Delivering Dreams

Sushil Gupta speaks with Hotelier India about the business of hotels and how they should be run in order to be good business.

Gupta has served as the President of Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Association of India, (FHRAI), and is on the executive committee of the Federation of Indian – Chambers of Commerce (FICCI) and has been on the Board of Tourism Finance Corporation of India.

He is currently the President of “Experience India Society” a public-private partnership between the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and a consortium of private Hotel companies.

What were the reforms you brought about during your tenure?
As President of the Federation we got many concessions from the ministry for the smaller hotels. We started professional management training programs for small hotels, where we invited faculty from outside India. That was the highlight. We even got concessions from the government.

What was the best part of your tenure?
Taking the final decision of the institute, this made the federation very financially healthy. I am currently heading the Experience India society, which is a public-private partnership between the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and a consortium of private Hotel companies.

I have been the President of for the last three years and we produced films for the Incredible India campaign which have won several awards. I think I have done my major contribution to tourism in this area.

What were the challenges you faced and how did you overcome those?
There were always challenges; fundamentally we were fighting with the government all the time.

I did try to bring about a change in the workings of the federation but our job is not to fight with the government but to work together. We got them to cooperate with us finally.

How healthy is the Indian hospitality industry?
It is struggling a bit at the moment – the basic problem is too many taxes being levied by the State Governments. As far as the Central Government is concerned, they are very considerate, they understand the larger picture.

But the State governments are using the hotel industry as a cash cow. Since it is an organised sector and everything is in black and white, they see it as an opportunity to tax us more and more. We are being exploited by the State Governments.

What does it take for a hotel to succeed where others fail?
You must make a quality product within certain period of time and you must be able to service your guest.

They must treat a hotel as a home. We are in the business of selling dreams, we should deliver those dreams.

Who are your personal icons from the industry?
JRD Tata and Rai Bahadur MS Oberoi.

What are the top things you look for in a hotel?
Location, the quality of service, ambience, good food, friendly staff which recognises you, value for money.

What is your preferred destination for a personal holiday? Why?
The Himalayas. I like the peace and quiet.

What do you think is the next most preferred destination for international tourists this year?
Agra for the Taj Mahal is always the number one destination for any foreigner coming to India.

What does the tourism industry need to focus on for increased growth?
I think they need to pay close attention to the delivery of the promises made in the advertisements and brochures that they show to people and most importantly, one should make one’s guests feel welcome at all times.

What should hotels avoid doing to lose their ratings?
It has to be a well oiled machine – you have to invest money in your product for it to give you returns.

How are the certification criteria different for Indian and international hotels?
The Indian systems are based on the foreign systems where we are still stuck to the old formula of a hotel needing to have a pool, bathtubs, etc – so many hotels worldwide now don’t use bathtubs but that is still on the criteria list for 5 star hotels in India.

I think we need to change our criteria to be more in sync with today’s times.