Rajiv Gujral speaks to Hotelier India about what the FHRAI can do to bring about positive changes in the hotel industry and the need for better education.
What were the reforms you brought about during your tenure as President of the FHRAI? I had an excellent tenure with the FHRAI. I think the only thing that made me sad is when the association split; a united body would have a better lobby and would have carried more weight.
What were the challenges you faced and how did you overcome those? One of the main challenges I faced during my tenure was ensuring that the members’ concerns were addressed properly, and getting the concerned people to look into it.
We brought in partner countries to work together with us to encourage growth in tourism. There were also coastal regulations which the government relaxed to some extent but the food adulteration act still needs to be looked at in a more practical manner.
We also had to make the states declare their tourism policies and rationalisation of taxes which by and large the state governments have already looked into. Certain state governments have created a single window for various licenses for opening a hotel.
How healthy is the Indian hospitality industry? It is quite comparable to the international standards. The process of hotel classifications partly ensures certain quality standards and so do the customers.
What does it take for a hotel to succeed where others fail? Most important for a hotel to succeed is its HR philosophy which should be geared towards ensuring better service standards and healthy systems and processes.
Apart from this one should be technology savvy to exceed current customer expectations and one should definitely have a motivated sales force. The driving focus should be on operational excellence, which will include cost control initiatives so that the bottom line is better.
Who are your personal icons from the industry? One is Ajit Kerkar. Another one is Bicky Oberoi who transformed the whole Oberoi group. Globally I admire the founders of the different chains of branded hotels such as the Four Seasons, the Ritz Carlton, the Marriott and the Hyatt – they came into operation much later but they expanded all over the world.
What are the positive changes the FHRAI can bring about in the hotel industry in the future? Within the members they have to ensure they upgrade the quality and standards and they need to focus on the human resources more, which is the biggest challenge for the hotel industry.
The government should encourage more and more catering colleges and culinary institutes. There is a huge gap. A big hindrance is the availability of land. The state government should not look at land with a commercial value.
The next most important thing is employment within the rural sector. We also need good trainers who can enjoy a better interface with students. There is a shortage in supply of skilled staff.
I was board member of the All India Council For Technical Education (AICTE) and served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of International Division and Member of Management Board of Indian Hotels Co. Ltd.
We had announced that we would be mentoring institutes in different fields and they receive grants every year. This is done with the whole purpose of getting better students.
We want to expose them to schools like Lausanne, La Roche, Cornell, etc. To encourage this, the government needs to give more grants to train teachers within and outside the country, and to offer land at concessional rates for opening colleges.
Another burning question is whether the students are employable after their graduation. One can check the quality of the colleges by the quality of the students who graduate and whether the industry is willing to employ them.
If graduates are not getting jobs, it’s a sign that there is something wrong with the educational institutes.
Is the government doing enough to support the hotel industry and its needs?
No, the main issue is that the land for colleges and real estate development has been placed on the same footing so obviously there is discouragement.
Secondly as far as issues faced by the industry are concerned, in particular food adulteration rules are so stringent and government should definitely review this.
The government should focus on skill development for the hospitality sector both on the private and public front – that includes teachers training. Without good teachers, we cannot churn out quality students and that is where there is a gap in the industry.
Medical tourism – Is the hotel industry prepared to care for the 1.1 million medical tourists coming to India this year? It is just like any other sector, there has to be good quality healthcare not just good hotels. Good doctors, equipment, etc should be in abundance in order to meet the requirements of the medical tourists.
The way the increasing supply is coming in – if the medical attention is the best at a reasonable price, people will come. As a board member of a hospital, I’ve seen that the healthcare industry needs to be encouraged by way of land and other concessions in order to make it viable and cheaper for medical expenses.
Churning out good quality students
(NULL)
Rajiv Gujral speaks to Hotelier India about what the FHRAI can do to bring about positive changes in the hotel industry and the need for better education.
What were the reforms you brought about during your tenure as President of the FHRAI?
I had an excellent tenure with the FHRAI. I think the only thing that made me sad is when the association split; a united body would have a better lobby and would have carried more weight.
What were the challenges you faced and how did you overcome those?
One of the main challenges I faced during my tenure was ensuring that the members’ concerns were addressed properly, and getting the concerned people to look into it.
We brought in partner countries to work together with us to encourage growth in tourism. There were also coastal regulations which the government relaxed to some extent but the food adulteration act still needs to be looked at in a more practical manner.
We also had to make the states declare their tourism policies and rationalisation of taxes which by and large the state governments have already looked into. Certain state governments have created a single window for various licenses for opening a hotel.
How healthy is the Indian hospitality industry?
It is quite comparable to the international standards. The process of hotel classifications partly ensures certain quality standards and so do the customers.
What does it take for a hotel to succeed where others fail?
Most important for a hotel to succeed is its HR philosophy which should be geared towards ensuring better service standards and healthy systems and processes.
Apart from this one should be technology savvy to exceed current customer expectations and one should definitely have a motivated sales force. The driving focus should be on operational excellence, which will include cost control initiatives so that the bottom line is better.
Who are your personal icons from the industry?
One is Ajit Kerkar. Another one is Bicky Oberoi who transformed the whole Oberoi group. Globally I admire the founders of the different chains of branded hotels such as the Four Seasons, the Ritz Carlton, the Marriott and the Hyatt – they came into operation much later but they expanded all over the world.
What are the positive changes the FHRAI can bring about in the hotel industry in the future?
Within the members they have to ensure they upgrade the quality and standards and they need to focus on the human resources more, which is the biggest challenge for the hotel industry.
The government should encourage more and more catering colleges and culinary institutes. There is a huge gap. A big hindrance is the availability of land. The state government should not look at land with a commercial value.
The next most important thing is employment within the rural sector. We also need good trainers who can enjoy a better interface with students. There is a shortage in supply of skilled staff.
I was board member of the All India Council For Technical Education (AICTE) and served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of International Division and Member of Management Board of Indian Hotels Co. Ltd.
We had announced that we would be mentoring institutes in different fields and they receive grants every year. This is done with the whole purpose of getting better students.
We want to expose them to schools like Lausanne, La Roche, Cornell, etc. To encourage this, the government needs to give more grants to train teachers within and outside the country, and to offer land at concessional rates for opening colleges.
Another burning question is whether the students are employable after their graduation. One can check the quality of the colleges by the quality of the students who graduate and whether the industry is willing to employ them.
If graduates are not getting jobs, it’s a sign that there is something wrong with the educational institutes.
Is the government doing enough to support the hotel industry and its needs?
No, the main issue is that the land for colleges and real estate development has been placed on the same footing so obviously there is discouragement.
Secondly as far as issues faced by the industry are concerned, in particular food adulteration rules are so stringent and government should definitely review this.
The government should focus on skill development for the hospitality sector both on the private and public front – that includes teachers training. Without good teachers, we cannot churn out quality students and that is where there is a gap in the industry.
Medical tourism – Is the hotel industry prepared to care for the 1.1 million medical tourists coming to India this year?
It is just like any other sector, there has to be good quality healthcare not just good hotels. Good doctors, equipment, etc should be in abundance in order to meet the requirements of the medical tourists.
The way the increasing supply is coming in – if the medical attention is the best at a reasonable price, people will come. As a board member of a hospital, I’ve seen that the healthcare industry needs to be encouraged by way of land and other concessions in order to make it viable and cheaper for medical expenses.
The St. Regis Downtown Dubai Attains Four-Star Rating
The world’s biggest culinary battle came to a grand close in Kolkata
Stephen George takes over as Director of Food and Beverage at Renaissance Bengaluru Race Course Hotel
Italian Master Chef Carmine De Filippo joins the culinary team at The Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotel & Residences
Marriott’s Moxy debuts in India
India sees 97% growth in searches for spiritual destinations