As a tribute to International Women’s Day, we feature 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…
Nikita Ramchandani, General Manager, JW Marriott Mumbai, Juhu
Nikita Ramchandani is responsible for leading all the operational aspects of the hotel and driving the departments to achieve maximum growth and deliver exceptional guest experiences – this includes leading capital projects and guest service procedures, managing the hotel’s profitability and ensuring that the hotel’s long-term strategic goals are met. A graduate from Les Roches School of Hotel Management, Switzerland, and with over 22 years of experience in the industry, Nikita’s astute business and leadership skills have seen her take strides across her career graph with different challenges and roles across the hospitality landscape.
Key Milestones
There have been many in the trajectory that I would categorize as milestones. I do consider myself extremely privileged to have a vast pedigree across legendary brands within this industry. Interacting with leaders that were so ahead of their times and catering to a target audience that was so diverse in its expectation, was a massive learning curve. Moving to Baltimore with Four Seasons taught me basic tenets that needed a fair amount of cultural rebuilding. When I joined Marriott, the company was on the cusp of a huge takeover and reorganization. Once again something that completely pushed me out of the proverbial ‘comfort zone’.
Overcoming Challenges
The nature of this industry lends itself to massive changes within a short period of time. This sort of churn predictably comes with its own set of situations that warrant changing perspectives. I have had times when I have had to make certain decisions that needed incredible sacrifice and support at a personal front. That sort of unified approach to life is required especially when women are in the growth cycle of their careers.
Advice to Women
We need to make the corporate force gender agnostic and for that it is critical that the society works in tandem to support that. Women need to have adequate backing if they need to have longevity in their careers. So many drop out for reasons that seem more overwhelming than they are. With the heavy focus on diversity and the recognition of what women can bring to the table with their unique capabilities of multi-tasking, high EQ and their educational qualifications, it is an advantage each woman should take advantage of.
Maintaining Work-Life Balance
Work life balance is an outcome of choices and priorities. I, personally, choose quality over quantity and firmly believe that you can thrive professionally only if you are able to make balanced choices. Moreover, these are largely personal and cannot be bucketed into a formula for all. We live in times that need daily tweaks to adjust to what gets thrown at you. Some days, you will be balanced and some days you won’t. And to be able to be fine with that is progress.
