty.

“Through their PMS system, the hotel can store data about a guest’s preferences and use it to design an experience tailored specifically for them. For example, if the hotel learns that a guest enjoys pedicures at the spa, it can configure its marketing software to automatically send her/him a special offer for a pedicure at the hotel’s spa,” added Chakravorty.

And it seems automation in the Indian hospitality industry is fast becoming the norm. The hotels which would not switch to automation in a big way have high potential of losing revenues to the competition. n

Jan-Feb ’17

39

Feature

HOTEL Business Review

Fitness Needs for

Hospitality

By Swarnendu Biswas

I

n these days, health consciousness in the urban Indian society is high, and as a by product of this trend, the craze for fitness has grown impressively in urban India, during the last decade or so. The need for visiting gyms has become more pronounced among the upper echelons of urban India, though urban middle class India is also getting swayed if not swept by the fitness wave.

For many urban Indians visiting spas and gyms are graduating from lifestyle statements to integral part of one’s journey towards a fit and healthy life. The need to meet the demands of hectic lifestyles, the need to counter the lifestyle diseases, which are both affecting sizeable population in urban India, growing health consciousness and increase in disposable incomes in select pockets of urban Indian society have together given a fillip to the fitness business in India, which is easily reflected in the mushrooming of gyms across our urban Indian space.

In metros and other big cities of India, it is not at all rare to find a gym or more than one gym, even in a middle class locality. No wonder we find gyms in high-end hotels in the country as a common feature, as many business and leisure travellers wouldn’t like disrupting their regular fitness routine, even while on travel.

traveller staying in an unbranded and obscure budget hotel would not mind skipping her/his everyday exercise regimen just because she/he is travelling.

Overall, going by the fitness wave spearheading through urban India, one can easily infer that hotels and resorts in the country should be more proactive in housing gym within them. Gyms should not only be a regular feature of five-star and four-star properties, but of unbranded hospitality properties in the country too.

It is about time for the Indian hotel industry to adopt the fitness culture more vigorously, considering the fact that the demand for visits to gyms has already percolated from the upper echelons of the urban Indian society to the urban upper

middle class and middle class India, in a not too insignificant manner. Gym is one investment from which small obscure budget hotels or even bed and breakfast hotels in today’s India can also reap good revenues, provided if they can run their gyms intelligently, according to their guests’ profile. Succinctly, the fitness trend in the Indian hospitality industry must gain more penetration and momentum than it is gaining at present.

Getting Equipped The hotels should consult a fitness expert while building a gym, and it is better to plan the design of the gym when the hotel is at the planning stage, so as to avoid miscalculation of space. Moreover,

Exploring the Fitness Culture Though gym in five-star hotels across the country has emerged as a mandatory requirement, but there is no reason to believe that a leisure traveller or a business 40

Jan-Feb ’17

Leena Mogre

Feature the architect of the hotel and the fitness consultant for the to be built gym should have perfect coordination.

“A five-star hotel’s gym needs to provide the best top of the line equipment with latest gadgetry like touch screens with simulated workout options , along with Internet, e-mail and chat facilities,” affirmed Nikhil Mogre, Director, Leena Mogre’s Fitness.

“Generally, hotel managements in the country rely upon the equipment vendors to suggest the gym equipments. Sadly, besides the easily sellable treadmills these vendors push the slow / non moving equipments to the hotels, which may not be the right ones to be used,” aired Nikhil further.

However, setting up a gym in a hospitality property is not only a question of sizeable investment in equipments and fitness trainers. Of course, the gym in a hotel or a resort should have adequate space and must be spruced with a wide range of quality fitness equipments. Of course, the standard of fitness equipments could vary with the profile of the hotel/ resort, but they should be of good quality,

HOTEL Business Review

Sonali Swami

irrespective of the profile of the hospitality property concerned. But there are other facets which a successful gym housed in a hospitality property must also take into consideration.

Sophisticated equipments are only part of the story behind a successful gym. The hospitality properties thinking of having

gyms should not only have quality equipments and quality fitness trainers with proficiency in an impressive array of fitness styles like yoga, aqua aerobics, kick boxing, TRX, rowing, boot camp, etc. but should also have the options of differentiated fitness regimens, as a guest’s fitness requirements and capacity

Jan-Feb ’17

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Feature

HOTEL Business Review

of endurance can vastly differ from another.

For a fitness regimen which is ideal for the body constitution of one person, may not yield similar results for the other. In fact, with people of all shapes, sizes and medical history taking recourse to gyms, the individualised fitness plans have become the need of the hour in India’s fitness industry, which a hospitality property thinking of opening a gym must take into consideration. Not only different fitness regimens but even customised fitness regimens for a given guest can be explored upon.

However, Leena Mogre, a nationally renowned celebrity fitness trainer with rich experience of training many Bollywood stars, believes that as personalised fitness regimes are generally developed over a few months, they can work in hotels and resorts only for longterm residing guests.

Here it deserves a mention that Leena started her own signature brand of fitness centres by launching her first gym in December 2005 at Khar, Mumbai. Leena was also the CEO of Gold’s Gym in India for a period over four years, wherein she was responsible for setting-up, marketing , brand establishing, expansion and franchising for the company.

I queried Sonali Swami, the renowned bodybuilder and fitness trainer on the infrastructural requirements that a gym in a five-star or four-star hotel should have. She believes that in high-end gyms in five-star and four-star properties there

must be in-house trainer available 24x7.

“In addition, in such gyms there must be an expert/well renowned coach or fitness consultant available on demand for clients,” she asserted. Sonali also believes that in a high-end gym, along with the conventional workouts, there should be option for specialised packages covering yoga, Zumba or aerobics on request.

“Some resorts schedule regular group activities like aerobics, yoga, Zumba, etc. which keep the clients engaged. These group classes are ideal for those clients who are not regularly going to gyms,” asserted Sonali, the power woman, who is a registered Zumba fitness instructor, a Bokwa fitness instructor, TRX suspension trainer Bolly Aerobics instructor, Les Mills Bodypump instructor, all rolled into one.

The role of innovative fitness regimens like Zumba, battle ropes, aqua aerobics, fitness ladder, etc. to attract the discerning crowd to the hotels and resorts should also not be discounted.

It is about time, five-star and fourstar hotels in India experiment with the concept of outdoor gyms, especially during early morning hours, as they generally have a large area within their ambit. “Location of a five-star hotel gym should ideally be outdoors or a little away from hotel rooms/ restaurants,” Sonali opined.

Sonali, by her own admission, is an avid traveller and have visited several five-star hotels and resorts in India as well as in abroad. “In most of the Indian five-star hotels, the gym facilities are on par with international standards,” she

Sonali in Action

42

Jan-Feb ’17

admitted. However, she believes that in gyms there should be option for clients to get specialised experts’ consultation for diet and nutrition, which she told that was largely lacking in gyms across hospitality properties in India.

Avenues for Revenues There are ways through which gyms can become major revenue generating avenues for the hotels. “For hotels and resorts having gyms, most guests would expect basic gym facilities to be provided as complimentary service. Additional revenues can be generated through other related activities like providing expert consultation and personal training by celebrity trainers on request. Clients would not mind paying extra for getting personal training or consultation from celebrity trainers,” opined Sonali, who is the winner of Bronze Medal at Asian Body Building & Physique Sports Championship 2016 (Model Physique Category), which was held in Bhutan, in September of the last year.

Similarly, according to her, special group classes on yoga or Zumba can be conducted by celebrity instructors, which can be charged on per class basis. These celebrity trainers may not come to the hospitality properties on a regular basis, but can visit the property say once or twice a week, in lieu of a decent fee, of course.

Leena suggested that the hotels and resorts can earn additional revenues from gyms “By opening up the gym memberships to their non-resident hotel guests. The hospitality properties can sell their gym memberships to high net worth individuals at premium rates.”

It could be a smart idea for gyms in hotels and resorts to have a nationally renowned fitness trainer and/or bodybuilder on their board.

She/he can visit these gyms from time to time to supervise the in-house fitness trainers, develop detailed fitness regimen for these gyms, etc. The fitness icons can also suggest new fitness solutions for the hotels’ and resorts’ guests from time to time, which can enhance footfalls to their gyms and health clubs. Sonali sounded quite enthusiastic with this idea.

“I absolutely agree that top-notch gyms need internationally renowned award winning celebrity trainers and instructors on their board,” the nationally renowned

Feature

HOTEL Business Review

bodybuilder cum fitness trainer observed.

The Nutritionist’s Take Ruchika Sodhi, the renowned nutritionist, rightly believes that without the right kind of food in right dosages, the right workout can often be a futile exercise. The right diet is needed for taking the optimum advantage from a workout. “For example, if you eat butter chicken and butter naan and gulab jamun in dinner, and then go to sleep, then it would amount to wasting two hours of workout at the gym,” she asserted with a smile. She believes that the best abs are made in kitchen.

We can easily infer from her expert advice that the role of nutritionist in a gym cannot be underestimated. On my request, she disseminated a workout meal plan, which the hospitality properties can advise to their guests. One of the restaurants in the hospitality property can also prepare a work out meal plan for fitness enthusiasts.

“If you are going through a workout routine, then you should ideally eat 2tsp

Ruchika Sodhi

flaxseeds in powdered form and 2 tsp chia seeds, and 10 almonds, five walnuts, four to five mint leaves, and four to five basil leaves after you wake up. It should be followed by 2sp of peanut butter or one banana. Thereafter your body is ready to hit the gym,” affirmed Ruchika.

Post a strenuous workout session one should have a good breakfast. “The breakfast should ideally comprise one full egg and five egg whites’ omelet with spinach added to it, two oat breads and papaya,” she proffered with a confidence of an expert.

The persons on a strenuous workout routine should also have a mid meal, which according to Ruchika, should comprise of buttermilk and fruits. And what about lunch? “Lunch for a person on workout should have oats roti stuffed with vegetables, accompanied by vegetables salad and curd; it should be followed by an evening diet of Tuna oats bread sandwich, and soya milk, or a hummus vegetables sandwich, and soya milk,” the expert observed.

The dinner for a person on a workout routine, according to Ruchika, “can have either chicken or fish or egg whites or paneer or lentil, along with vegetables and salad.” Alternatively, according to her, the person engaged in workout can have dal ka cheela and vegetables, salad and raita for dinner. n

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Focus

HOTEL Business Review

Restoring Heritage with Class

By Sharmila Chand

What is the USP of Brijrama Palace?

Udit Kumar is the Founder and Joint Managing Director of 1589 Hotels. He is an alumnus of The International School Bangalore and Warwick Business School, in the UK. His strength lies in financial management of projects and hotel operations.

Around three years ago he and his elder brother started a hospitality venture called 1589 Hotels.

Brijrama Palace in Varanasi belongs to the brand Brij – an uber luxury brand of 1589 Hotels’ chain. Hotels within the ambit of the brand of Brij are boutique hotels, heritage classified properties in select Indian destinations; steeped in historical tradition. Here we talk to him about Brijrama Palace and a lot more. The excerpts of the interview follow: 44

Jan-Feb ’17

The USP is the location. The location of the hospitality property is unparalleled, affording a panoramic view of the Ganga.

Of course, there are other aspects that set our property apart, such as it is a renovation of a 208-year-old heritage palace which had collapsed and has now been restored to its original condition. The palace also has one of India’s oldest elevators.

In terms of service, at this hotel we offer as much if not more than the leading properties in the country, which include personal butler service among others. At Brijrama Palace, Varanasi, we accommodate needs of our guests comprehensively. Our team members at the hotel are trained to anticipate and fulfill our guests’ requirements.

Kindly talk about the hotel’s techfriendly features The hotel is a heritage property, and it isn’t as advanced on the technical front.

In fact, we have tried to make it as old school as possible, including manual door bells and key-based door locks. However, the hotel’s operations run on state-of-theart hospitality software.

Please tell us about the green initiatives the hotel has undertaken There are various green initiatives that we have undertaken.

Our dearest initiative is the clean Ganga initiative. Besides making our guests aware of various practise that they can undertake to help reduce our carbon footprint, we are in the process of installing a machine along with Bosch and Intel to help track and control the pollution in the Ganga.

Could you reflect on the future plans and new initiatives you wish to undertake at Brijrama Palace?

We are in the first year of our operations, so our primary focus is on ensuring a 100 percent deliverable.

However, there are various initiatives along the operational front in incubation, which will be looked into.

In the foreseeable future, we plan to develop a wellness spa and take over some more properties along the Ganga and restore them in a similar fashion.

What is the most crucial issue to tackle in the Indian hospitality industry these days?

The industry is becoming highly competitive these days, which is not only impacting the rates demanded by guests but is also increasing their expectations.

To counter this we have been giving a lot of importance to innovative practices in our operations. We have a dedicated team that goes through guest patterns and helps implement the concept of anticipation of guest needs.

Focus

HOTEL Business Review

What do you enjoy the most about being at the helm of affairs at the hotel chain?

This is a people-oriented industry and I thoroughly enjoy meeting new people every day. I get to interact with various business houses, individuals from various cultures and different parts of the world.

It is a great pleasure to interact with so many different individuals and take in their experiences.

How do you de-stress?

I de-stress by playing board games.

Otherwise like everybody, I really enjoy watching shows/documentaries.

What is your working mantra, your guiding philosophy in work?

My guiding philosophy is to be equanimous and not react without comprehending the situation.

Anything else you would like to say?

Our strength is our passion for hospitality. We had little or no experience about this industry even though our

family has a background in this space, but we had immense passion for hospitality.

This passion helped us overcome every adversity.

Three years later, today we have 30 hotels under five brands in our chain. Currently, I hold the title of Jt. Managing Director for the company.

My role primarily revolves around giving the company direction and administrating in a manner so as to ensure that we do not stray from our goals, and achieve them.

One thing I would definitely like to say is that we must never lose sight of giving back to the society. n

Jan-Feb ’17

45

F&B

HOTEL Business Review

The Shape of Tastes to Come

By Sharmila Chand

F

ood and hospitality go handin-hand. Now more than ever, tourists and travellers in India are expecting hotels to go above and beyond their expectations and not only provide top quality lodging experiences, but also the best possible food experiences the

given destination has to offer.

“When it comes to hotel stay, a great many leisure travellers in India are not any longer looking for just a place to relax. They want a quality hospitality experience during their stay. In view of the growing foodie culture, guests are now very particular about the quality of the food they are served while travelling.

There is a growing demand for healthy, organic and locally sourced options while you are on the move,” stated Chef Naveen Handa, Executive Chef, JW Marriott Hotel Chandigarh.

Let us have a look at some of the key food & beverage trends in 2017 and beyond which are or would be prevailing across the Indian food service industry and are expected to shape the contours of the industry in the times to come.

Adopting them can enhance guest experience for the hotels.

Healthy Eating and Artisanal Cocktails “Eating healthy is gaining momentum in India’s food service industry.

Consequently, nowadays Chefs and 46

Jan-Feb ’17

mixologists in the country are trying their level best to extract the most out of nature and deliver it to the people seeking more nutritional values in the form of healthy dishes,” asserted Vishrut Gupta, Director of Food & Beverage, Pullman & Novotel New Delhi Aerocity.

“Considering the growing focus on healthier offerings, vegetables will be the centre of attraction in restaurants in India, in 2017. Certain vegetables will get prominence for being particularly rich in nutrients and for being versatile,” opined Handa.

“We can expect to see more veggies and previously discarded leaves or greens, in products and menus of hotel’s restaurants in the near future,” he pointed out further.

Handa predicts that “in the near future, the Indian food and beverage industry will be more specific about the origin and flavour of its offerings with Chefs putting up special menus with ingredients sourced from their own kitchen gardens.” The reason for such an emerging trend, according to him, is a more health conscious customer base.

Sp a F&B

Rajesh Khanna

“The restaurants are moving towards organic, farm grown and locally sourced products to win the confidence of the guests, and cocktails in the industry have moved way forward from traditional cocktails to artisanal cocktails with unique mixology attached to them,” offered Gupta.

“Latest trend fostered by food lovers in India is focus on low on fat and more on flavour food. Organic food is also consumed more frequently in the restaurants than before, despite it being a little more expensive than non organic food,” proffered Rajesh Khanna, F&B Head, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa. “Vegetarian food is gaining popularity in few cuisines. More people in India are now actively choosing to eat less meat, and that is creating more opportunities for alternative proteins.

People are eating more green vegetables and fruits now than before,” iterated Khanna.

Plant Waters, Breakfast and Virtual Kitchen Gupta went on to talk about some dominant prevailing trends, which

according to him are going to be the top three food & beverage trends in the Indian food service business during 2017.

“Plant waters is a growing trend and fashion that people are adapting internationally. Plant’s waters like maple water, artichoke water, and edible flower water, which can be a source of natural sugar, salts and minerals, are essential for the body. They are now in demand in the Indian food service industry,” informed the expert.

“Energy drinks with preservatives are losing popularity. The new trend of flavoured water is the primary focus in gyms and spas, which help body to recuperate faster in a healthy way. I must say that restaurants in India will adapt these trends soon and we will see maple water and artichoke water being used extensively instead of regular bottled water,” opined Gupta.

According to Gupta, breakfast in the Indian food service industry is witnessing a significant change.

Regular fried eggs and omelets are being replaced by fried chicken, bacon and chicken burgers filled with mayo and Béchamel kitchen sauces. “This trend is mostly picking up in smaller joints that provide round the clock breakfast menu to consumers,” he affirmed while pointing out “Focus is also towards naturally sourced grains, honey, and milk from the farm. The source and its authenticity are also being discussed with the customers so as to inform them about the product that they are eating.”

Gupta opines that lots of restaurant owners in India are now focusing on reaching to maximum number of locations by means of virtual kitchen; it is a new take on the delivery of food to the consumers at their place. He views that the virtual kitchens are gaining popularity due to their easy access, due to the comfort they provide, and due to their affordability.

Food Arts, Seafood Tower and Sous Vide Narendra Prabhu

“Teppanyaki food arts are gaining currency in the Indian food service

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F&B

HOTEL Business Review

industry. In fact, various food arts are now getting presented in front of guests, where exotic ingredients and recipes are at play,” said Narendra Prabhu, the General Manager at Signature Club Resort, Bangalore.

“Seafood tower is another top food & beverage trend, pervading through the Indian restaurant business. The seafood tower has evolved farther with unique fusion of seafood and shellfish; the shellfish is grilled and artistically arranged on glass fountain with selection of dips and sauces,” pointed out Prabhu.

“The sous vide recipes are also gaining currency, which is a healthy alternative to cook your red meat and high carb ingredients. It involves cooking your ingredients in a temperature-controlled water bath for a prolonged period of time. This method of preparing food is loved for its convenience & precision and also here all the nutrients are completely retained,” explained Prabhu.

Trends in, Trends Out “The popularity of Japanese cuisine in the Indian food service is going beyond sushi, pizza using naan bread is the in thing, and alternatives for olive oil, like grape seed oil & flaxseed oil are gaining popularity in the Indian food service industry,” observed Prabhu. He also maintained that “generic buffets & food festivals, unhealthy and deep fried finger food are fading trends from the Indian restaurant business.”

“Customising the food and beverage experience will assume more innovative forms in 2017. Specially crafted menus reflecting new trends and seasons will be another way of staying ahead,” Handa pointed out.

“The ‘back to the roots’ trend is in vogue these days in the Indian restaurant business, especially when it comes to regional cuisine. So, the focus in 2017 will shift to lesser known traditional recipes. Known for their nutrition quotient, age-old cooking methods from our heritage kitchens are making a comeback,” informed Handa.

“Secondly, home-made concept dishes like cured meats and locally brewed alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages will also be much in demand for their more personalised and richer gastronomic experience,” he articulated.

“Locally sourced products and unique 48

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Vishrut Gupta

gastronomic experiences continue to be the rage. Moreover, the theme of fusion food has gained much wider acceptance, allowing Chefs to have fun and be more adventurous with regional Indian cuisines. This trend gives Chefs the opportunity to bring all their knowledge and experience into play as local food is infused and plated in a modern contemporary style in fusion cuisines,” explained Handa.

According to Handa, the social media will play an increasingly important role in shaping the food and beverage trends, in the Indian food service industry.

“The emergence of the food-centric media has ignited interest in cooking, eating and exploring new flavours and combinations not only for the purpose of nourishment and taste, but also for the purpose of sharing one’s unique preparations and recipes through the

Chef Naveen Handa

social media,” he averred.

“One trend which is soon expected to become outdated is that of processed food,” stated Handa while adding, “As compared to processed food, freshlycooked or home-made food is expected to be more in demand. Many of the processed food contain too much sodium, sugar and fat, which clearly interferes with health. The trend of eating healthy food that promotes wellness is growing not only in India but the world over.”

“Another trend that is on its way out from the Indian restaurant business is the extensive use of imported produce.

Considered more nutritious as it retains most of its nutrients after being harvested at the peak of the season, local produce is expected to become trendier this year.

On the other hand, imported food items are not procured seasonally, causing them to lose much of their nutritional value,” elaborated Handa.

“Eye appealing and carefully crafted dishes are the trend, with presentation of the food being the focus,” Gupta added.

“The experience of the individual guest is now more important than ever in the Indian restaurant business, and there is now greater focus on the presentation of food. More unique, more creative the food is, the better it has chance of appealing to the guests. Nowadays food should appeal both to the eyes as well as to the appetite. Food decorated naturally will have better market impact in the Indian restaurant business of the near future, as compared to food infused with added colours and flavours,” elaborated Khanna.

According to Gupta, “Fine dining expensive restaurants in India are losing popularity, paving way for value for money experiential restaurants.”

He feels that molecular cocktails were once a big trend but are now fading in popularity from the Indian restaurant business.

Khanna views that “light food, fresh food and food cooked in minimum oil will be the ‘in’ trends in the Indian restaurant business, and artificially flavoured food, artificial colours will be losing market appeal.”

Khanna also feels that wastage will decrease substantially from the Indian restaurant business, and focus on fewer ingredients, on prominent taste of single ingredient, and smaller portion sizes will be in. n

Savour the Vibrancy of Indian Food & Hospitality Industry

2017

AAHAR The International Food & Hospitality Fair

March 7-11, 2017 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

Ask For Edit our of M ion emb ers Dire ctory

Invites you to the 32nd AAHAR International Food & Hospitality Show from 7-11 March 2017 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi Association of Resource Companies for the Hospitality Industry of India was formed in 1985 to promote cooperation among entrepreneurs & companies in the business of Hospitality trade and industry and producing equipments.

ARCHII is a well recognized platform to discuss the possible arrangements, contracts and dealings between member’s interests and to regulate and standardise, as far as possible, ethical business practice in the Hospitality trade. ARCHII arranges, sponsors and supports various conferences and exhibitions.

ARCHII promotes members goods/equipments by arranging meetings and having one to one discussions with various high profile visitors and guests, invited specifically in their periodical meetings.

Professional Seminars & Meets

ARCHII has been actively involved with ITPO to organise the Culinary Show & Seminars at Aahar.

Facilities for Exhibitors - Stall Construction - VIP Protocol Centre - Visitor Book - Lunch Coupons & Water - Car Pass - Networking Dinner - ARCHII Members Directory

Facilities for Visitors - Shuttle Service - VIP Lounge (with Tea / Snacks) - ARCHII Members Directory - ARCHII Newsletter - Carry Bags

Participation in Industry Expos

Facilitating Management Experts

ARCHII Invites Membership to avail year long benefits - Aahar Early Bird Discount / Invitation to Seminars / Networking Meets / Listing in Directory Entrance Fees - Rs. 1000 - Annual Subscription Rs. 2000 (April to March)

Association of Resource Companies for the Hospitality Industry of India B-40, Manu Apartments, Mayur Vihar, Phase-1 New Delhi-110091 E-mail: archii.association@gmail.com Website: www.archii.org

Contact : Ms. Bharti 91-8800103131 Jan-Feb ’17

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The Flavours of Spain at Gurugram

S

pain is a country with music infused in its soul. The country has a love for fine food and is endowed with wild landscapes. The people here have a special talent for celebrating all the good things in life. The breadth of gastronomic experience in Spain is awe-inspiring and food and wine can be construed as national obsessions of its people. Spanish cuisine is characterised by great variety and traditional recipes handed down through the generations.

The Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotel & Residences is hosting a Spanish Food Festival named HolaEspana, from 25th

March -9th April 2017. This two week festival will be about wine dinners, cooking classes, charity dinner and the exciting Tomatina dinner. The schedule is as follows: Saturday, 25th March 2017 – Opening party at Skydeck Lounge – By invitation only Sunday, 26th March 2017 – Cooking class at Ambience Mall, Gurugram Friday, 31stMarch 2017 –Wine dinner at Royal Room with Michelin Star Chef Saturday, 1st April 2017 – Cooking class Saturday, 1st April 2017 - Wine

dinner at Zanotta with the Michelin star chef Friday, 7th April 2017 – Tomatina dinner at Skydeck Lounge Guest Chefs from Spain will be flying down during the festival to give the guests a wonderful dining experience at Spectra, during lunch & dinner buffets. Rubicon Bar & Cigar Lounge will offer a special wine & tapas menu for celebrating all the good things in life.

Here it deserves a mention that Skydeck Lounge, Zanotta, Spectra, and Rubicon Bar & Cigar Lounge are food & beverage outlets of the hotel.

Advertorial

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20 – 22 June 2017 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi The premier trade fair for Homeware, Interior Décor and Gift Articles targeting business visitors across India

CONTACT: Rajeev Jain T: +91 22 6144 5987 E: rajeev.jain @india.messefrankfurt.com

www.ambiente-india.in

20th June 2017 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

Calling in entries for participation in the categories of home textiles & decor For Participating in Interior Lifestyle Awards 2017, Contact: Bhakti Edwankar +91 22 6103 8405 bhakti.edwankar@india.messefrankfurt.com www.interiorlifestyleawards.com

Design connect:

Jan-Feb ’17

51

Spa

HOTEL Business Review

Managing Holistic Wellness

By Sharmila Chand An oasis of tranquility, the spa at Park Hyatt Hyderabad imbibes the legacy of the Nizam culture with uber luxurious facilities.

Here the brilliance revolving around wellness is an amalgamation of royal fragrances blended with decadent pearl rituals and the sophisticated herbal healing of Nizam tradition.

The spa with personalised guest experiences comprises five individually designed spa treatment suites, featuring private vanity area, generous closet space and a walk-in rain shower. Spa facilities also include a luxurious couple suite with private soaking bath tub and a dedicated relaxation lounge.

Wet spa facilities include a Swedish sauna and Swarovski Crystal Steam Room. It is this holistic approach to well-being here that can make the jaded souls feel invigorated and satiated.

While leisurely walking through the spa, which is named simply as The Spa, I met Damodaran Kallippale, the Manager of the spa.

Damodaran Kallippale is the Spa Manager at Park Hyatt Hyderabad and is heading the Spa department of the luxury property. He is an accomplished wellness & spa professional with 14 years of work experience with some of the world’s award winning luxury properties in Asia.

He began his career with Park Hyatt Goa. Prior to joining Park Hyatt Hyderabad, Damodaran was heading the Spa Divisions of NMC Healthcare in Abu Dhabi. His previous stints also include working as a Spa Manager with the Tangerine Spa, Hyderabad, The Leela Kempinski Kovalam Beach Hotel among others.

Damodaran has a degree in yogic science and is highly experienced in a range of holistic therapy techniques. He has held management level positions in various spa operations.

Damodaran is very passionate about training and loves to share his skills and knowledge. The excerpts of the interview with the wellness professional follow: What are the current top trends in the Indian spa business?

In today’s world, guests at spas are more aware on an average, as compared to the spa guests’ awareness levels of a few years earlier. They prefer destination spa, city spa, medi-spa to name a few.

Customers seeking to rejuvenate their mind and body are these days making way to spas. If you ask me about the current trends; more than relaxation, people are looking for result-oriented treatments from spas, such as treating body ailments like back pain or neck pain. People are now treating spa as a place to have passive exercise for their body.

As spa goers in India, by and large, have nowadays become more educated about spa therapies, they are asking more questions than ever, and looking to extend the benefits of spa.

How the spa at Park Hyatt Hyderabad is positioned?

We position ourselves as a city spa and incorporate comprehensive health & wellness in a luxurious environment.

What are the necessary criteria for opening a spa?

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The necessary criterion for opening a spa is to have a good therapist who possesses good healing capacity and inclination towards holistic wellness approach. She/he have to be a certified therapist who have to be further groomed and trained according to the treatments at the given spa, as every spa has a unique approach.

Also you have to be very clear & precise about how you want to position your spa.

Last but not the least, training and product / brand awareness are very essential for the spa personnel at the spa to be opened.

What do you enjoy the most about being a Spa Manager?

I like the holistic wellness approach of life and that made me chose my career in spa business. Also here you are working with some of the best people in the business, which I enjoy a lot. We at Park Hyatt Hyderabad use natural products and also endeavour to protect the nature. That is also a source of satisfaction.

What is the strong point of your spa?

We offer an array of most luxurious treatments and inculcate the culture of the Nizami traditions in our wellness solutions.

We use premium quality products. Our USP is the Hydra Facial which is one of its kind.

We continually nurture and incorporate a holistic approach to our spa therapies.

Do you have some customised treatments?

Yes we do include customised therapy program for customers apart from the set menu of services/treatments.

What is your favourite treatment to receive and why it is so?

I love to get myself a Hot Stone Massage therapy. Hot Stone Massage therapy melts away tension, eases muscle stiffness and enhances circulation and metabolism. It has deeper penetration which can relieve oneself from underlying tension.

Any other point you wish to make?

Spa business is for people who make the wellness journey for their guests worthwhile. It is very important that the people associated with the spa business realise this.

We should also realise that there is still so much to be done towards exploring the traditional therapies from India, for example – yoga & Ayurveda therapies.

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Profile

Keys Hotel Kochi

HOTEL Business Review

Exploring the Keys to Success

By Swarnendu Biswas

K

eys Hotels is a brand of Berggruen Hotels, which is in turn funded by the New York-based proprietary fund named Berggruen Holdings. The hotel chain, which has presence in India since 2006, is on an ambitious expansion spree.

“We began our operations in 2006 and currently Keys Hotels runs 21 hotels with 1903 rooms, across 17 cities in India,” informed Anshu Sarin, the Chief Executive Officer, Berggruen Hotels Pvt. Ltd. Keys Hotels is the only hotel brand

by Berggruen Hotels. Over the years, Keys Hotels has been on an aggressive growth trajectory with addition of several leisure, business, and mid-market budget hotels.

Here it deserves a mention that Keys Hotels operates in three segments. They are Keys Prima Hotels, Keys Hotels, and Keys Lite Hotels. These three hospitality chains cater to different market segments.

“Keys Prima Hotels is our premium offering, whose highlights are top-notch amenities and family-friendly staff. Keys Hotels, the flagship brand of the chain, is placed in the mid-market range, and is targeted primarily towards the business travellers and the hotels within this segment are centrally placed in the city, thereby saving time for the guests when 54

Jan-Feb ’17

they are commuting within the given city. Keys Lite Hotels is the economy stay option for our on the move but budget conscious guests who require a quick hop-in and hop-off stay arrangement,” elaborated Anshu. Complimentary Wi-Fi and breakfast are offered across all these three hotel segments.

Expanding Portfolio “At this point, we are focused on becoming a dominant mid-market player within the Indian hospitality industry.

Berggruen Hotels is on an aggressive growth trajectory, and is expanding

its presence in India via the asset light strategy,” informed Anshu, on whose shoulders lies the heavy responsibility of continually finding new keys for unlocking the secrets of the enduring success of this massive hospitality enterprise, amidst a fast changing environment characterised by chaotic competition.

Keys recently launched four new hotels in Calicut, Visakhapatnam, Manali and Jaipur. In the year ahead, they plan to open 7-8 hotels under management contracts. “We plan to add 2-3 Keys Prima Hotels, 6-7 Keys

Keys Hotel Whitefield, Bangalore – Unlock Bar

Sp a Profile

Keys Hotel Hosur Road, Bangalore

Hotels, and 4-5 Keys Lite Hotels in the next 12-24 months,” aired Anshu. Presently, the focus of the group’s expansion strategy is through management contracts and not through owned hotels. The hotel chain wants to grow its network by offering management services to operating hotels or under development hotel projects.

“This year, we have launched four new hotels namely, Keys Hotel Vishakhapatnam, Keys Hotel Malabar Gate in Calicut, Keys Lite Om Niwas in Jaipur, and Keys Lite Apple Nest, Manali, thereby strengthening our presence in both south and north India,” asserted the eminent hotelier, while talking about the group’s expansion plans in the Indian hospitality industry. She also informed that Keys Hotels is coming to Port Blair in the first half of 2017. “We will soon be announcing our foray into new destinations,” she averred optimistically.

Strengthening REVPAR Besides strengthening the portfolio, another important objective of Berggruen Hotels for the Indian hospitality industry in the next five years, according to Anshu, is to strengthen the REVPAR of all hotels within the ambit of Keys Hotels.

“The robust optimised cost model of Keys Hotels will contribute positively to our bottom lines in the near future and with effective distribution and revenue management, in the backdrop of evolving macro market conditions and smarter ways to engage with our guests, we are confident that we will build an even more healthy REVPAR trajectory,” asserted the business savvy lady.

Service is the Key According to Anshu, impeccable service to the guests with a human touch is the hallmark of Berggruen Hotels. “We have already introduced an internal engagement programme named Own Your Guest, which essentially entails that our teams across India are trained and motivated to walk that extra mile to provide a delightful experience to our guests,” she offered.

According to the website of Keys Hotels, Keys Hotels also offer the opportunity to customise packages for events with

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Profile

HOTEL Business Review

competitive rates, suitable locations, latest facilities and equipment, favourable spaces, appetising food and beverages, which together is expected to greatly facilitate the success of the event.

Especially, in this digital age with a more than active social media, guest satisfaction with personal touch and harnessing the power of social networking are more crucial to the hospitality business than ever. According to her, nowadays guests have become more demanding than ever as now they are exposed to a plethora of competitive offerings. Now they also have more power to correctly rate a service through the huge flow of information available online. “In these times, the best way to stay ahead of clutter of competition for the hotels is to give best possible experience to the guests,” observed Anshu, who has close to twenty years of rich experience in the hospitality and aviation industries.

Strongly believing that a happy guest brings in more guests, she stated that “Listening to the ‘Voice of Guest’ is not just a fancy board room jargon in our case but a part of our routine.” The hospitality chain is also intelligently harnessing the power of social media to market the brands within its ambit. “In the digital platform, we are working very closely with the review portals such as TripAdvisor and HolidayIQ, which gives us interesting consumer insights and knowledge on trends apart from the guest feedbacks,” proffered the dynamic hospitality industry professional.

Beyond the Metros Anshu said that the expansion plans of Keys Hotels include not only metros and other tier-I cities but also tier-II and tier-III cities. “There are a number of tier-II and tier-III cities in the country that are successful centres of economic growth. The government has brought many of these cities under its Smart Cities Mission. In the coming years, these cities will emerge as attractive destinations for the Indian hotel industry because of government investments in connectivity and technology infrastructure,” she opined.

“This will in turn make business and leisure travel to these tier-II and tier-III cities of the country easier, faster and less expensive and will also encourage the hotel industry to set up base in these cities,” she added further. “For instance, 56

Jan-Feb ’17

Anshu Sarin Keys has launched new hotels in tierII markets, such as Vizag, Calicut and Jaipur, to capitalise on the benefits that these cities have to offer,” she stated to substantiate her point.

The Macro Trends The interesting discussion, which she thoroughly dominated through her superior knowledge and intellect, gradually meandered to the macroeconomic issues. I asked the charming lady that besides room rents, which other segment of the Indian hospitality industry had maximum revenue earning potential at present, to which she rather predictably and diplomatically stated that “MICE is a promising segment to watch out for.”

She also rightly pointed out that tourists and travellers in India were evolving towards being experiential.

Nowadays there are a sizeable number of tourists and travellers who want not just a conventional holiday but a series of memorable and uncommon experiences from their holiday, and their numbers in India are large enough to be reckoned as a market force. “More and more travellers are now showing an inclination towards unique and personal experiences that they can take back with them,” Anshu stated.

In order to translate this growing experiential mindset of travellers into revenues, she believes that “hotels can be innovative by offering their guests customised products and services, be it in the area of food and beverages, leisure and entertainment, self-pampering activities or in the business and wellness.”

Anshu is very much hopeful of a promising growth for the Indian hospitality industry in the near future, but in the same breath she stated the

industry was taking a very positive shift towards asset light model. “The asset light model will continue to be the preferred choice of business model for hoteliers operating in India,” she asserted.

While talking about the prevailing and evolving trends in the Indian hospitality industry, as expected, she viewed technology as an important facilitator of growth for the industry in today’s times.

“Today’s guests are highly tech-savvy and require speed and personalisation in everything. Whether it is seamless booking, differentiated stay options, quick access to the guest reservation team or a quick review of the hotel, technology greatly facilitates to give the desired guest experience,” she pointed out.

According to her, another emerging trend among tourists in India which can influence the Indian tourism and hospitality industry is the rising incidences of last minute trips. “Lastminute trips are on the rise; the short local getaway and mini-vacations will continue to trend, whether they be leisure or business travel,” she informed.

Challenges and Opportunities While talking of challenges for the industry, Anshu focused on the shortage of quality human resource. “Paucity of trained human resource is one of the biggest challenges for the Indian hotel industry. At Keys Hotels, we heavily invest in training and believe that our employees are our key brand ambassadors,” she maintained.

“Lack of adequate infrastructure, high hotel development costs and project overrun are some of the other reasons which are hindering the growth of the Indian hospitality industry,” she aired.

However, the indomitable lady doesn’t believe in getting bogged down by impediments. “Notwithstanding these external factors, the hoteliers in India can grow and develop through robust distribution, through significant and sustained investment in technology, through offering better and personalised customer experiences, ensuring better operability at their hospitality property or properties, through data sourcing and by making other intelligent use of technology to make informed decisions, and through sustained talent sourcing, retention and development” she advised pragmatically. n

Telling Textile Stories

r Meet on Buyer-Selle titutional & Ins Hospitality t Procuremen

20 – 22 June 2017 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

For more details, please contact: Dipali Shah : +91 22 6144 5991 dipali.shah@india.messefrankfurt.com

Platinum Partner

Hospitality Linen Partner

Silver Partners

20th June 2017 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

Calling in entries for participation in the categories of home textiles & decor For Participating in Interior Lifestyle Awards 2017, Contact: Bhakti Edwankar +91 22 6103 8405 bhakti.edwankar@india.messefrankfurt.com www.interiorlifestyleawards.com

Design connect:

Jan-Feb ’17

57

Technology

HOTEL Business Review

Facilitating Image Building in Hospitality

By Swarnendu Biswas

I

n this post-modern digital age, where geographical distances in our planet have become history in the virtual world and where social media is gaining power by the day, the role of reputation management, especially for an industry like hospitality whose fortune is highly sensitive on guest satisfaction, has become extremely crucial.

In fact, in an age where information and opinions are flowing fast and furious, without impeded by geographical barriers, reputation or perception can make or break a hotel business more easily and more quickly than it did ever before.

Moreover, the fact that people are now much more tech-savvy on an average than they were a decade or two back, and the fact that many among them are frequently appraising the online reviews of the hotels and resorts through smart phones and laptops before arriving at their choice of the stay during travel, have greatly contributed to the importance of reputation management in the realm of Indian hospitality industry.

On an average, 75 percent of travellers in India check online reviews before booking a hotel and out of these, guests are most unlikely to book a hotel without consulting reviews and opinions posted by others.

Travellers across the world are now sharing their leisure holiday/business travel experiences on social media, in a big way. And a sizeable number of travellers across the world are taking these reviewers’ experiences seriously and are influencing their own leisure holiday/business travel decisions on such feedbacks.

In such a volatile scenario, the reputation in service industries like the hospitality industry has become very sensitive and fragile and needs expert handling. Reputation has always been a double-edged sword, and in the context of today’s digitally powered hospitality industry, the edges have become sharper.

Thus it needs to be handled by seasoned professionals and not by part-time amateurs.

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Pranjal Prashar

Online Reputation Management Reputation management companies are the need of our times. However, everyday countless reviews in several languages appear on a plethora of renowned, lesser known and unknown travel and holiday platforms. Making sense from this overflow of information can often be an unnerving task.

RepUp, a reputation management service addressed towards the hospitality industry, is endeavouring to meet this challenge effectively. The brand can be construed as an online reputation management platform for the hotel industry. RepUp is the product of PIQUOR Technologies, based in Gurgaon and the company, which came into being in December 2014, is presently experiencing 8-9 percent growth month on month.

“The reputation of a player in the hospitality industry is dependent on how carefully it listens to its customers – both happy and unhappy. With a ‘book now’ button next to hotel rating, online reputation now has a direct impact on the occupancy and hence on the top line of the hotel,” observed Pranjal Prashar, CEO, PIQUOR Technologies. Barely 30 years young, Prashar came across as a new-age entrepreneur who is unassuming

yet ambitious. Though he is responsible for the overall development of the company but his core expertise lies in product management & team building.

The RepUp Online Reputation is a tool that collates all your hotel reviews and social media mentions, across 15 platforms in a single window. “RepUp makes life easier for its clients in the hospitality industry by compiling a comprehensive range of reviews into one single dashboard, and giving detailed reports on the basis of those reviews.

Through us hoteliers can get a wide gamut of relevant feedback regarding their hotels on a single platform,” affirmed Prashar. This can easily save a lot of time and money for the hospitality properties concerned towards ascertaining the satisfaction levels among its guests.

The platform helps hotels to measure, benchmark and improve the user experience of their guests. “Through our platform, we enable hoteliers to have better control over guest experience management and hence their reputation,” observed Prashar.

Reviews are collected from renowned online platforms like MakemyTrip, Goibibo, HolidayIQ, TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Expedia.com, Agoda, etc.

Of course, the reviews can be accessed on one’s mobile thereby making them

Sp a Technology extremely user-friendly.

Here it deserves a mention that RepUp has recently partnered with TripAdvisor to get access to the latter’s content, which include reviews, feedback and complaints, posted by hotel guests. With the integration of TripAdvisor reviews with RepUp’s feedback platform, hotels will now be better placed to ask customers for feedback. This could be used further by hotels to improve their service offerings, as well as their reputation, online.

However, collection of reviews is only the first step of the function of RepUp. “From here on RepUp adds further value by helping its clients in measuring, benchmarking and managing perceptions through its patent pending 4 stage reputation maturity model,” he added further. This helps the hospitality properties to manage their reputation in a much more systematic manner.

RepUp applies semantic technology and has in its kitty intuitive decision making tools. It also uses a patent-pending algorithm to improve reputation which can lead to a real increase in bookings.

“Our patent-pending technology analyses original review data with almost 90 percent accuracy,” opined Prashar.

“Our software allows our clientele to know the numbers of positive, negative and neutral reviews through displaying them into categories so one can measure customers’ satisfaction more scientifically.

Through our online reputation management, the hoteliers can ascertain the satisfaction of guests pertaining to check-in process, in food, in room service and in several other hospitality parameters,” articulated Prashar.

“One can also compare one hospitality property’s performance with that of its competitors through our tool in the dashboard which can facilitate the management of a hospitality property to evaluate and benchmark the strategy,” he proffered.

“Succinctly, through RepUp, one can access aggregated information on one’s mobile device and respond to all the reviews, and analyse one’s performance comparing with that of one’s competitors,” averred Vineet Chouhan, who along with Prashar, is another founder of PIQUOR Technologies.

Internal Feedback One of the modules of RepUp is named

Internal Feedback Solution which the hospitality properties can use to get their guests’ feedback online, internally.

The software provides the platform for guests to write their views about the given hospitality property’s products and services where they are staying presently or have stayed in past, and on the basis of their views, the management of the hotels and resorts can take prompt action, whenever they deem necessary. This software is accessed by guests during their stay or post their stay at the hospitality properties.

This software can act as a means to address guest complaints internally and thus prevent them from getting aired for public viewing on several online platforms. It is because if the guests’ complaints are addressed effectively by the hotels and resorts with due promptness, the guests are unlikely to air their complaints again on other online travel related platforms, which has the possibility of damaging the reputation of the hospitality property concerned. One can say this module extends the age-old philosophy of prevention is better than cure.

Sky is Not the Limit Already RepUp has several esteemed hotel brands and hotel chains among its clientele, which include names like Radisson Hydreabad Hitec City, Welcom Heritage, Lemon Tree Hotels, Fortune Hotels, FabHotels, The Pride Group of Hotels, Jaypee , SAMHI Hotels, Sarovar Group among others.

“In India, RepUp has its clientele spread across more than 30 cities, and RepUp also has its presence beyond India, which includes countries like Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka,” said Chouhan.

According to Prashar, RepUp has already started sales in the European market. “We are gearing up to have a network of 9000 hotels within our clientele, by the end of 2018,” informed Prashar. He further stated that there were plans to enhance RepUp’s customer base by 2000 this year.

It seems that the young entrepreneurs very well know that in the digital world there is no sky, and thus there is no reason to have a limit! It also seems that the Indian hospitality industry is fast realising how crucial maintaining their reputation is for managing their business among discerning guests and potential guests. n

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Operations

HOTEL Business Review

Equipped to Success T

he Mumbai-based Acrysil Limited, part of Acrysil Group, is one of the market leaders in India in the realm of manufacturing and marketing of composite Quartz & granite kitchen sinks, engineered with German technology. The company is marketing these products under the brand name Carysil. The company is also manufacturing state-of-the-art, stainless steel kitchen sinks under the brand Carysil Quadro.

Here it deserves a mention that Acrysil Limited is part of the Acrysil Group of Companies, which comprises Acrysil Limited, Acrysil Limited — Export Oriented Unit, Acrysil Steel Limited, Acrysil GMH, and Home Style UK. Acrysil Limited came into being in January 1987.

Overall, Carysil’s product portfolio includes composite granite sinks, SS press & fabricated sinks, and residential kitchen appliances, all of which are used in residential kitchens. Besides that the brand includes a wide range of professional kitchen equipments, which are targeted at the institutional sectors, and bathware, which includes basins, tiles, shower cubicle, and WC. Carysil’s products are distributed across pan- India and they also have impressive international presence.

Acrysil is also trading a complete range of kitchen appliances like varieties of kitchen chimneys, cook-tops, ovens, wine chillers and many more targeted appliances.

The domestic network of Acrysil Ltd. comprises 60 distributors, 1200 dealers, and 60 galleries. Exclusive Carysil product galleries are situated in major cities of India.

The plant of Acrysil Limited is located at Bhavnagar, Gujarat. “Our products flow in the channel from manufacturing division to the distributors & distributors to dealers which in turn reaches the end customers,” averred Parekh, while talking about the distribution of Acrysil’s products in the domestic market.

Acrsyil has recently ventured into the market of professional kitchen equipments with its turnkey products. “Keeping in mind the needs of the Indian hospitality market, specifically the end user, and with

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emphasis on eco-friendly, energy saving and multifunctional technology; we have developed a well organised pattern of product supplies & availability of spare parts along with an efficient & technically strong after sales team,” asserted Chirag Parekh, Chairman and Managing Director of Acrysil Limited.

Acrysil is IMS (Integrated Management System) Certified for ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004, OHSAS 18001:2007 management systems and other international product certifications.

Dedicated electrical engineers to provide installation & trouble shooting services, dedicated Carysil technical vans on roads are some of the reasons why the company’s products are preferred choice among their clientele. “We manufacture standardised & customised SS equipments,” stated Parekh. “With experience of more than 25 years in composite quartz, today we are able to produce the most complex shaped products,” he informed.

Moreover, products under the ambit of the brand Carysil incorporate ‘ultra-clean’ formula – a unique antibacterial technology that gives continuous protection against bacterium reproduction. That gives the products a distinct hygienic edge, which can appeal to discerning clientele.

Besides its huge domestic market, the company exports to around 40 countries worldwide. Exports account for 85 percent of Acrysil Limited’s total sales. Here it deserves a mention that Carysil sinks are exported to around 40 countries including the US, France, Germany, the UK, Greece and many other countries in Europe.

They are also exported to the orient and the Middle-East. Major export markets of Acrysil Ltd. include US, France, Russia, Germany, Canada, China among others.

Furthermore, Acrysil GmbH, the company’s international subsidiary in Germany, has been established as a supplier to German corporates. Here it deserves a mention that Acrysil GmbH is set up in Germany to further strengthen its presence in the demanding and discerning European markets.

Recently Hotel Business Review had an interesting interaction with Chirag Parekh, the Chairman and Managing Director of Acrysil Limited. The discussion provided glimpses into the present market focus of the company, its service infrastructure, and corporate vision.

In the interaction, the important player in the equipment market of the Indian hospitality industry also shed light on why his company needn’t be unduly apprehensive of international brands in the Indian market. The excerpts of the interview follow:

Since when you have been in the commercial kitchen equipments market in India?

We have entered this market in the recent past, in 2016.

How do you see this market evolving in the coming years?

This market has got tremendous potential to grow exponentially, as the Indian food culture is evolving towards health conscious eating habits.

Sp a Operations Moreover, medical, business & cultural tourism in India will see growth, which again would give an impetus to the commercial kitchen equipments market.

What is your market focus, in view of the prevailing trends?

Food service equipments play a major role in the hospitality industry. Seeing the growing trend of MICE, medical tourism & budget hotels in the Indian hospitality industry and in the backdrop of the change in eating habits of the Indian consumers, our market would focus on QSRs, other restaurants, chain hotels, cafĂŠ & bar, budget hotels, hospitals & corporate sector.

Would international brands focusing on the Indian market affect your business?

We sure do have serious competition from the international brands; their technology is excellent. But we have to remember that to gauge the Indian market and sustain here which to a larger part is price-driven, is a different ball game. Carysil does have its focus on both post-modern technology and the Indian cost conscious market.

Do you have any international tie-up/s to manufacture products in India?

Currently none, though we are open for it.

Do you undertake turnkey projects for kitchen development?

We would surely like to undertake turnkey projects in this sphere. Some are in the pipeline too. Let us see how they work out.

What are the major quality standards you are focusing upon?

We focus on our product to be multifunctional, energyefficient and as per government standards they need to be eco-friendly too. Moreover, the products have to be userfriendly. We take care in the type of SS grade being used in our manufacturing process.

Are you operating pan-India?

Yes, we are.

Kindly throw some light on your service infrastructure

We have a strong after sales service team for our professional kitchen equipments division. We have our residential kitchen appliance distributors, dealers & after sales service team through pan India, who are wellequipped & trained.

What is your corporate vision?

Our vision is to make this unorganised industry into an organised one by being the provider of all types of professional kitchen equipments & services of excellent quality under one brand name; products which are ecofriendly & cost-effective too.

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Housekeeping

HOTEL Business Review

Sweeping Changes From sophistication in operations through increased application of technology and automation to refinement in attitudes towards the workers, housekeeping in hotels in India of today has substantially enhanced its role during the recent years.

By Jyotismita Sharma

T

here shouldn’t be any room for doubt that housekeeping is the edifice of the hotel industry.

Without a clean restroom, or a spic and span lobby, the best of facilities and amenities of a five-star hotel are likely to be unable in attracting discerning guests.

It is because without sanitation, luxury or rather the entire concept of hospitality loses its significance. Similarly, the aesthetic décor of the room wouldn’t appeal to the guest if she/he comes to the room after the meeting and see that her/his bed sheets are still as dishevelled as it was before she/he left in the morning, and the depleted toiletries in the bathroom are not yet replenished.

Yes, the major chunk of the revenue of hotels in India still comes from rooms (though F&B segment is fast catching up, and MICE and wedding are other important revenue earning segments), but without good housekeeping standards, the best of hotel rooms will fail to attract repeat visitors.

However, it doesn’t mean that housekeeping is important only for five-star hotels, which are normally

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characterised by high-end amenities and decor. It is essential for all hotels, but for five-star properties, the housekeeping standards should be nothing short of impeccable, as here you are catering to guests who are likely to have experienced high standards of hospitality across the globe and naturally they have become habituated to not settle for anything ordinary.

Role Extension What is more, housekeeping in hotels these days is not just about cleaning and maintenance, as it was years ago.

Though cleaning and maintenance are still of extremely crucial importance in housekeeping, but today the role of housekeepers in hotels in the country, especially in high-end hotels operating in India, include some other facets too.

The roles of the department have expanded over the years to include such aspects as guest security and increasing profitability of the hospitality property.

For example, the now extended role of housekeeping in many hotels and resorts in the country may also involve reporting

of any untoward elements or about any suspicious person/luggage/activity in order to facilitate the security concerns of those hospitality properties. At the same time, the housekeeping department in hotels needs to ensure that the guests’ privacy is not in any way compromised because of the rigmarole of security.

Similarly, if the guests get impressed by the wonderful horticulture of the hospitality property, many of the hoteliers should thank her/his housekeeping staff for that. And if the hotel is an environmentally friendly property, the challenges of waste disposal and waste recycling can assume very crucial role in the purview of housekeeping, in today’s times. Succinctly, today housekeeping plays an important role in forming the overall reputation of a hotel among its guests and potential guests.

But it is not just mere expansion of roles that the housekeeping department in the Indian hospitality industry has experienced during the recent years.

The major changes have mainly to do with how the housekeeping jobs in hotels are now being done and attitude of employers and guests towards the rank and file housekeeping personnel. The increased use of information technology (IT) — which was unheard of two decades ago — and advancement towards automation in many areas of housekeeping operations, along with rise in professionalism, have changed the face of housekeeping in Indian hospitality, during the recent times.

“Housekeeping in India has witnessed and experienced a huge transformation in the last two decades. To be precise, mid 90s era had been the major turning point for this field. With the usage of new technologies, there has been an enormous change in the department’s functioning process and the way of working,” said

Sp a Housekeeping Payal Mehta, Executive Housekeeper, Crowne Plaza Today New Delhi Okhla.

“Nowadays various types of housekeeping applications software are being used in the hotels. This has certainly improved the work culture and enhanced professionalism,” she explained. “Today, housekeepers can help achieve a property’s profit maximisation through scientific and well programmed accommodation operations,” she pointed out.

According to Asmita Kamble, Executive Housekeeper, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pune - Chinchwad, housekeeping in hospitality, in the present day and age is not only confined to cleanliness and upkeep of the hospitality property. “Today, housekeepers are showcasing themselves in guest area, and their interaction with guests is more than ever. With new technologies and innovations they have become more tech-savvy and customeroriented,” Asmita said.

The housekeeping department in a hotel is not just a backroom operation any more. It is also a key segment that can help a hospitality property stand out in the crowded market of the hospitality industry by creating a ‘home away from home’ feeling for every guest.

“Apart from their day-to-day jobs, housekeepers in hotels are today engaged in promoting responsible tourism and environment-friendly practices which are not restricted on reusing bed sheets or towels,” Payal informed.

Specialised Agencies and Training The entry of specialised agencies has also contributed positively towards improving housekeeping services in the Indian hospitality industry.

According to Rakesh Barot, the Director of Rooms at Courtyard by Marriott Pune Chakan, increased automation, entry of new specialised agencies for various jobs like glass cleaning, façade cleaning, pest control, sanitisation , etc. are the new trends in housekeeping in the realms of the Indian hospitality industry.

Another key area that has seen improvement over the years is training, which in turn has ensured a fulfilling career for the dedicated housekeeping workers, engaged in hotels.

For example, at Marriott hotels there is a programme called ‘Honor Associate’ that helps groom room attendants to enhance

HOTEL Business Review

their skills to grow to the next level with incentives and benefits.

There is also a structured Executive Development Program (EDP) for room attendants to get promoted to supervisory position and Managerial Development Program (MDP) for housekeeping supervisors to become managers.

“I am glad to share that I myself is a beneficiary of such programmes. I have grown from the position of an Executive Housekeeper to a Rooms Division Manager now,” Barot said.

“In the past, many housekeepers or room attendants engaged in hotels had lived their lives as housekeepers or attendants till they retired,” Barot pointed

out. Thankfully, the situation in this respect has changed much for the better, as far as the Indian hospitality industry is concerned.

Moreover, the housekeepers in the Indian hospitality industry are slowly, but surely, getting the recognition that they deserve, though a long way needs to be traversed in this direction.

Summing up the changes, Sharda Sharma, Executive Housekeeper, The Suryaa New Delhi, said, “From a support department, housekeeping has evolved to become one of the major operational departments of hotels in India, over the last two decades. Housekeeping teams are now being recognised more for their efforts, and are now seen participating in major decision making of the hotels.”

Major Challenges Despite these changes, most of which are of course welcome, the housekeeping department across the Indian hospitality industry still grapples with some age-old challenges.

“Employee turnover and retention are the major challenges in the Indian hospitality industry and for the housekeeping department in the Indian hospitality industry the challenge is

even more hard-hitting. Long working hours, limited compensation, high job pressure, physically demanding tasks are contributing towards such challenges,” Payal explained.

“Attrition has always been a huge challenge in the Indian hotel industry.

Employee retention is even harder for the housekeeping department of hotels,” agreed Asmita.

Barot pointed out that the paucity of trained manpower, cost management in the constantly changing business environment, managing staff efficiently with continued motivation, talent retention, lack of updated infrastructure, ensuring consistency in performance and productivity are some of the formidable challenges that housekeeping managers in hotels in India face today.

According to Sharda, with the improvements in standards in the Indian hospitality industry there has been an equivalent increase in guest expectations.

This has enhanced the challenges for the housekeeping professionals working in the Indian hospitality industry.

“There is very less tolerance when services and accommodation do not meet guest expectations. In the current scenario where there are a lot of options available to the guests, one small mistake on the part of housekeepers can become a direct financial loss for the organisation, these days. Housekeeping teams in hotels thus have to keep working continually and consistently to maintain the exacting standards,” she said.

The Way Forward To further improve housekeeping operations in hospitality properties operating in India, and also for the betterment of lives of those engaged in these services(both of which are interlinked), providing better work-life balance and better pay structure for housekeeping professionals engaged in the Indian hospitality industry are the need of the hour.

Moreover, training of housekeepers from time to time is needed by the hospitality industry at large, not only because many of the housekeeping jobs are moving towards automation but also because the boundaries of guest satisfaction are changing as the guests are becoming more discerning in this globalised age. n

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P ro d uct Previ ew

HOTEL Business Review

Hospitality Linen

Locking Rightly

Home Comfort Texo Fab is a leading manufacturer and supplier of bed and bath linen to the hospitality industry of India. The company has made its presence felt in this market with its quality furnishing items. In sequence to constant expanding wings, the company entered into the manufacturing and marketing of quality bed and bath linen under its brand name Home Linen. The company has been catering to the ever-growing demand of the home textiles and bed linen, in the domestic markets (retail & institutional segments). The skilled

Vista Hospitality Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is one of the premium solution providers, serving the Indian hospitality industry. The company provides solutions covering small to big properties in the Indian hospitality industry. Its clientele includes hotels, resorts, restaurants, catering companies and entertainment outlets throughout India.

The company works as a trader, importer and supplier to source and offer fine electronic locks, electronic safes, touch panels, mini bars, mirror TVs and room amenities to the customers. They provide most effective and timely services to their clients.

Vista Hospitality Solutions is one of the leading organisations engaged in providing excellent quality Miwa Electronic Locks in North India. MIWA Lock Company Ltd. has grown to become Japan’s foremost provider of high-performance locks and security systems. The lock making company claims to have the expertise to manufacture and control quality for every aspect of every lock, from start to finish.

MIWA’s line of legacy Magnetic Stripe locks has served the hospitality industry for many years. Tried and trusted, they are still largely in use today.

Vista Hospitality Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Info@vistahospitality.co.in

and semi-skilled workforce, under the watchful guidance of management with experience of well over 20 years, are constantly working hard to maintain the quality of products to be supplied to their esteemed clients across the country. The company’s range of products includes quilted duvet, pillows, cushions, duvet and pillow covers, mattress protectors to name a few.

Home Comfort Texo Fab sandeep@homelinen.co.in

Adding Value to the Table The quality of raw materials, workmanship and ideas make the difference between an average product and something special. Thakurji Tablwares believes in producing products which are special. The company is a manufacturer, exporter, and supplier of high quality tableware in India and abroad.

Its assortment of tableware comprises kitchenware, ice bucket, brass candle holder, pastry stand, cruet set, and rectangular chafing dish. The company offers variety of styles and designs in tableware. The company’s products are being designed by master craftsmen, keeping in mind the latest market trends. Thakurji Tablwares’ clientele is spread across hotels, restaurants and airlines. Incepted in the year 1971, Thakurji Tablewares is an ISO 9000-9001certified brand.

The production unit of the company is spread over a vast area of 2000 sq mt., in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Thakurji Tablware is well- equipped with technologically advanced machinery that helps the company to produce the products efficiently. The products of the company are regularly inspected by experts with the help of its in-house R&D and testing facilities. The company has also installed CAD (Computer-Aided Design)/ CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) facilities.

Thakurji Tablwares thakurji289@gmail.com The information published in this section is as per the details furnished by the respective manufacturer/distributor. In any case, it does not represent the views of Hammer Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

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* The statistics have been audited based on the evaluation at HOTELEX Shanghai 2016

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Sp a Business Opportunity

HOTEL Business Review

ADVERTISER’S INDE X COMPANY ACRYSIL LIMITED

PAGE NO. FIC

AKASA INTERNATIONAL

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IFB INDUSTRIES LTD.

11, 17

INDOLITE DEVICES

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INFINITY HYGIENE CARE

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MEHTA FURNISHERS

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MKN INDIA

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PEE AAR INDUSTRIES

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PUSHKAL TEXTILES

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QUARTZ HOMECARE

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SAMRAT FURNISHERS

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SIAL CHINA 2017

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S K INTERNATIONAL

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SUPERSHINE LAUNDRY SYSTEMS PVT. LTD.

Some other solutions

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

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sales@indolite.com sales@indolit

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Intervi ew

HOTEL Business Review

Aspiring Perfection in Hospitality

By Sharmila Chand

Anand Ganesan has been recently appointed as the General Manager at Kochi Marriott Hotel. He has more than 25 years of rich experience across a wide range of hotels, in several countries. His core strengths include expertise in food & beverage management, sales, finance and managing pre-opening and renovation phases of hotels.

Before his present assignment, Ganesan was the Multi-Property General Manager at the Renaissance Lucknow Hotel and Fairfield by Marriott, Lucknow. Ganesan began his career in Switzerland and he is well travelled across the globe.

Ganesan holds a Diploma in Hotel Management as well as a Diploma in Hotel Operations. The excerpts of the interview follow: What is the USP of the property where you are presently engaged in?

The innovative and dynamic hospitality associates who curate benchmark services for our guests are our biggest USP. They create great experiences by encouraging out of the box ideas, and converting them into incremental sales for the hotel.

Our associates aim to provide the best service and this guest engagement is our biggest strength. Furthermore, the hotel’s location, its unique features, our aspiration to be different and to deliver exclusive guest experiences, distinguishes our property from others.

At Marriott, we believe in putting people first and this culture has been instilled in our organisation to deliver the best possible services to our guests.

strategy that reaches the right people, at the right time, on the right device to win bookings.

Jimmy Rocks, our F&B Mascot is one of a kind and this fictitious character’s food trail this year will take our guests on a unique culinary journey.

Succinctly, we aim to deliver new-age hospitality to our guests and targeted marketing is planned for our rooms, event space & spa.

property?

Cassava, our specialty restaurant, will be the focus for the year 2017. The restaurant has immense opportunity to showcase its strengths to the guests and we as a team will aim to position it along with well curated experiences, for the guest’s delight. We also plan to value add services for the rooms.

What according to you is the role of F&B in getting business for a hotel? How much importance do you give to this department?

I believe the food and beverage is the ‘Hero’ of a hotel. A well-crafted dish on a guest’s table can be a delight to her/him. The hotel’s F&B reputation drives footfalls and this in turn garners bigger events, weddings and conferences for the given hospitality property as well.

What is the most crucial issue to tackle in the Indian hospitality industry these days?

The industry requires quality associates who would drive a unique experience for the guests and for this we need to put people first and cater to train them to the best of our ability.

Kindly talk about the hotel’s some important tech-friendly features Kochi Marriott Hotel has been well-equipped with the most updated tech features, be it in the rooms, the banquet halls or the front desk.

The Marriott Mobile Check In App allows easy check-in and check-out for the guests with no wait time and prior information on guest arrival.

Furthermore, all our hotel rooms have ample work space with multimedia hub. The banquet halls feature world- class audio visual equipment from Bose, well-engineered to suit the specifications of various clients.

What would you say is the differentiating factor of the hotel’s F&B outlets?

We keep the food as authentic as possible.

I believe the basics have to be right to progress towards success and we as a team does and will keep this as our mantra. The food itself is the differentiating factor of our F&B outlets.

Kochi Kitchen, our all day dining restaurant, has a massive spread catering to everyone’s need. Cassava, our authentic Kerala fine dining restaurant, offers our guests the best of the three regions of the state. Our Master Chefs at Cassava are inspired from the authentic and local way of crafting dishes and their sheer passion adds to the dining experience of our guests.

The Jimmy Rocks series will offer a unique experience to our guests this year with guest Chefs’ visits from all over the world. We will take this campaign to the next level by promoting it across the country.

What is the marketing strategy you have adopted to promote the property?

Knowing that 2017 will be the year of smart data and digital marketing, we will focus on the digital marketing platforms along with the traditional mediums to engage, retain and acquire both past and future guests.

We have planned a strong digital marketing

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Could you reflect on the future plans and new initiatives you wish to undertake in the hospitality

What do you enjoy the most about being at the helm of affairs at the hotel?

I enjoy taking care of my associates, motivating them and inspiring them to strive hard to deliver the best possible guest experiences. When my associates are appreciated by our guests I feel contented.

What is your strength/s, professionally?

I have garnered a lot of learning from my experiences of working in three different continents and this is a great strength that I fall back on in present times.

What would you recommend to someone interested in working in your field?

I recommend them to aspire for perfection in every aspect of hospitality, right from welcoming a guest to the rather regular operational related jobs. I believe in striving for excellence, and working hard and smart for the same.

How do you de-stress?

Work itself de-stresses me. I enjoy relaxing during the weekends, with a simple meal at a nice restaurant with my wife.

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Oct-Nov ’15