Sarovar Hotels

As part of its initiative #Thinkingofyouandcaringforyou, Sarovar Hotels’ extended aid by distributing food and grocery to the needy and migrants with help of local authorities, administration and hotel staff.

The group’s hotels in Chandigarh, Bhavnagar, and Mumbai, among others, distributed more than 250 meals every day to the needy. Their hotel in Goregoan, Mumbai, distributed groceries to old age homes; the Rajkot hotel distributed lunch to daily workers at government hospitals; while the hotel in Amritsar served cooked food and groceries to those in need. Noorya Hometel Pune provided cooked meals to daily wagers and local police.

The teams also made in-house masks using fresh linen and distributed these among slum dwellers, daily wagers, NGOs and others in need with the help of local authorities. Now that the lockdowns are being lifted, Sarovar Hotels is connecting with their guests through various blogs, social media channels, brand
website and other online travel agents. Their marketing machinery has created several offers for potential
guests and travellers such as #carcations, #BreakfromHome #LeaveYourWorryandWalletatHome and #HappyWeddings@Sarovar.

Initiatives on promoting wedding venues, weekend getaways and flat discounts are drawing attention because of the pent-up demand in the market and the group’s exclusive offerings.

Frontline Heroes

Nishika Dhami, Front Office Assistant, The Ashtan Sarovar Portico, Green Park New Delhi

“It all started in April 2020 when I received a call from HR that I need to report for my shift in the hotel. We were a team of 29 people who were taking care of doctors who were treating COVID patients in the neighbourhood hospital.” 

That’s how Dhami defines the first few days after the hotel was opened up to healthcare workers. “I was initially worried; I thought it would be difficult to manage and the infection was spreading. The thought that we might get infected, though we were taking adequate precautions, was worrying me.”

Yet, Dhami took on the challenge as it offered her the opportunity to serve the doctors, the heroes of our current times. She stayed at the hotel for more than a month, adhering to all protocols to ensure there is no contamination.

Unfortunately, on May 20, she developed a mild fever and throat pain. “Initially, I thought it could be due to air-conditioning in the room, but my COVID-19 test came out positive. It scared me because I was alone and my parents live in a different city. I wondered if I would ever overcome this dreadful disease and see them again.”

Yet, care from the hotel management and constant interaction with them through the day, as well as adequate monitoring from the hospital she was admitted to helped her overcome the disease after a14 day quarantine period. She rejoined the hotel after discharge on June 3 and has been working since then. “I am self-motivated enough to speak to every employee about fighting COVID-19 and having a positive attitude. I narrate my story to every individual so that they kept themselves motivated,” says Dhami.

Vikas Mishra, Front Office Associate, The Muse Sarovar Portico, Kapashera

Vikas Mishra, winner of the ‘Star of the Year’ 2019 award, is among the top performers at the hotel. During the lockdown, he is known to have extended comfort to all guests and team members. Mishra successfully handled extensive front office operations and stretched his shifts for extended unlimited hours to support other departments. He handled the transport and logistics, including ferrying guests for their COVID tests, even as he followed the protocols issued by Indian Medical Association and WHO.

He makes it his business to speak with every guest and ensure everything is done to make their stay perfect. In addition to being a major contributor to Front Desk operations, he also assisted housekeeping and stretched his duty hours to help deliver food to the needy.