Mr. Sunil kumar, GM, The Westin Goa

Mr. Sunil Kumar serves as the General Manager of The Westin Goa at Anjuna. Having taken charge of the property when it opened in March 2021, Mr. Kumar has over the past two years, taken the hotel to greater heights and has seen it win a number of awards.

In a brief tete-a-tete with ItsGoa, Mr. Kumar shared insights into his life, his journey in the hospitality industry, things about Goa he admires the most, and lots more…

Give us a brief introduction about yourself. My stint with the hospitality industry began whilst I was pursuing my Bachelor's in Hotel Management in Bangalore after which my first project was with Trident Oberoi in Jaipur. It’s been almost two decades since I stepped foot in this magnanimous industry and in all honesty, there’s no looking back.

What was your childhood ambition?

If I’m being completely honest, I never imagined or thought about hospitality as a future profession. I was driven towards becoming an architect and engineering seemed to be the route to pursue that career path. It was actually my cousin who inspired me to explore the hospitality industry by making me see the bigger picture of this absolutely exciting and booming industry.

What inspired you to take up hotel management as a full-time profession?

It was after my first stint in Jaipur that I got a feel of the grandeur and thrill of working in this industry, in all honestly there was no turning back after that. I had a vision, and that was to one day run the show and today I’m extremely proud and humbled to have the opportunity to live my dream.

Take us through the journey of your career in the hospitality industry.

I’ve been working in the industry for over 2 decades now and the journey has been absolutely incredible. Through the course of my career, I’ve worked with a vast portfolio of premium hospitality brands like Hyatt, Oberoi, Marriott and Starwood amongst others. The vast exposure to the industry and journey up the ranks has been challenging

, but proved to be an incredible learning experience and I’ve met such incredible and inspiring people along the way.

Coming to awards and achievements, in 2022 our top 3 at The Westin Goa would be;

1. We hit the #1 Rank on TripAdvisor as the bestranked hotel in Goa,

2. Secured two extremely prestigious awards at the 2022 APEC General Managers Summit for the 'Highest Internal Alumni Hiring' and

3. The 'Hotel Opening of The Year’ – that was, without a doubt a big win for us considering we opened the hotel amidst the pandemic.

How long has it been since you took over the reins of The Westin Goa?

I’ve been with The Westin Goa right from the start, it’s why I feel so attached to the property. I feel like the hotel is like my baby and I’ve watched it grow both architecturally and as a brand.

How has your experience in Goa been so far? Goa is a truly fabulous place, with a small and tight-knit network. I think the charm of working in Goa as a hospitality professional is that the restaurant owners and hoteliers work in unison and are incredibly supportive of one another.

Name a few things about Goa that you appreciate the most.

The sustainability practices set in place for hotels in Goa, such as greywater recycling and wet waste disposal are super progressive and a need of the hour. The community too is extremely supportive, we see this in the form of the support you receive from the panchayat. Apart from a social and political front, the F&B industry is one to really look out for in Goa. It’s incredible how there are countless opportunities for restaurateurs to explore right from bustling beach shacks and classy beach clubs to quaint restaurants and hotels like ours.

Name a few Goan dishes which are your favourites.

I absolutely love food, and Goan food is so diverse with an amazing profile of flavours. The 3 dishes that top my list are; Goan Prawn Curry, Pork Sorpotel and Bebinca.

What is Sunil Kumar like when he is not working? What kind of activities do you indulge in for recreation and leisure? I’m huge on socializing and I love meeting people, making friends and exploring the ever-growing F&B scene of Goa. Apart from this, in my downtime, I like spending quality time and going for long walks and pampering my four-legged companions.

How have the tourist footfalls been during this past festive season at The Westin Goa? In comparison to the last couple of years, tourist footfalls were considerably lower this season. I think a huge cause for that is the increase in international travel considering the markets have opened up and access to destinations like Sri Lanka, Thailand and Dubai has skyrocketed.

An upcoming events/ initiatives at The Westin Goa that people can look forward to in 2023? There isn’t a dull week at the Westin, we’ve got something exciting almost every single day from Thursday to Sunday. Recently we’ve started an inwater dining experience at Drift with fresh grills and live music, which without a bias I’d say tops my list. Apart from this on a larger scale, we have Yasmin Karachiwala hosting the Pilates Festival India 4.0 at the property from the 2nd – 5th of February, An uber exclusive Fashion Show with designer Vikram Phadnis in March and 2-3 popups with well-known fashion and lifestyle curators from around the country planned for the first quarter of the year.

Finally, what thought would you like to leave our readers with?

All I’d say is follow us on Instagram and keep your eyes out for uber-exclusive offers, experiences and fun events to elevate your social scene by a notch.