Taking pride in being on both the curves – learning and growth – is Javed Ali, who has been with the Group for nearly two decades. Senior Regional Director, Operations of the Group for South Asia, Ali started his career with the flagship hotel as its GM. As part of the development of the brand, Ali believes, “We are present thanks to the foresight of our founder, K B Kachru, Chairman Emeritus and Principal Advisor, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, who decided to go to Tier 2, 3 and 4 cites, which often made us the first movers in the hospitality business.”
In fact, it was Ali who first discovered the presence of a Radisson hotel every four hours of drivable distance. Fond of driving, he’d often drive from one Radisson hotel to another with the sole purpose of checking on the hotels’ operations, as part of his job. It was on one such drive from Delhi to Kerala that he realised that he could actually spot one Radisson hotel every four hours!
“I would drive one way and then fly back the other, and my boss would ask me, ‘How come you have only one-way flight?’” smiles Ali, adding, “I would literally be on a Radisson road trip.”
He further points out, “The high quality of highways in India has made travel much more pleasant, and of course more convenient if you have a Radisson hotel every four hours. In fact, we are taking this phenomenon to the next level, and having EV (Electric Vehicle) chargers installed in the hotels to take care of range anxiety that electric vehicle owners have.”
Highlights from the conversation:
The Joy Of Working Together: “And achieving and getting results together as a team has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career at Radisson.”
Reliability And Consistency: “Are at the core of our work philosophy.”
The Appreciation I Get From My Team: “Puts a smile on my face. I look after people who look after guests, so I make myself available 24×7. If things are going wrong, I expect them to let me know immediately. My leadership style is to offer advice but not dictate terms, which is received well by the team.”
