Hotel General Managers are largely men, but women are making their mark, and brilliantly so, in this hardcore male terrain.
As a tribute to International Women’s Day, we feature on our March 2024 cover India’s top women hotel General Managers, who spill the beans on their passion for hospitality and what it takes to thrive in a male domain…
Amandeep Kaur, General Manager, ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru
Born in North India, New Delhi was Amandeep Kaur’s base where she did a course at the Institute of Hotel Management on her father’s recommendation. She received several job opportunities when she passed out and she admits that she made the right decision in choosing ITC Hotels over all others.
Key Milestones
Given an opportunity by ITC Hotels to be part of big events that we catered to; to name some, WEF in 2009, 2011 in Davos and G20 in 2023. In 2019, when I was mentored to transition from functional role to general administration as the first lady General Manager is the milestone that is special and I’ll cherish all my life
Overcoming Challenges
The ITC Hotels’ ecosystem fosters growth and at the same time provides enough tools and encouragement for everyone across all diverse backgrounds. I would say the journey has given me several opportunities, rather than challenges. The management institute’s well-structured training programs armoured us with knowledge and enough shop floor exposure to take up our first posting with a lot of confidence. The work environment along with the accommodation and various facilities provided by the organization, made the journey very pleasant.
Advice to Women
The first step is to acknowledge your self-worth, stop doubting yourself based on gender, and not be too hard on yourself. There is no shortcut to hard work, irrespective of gender and industry. Hard work is a subjective matter where, while acquiring industry-based knowledge, one continues to invest in oneself by pushing one’s boundaries, learning beyond one’s subject, creating a large knowledge archive for oneself, reading about diverse topics on related and non-related subjects, travelling extensively, grooming oneself well, and with every opportunity preparing well to give it the best shot every time. I also believe in maintaining a positive mindset, good communication and garnering support from family members.
Maintaining Work-Life Balance
As a hotelier, I think of my work as my lifestyle. For me, work and life are two very important aspects and at both places, it’s not the quantity of time one spends that matters. What matters is the quality and how we make the best use of time at work and in our personal lives. Also, ITC Hotels has extremely flexible and inclusive policies for diverse workforce, including that for women, that allows us to handle special circumstances at personal front effectively and peacefully. My family members have extended extensive support in my journey and together we have fostered an ecosystem of progressive mindset, where we ride this journey together.
(Watch out this space for interviews of other GMs featured on the cover. They’re coming soon…)
