1. You have had an astonishing hospitality journey so far, is there any one learning curve that you wish to highlight?
For me, smart work, continuous learning and development, and working on nurturing my relationships have helped in coming on to the path of success. All these three things are absolutely essential in any business and act as the foundation on which the bright future of a business is based on. I have always realised the importance of these three elements and they have been my constant companions which have played a fundamental role in making my hospitality journey an amazing one so far.
2. What unique GM learnings do you bring to this hotel?
I try my best to put my knowledge to use in the most effective way so that it yields remarkable results. I contribute towards the operational excellence by focusing on basics and details. Commercial Effectiveness, is another area of focus, on which I work by leveraging my knowledge of revenue and commerce. Coaching and mentoring of my teams is also my priority so that I can help them to achieve their goals and aspirations.
3. You have worked in 4 different countries across the world, any two aspects which you seemed were different/ potentially adaptable in the Indian hospitality sector?
After working in 4 different countries across the world, what I observed that we are very different and a lot better at Hospitality in India. The DNA of “Athiti Devo Bhava“ is deeply ingrained in our culture which always acts as a catalyst in boosting the performance of our hospitality sector.
4. You mentioned you enjoy the hands-on sales and marketing aspect of the hospitality industry, do you take special care of the operations, sales and marketing of Crowne Plaza Greater Noida?
Yes I enjoy being with my teams and look at opportunities of enabling them. My job is to lead and empower my people so that they can look after guests and our business.
5. What are the unique leadership qualities that a hotelier should possess?
After gaining a lot of experience in the hotel industry, I have learnt that a hotelier must have some special qualities which make him an efficient leader. Firstly, a hotelier must be collaborative. Secondly, a hotelier must be hospitable. He must have a good command over the concept of hospitality. A hotelier must also be approachable. He must have a welcoming nature and must always be available for helping people out. As a hotelier, a person must also be a good coach who is able to impart his learnings to his subordinates in the most effective way. Lastly, I believe that a hotelier must be intuitive. Instincts help a lot in making wise decisions, so a hotelier must know the art of trusting his instinct and using it for the benefit of his hotel.
6. IHG group has been a closer part of your journey, How do you wish to describe your relationship with the group?
We are not just colleagues, we are more like a family where we share the feeling of Mutual respect, have trust and belief in each other and are always ready support each other so that together, we are able to achieve not only the individual goals, but collective goals as well.
7. Can you mention two main USPs of the hotel?
Crowne Plaza Greater Noida is the largest Crowne Plaza in South-West Asia, situated in the heart of the business hub of Greater Noida. Spread over 8.5 acres, the contemporary business hotel features 398 well-designed spacious rooms including apartments and suites. We are well connected to Noida and Delhi via Greater Noida Expressway, our hotel is one-and-a-half-hour drive from New Delhi International Airport (DEL), 35 minutes away from the upcoming Noida International Airport.
Our second USP is the 51000 square ft of Banqueting area. We boast of our banqueting area which is not only spacious but is also very grand and luxurious consisting of 9 meeting rooms, and three sprawling outdoor lawns. Additionally, we have our restaurants offering delicious culinary delights with innovative takes on Indian, Asian, and Mediterranean dishes. So, our guests have the luxury of everything under one big roof be it comfort, ease, culinary delights, or space.
8. Since 75% of your guests are business driven, does the hotel take any special care to cater for them?
We spare no effort to provide an elite experience to our business driven guests. We provide IHG 1 Rewards to our business guests. Crowne Meetings are a single point of contact. Our Crowne Meeting Team handles everything from minute-to-major details to ensure that our guests have an incredible experience. The Club Lounge has its own benefits which are quite lucrative. We provide several food and beverage options, so that the guests can have whatever they want depending on their preferences.
9. Can you explain the green initiatives that the hotel drives?
Taking a step ahead in our journey to contribute to the environment, IHG has launched a few initiatives.
- IHG Journey to tomorrow: It is a commitment by IHG Hotels and Resorts to deliver a more sustainable hotel business for the benefit our people, communities and most importantly the planet. This initiative is aligned with our purpose of True Hospitality for Good, and is our response to helping in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
- Green Engage: It is IHG’s online sustainability system which helps in reducing the environmental impact and gives the means to measure and manage the impact on the environment. At IHG we have over 200 ‘Green Solutions’ that are designed to reduce energy, water, and waste, and improve their impact on the environment. This system has four levels of certification that our hotels can achieve and those achieving Level 3 certification or above can reduce energy use by up to 25%.
- Bulk Amenities: We follow the bulk amenities program, switching to bulk-size amenities is a tried and tested approach at IHG. Whether for business or leisure, hotel guests increasingly want their stays to be more sustainable without any impact on the quality of their experience. Keeping this thing in mind, we do everything we can to make our hotel more eco-friendly.
Furthermore, we do rainwater harvesting and daily monitoring of food wastage. We make efforts to encourage the use of things which are bio-degradable. We are also increasing the use of bio-degradable things in our hotel.
10. According to you, what are the two hospitality trends that may be in for a longer run?
According to what I have observed, the following two trends will be on the rise in subsequent years:
- Focus on hygiene and health: It will continue to be important in the coming years, leading to hotels using hospital grade disinfectants
- Sustainability: It will be a strong focus. Major corporates will base their choice of hotels on hotel’s initiatives on sustainability and their contribution to eco-friendliness.
11. Where do you see yourself taking this hotel in the next 2-3 years?
In the coming 2-3 years, I envision to create a brand-defining ‘Crowne Plaza’ positioned as the landmark hotel in Delhi NCR, catering to Luxury Business Segments.
