Shantha de Silva

NNot many know that InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) was amongst the first global brands to enter the India after tying up with the Oberoi Hotel at New Delhi. That was in 1965. Currently, the brand’s India portfolio comprises an impressive 30 hotels.

Mindful of this glorious heritage, Shantha de Silva is busy keeping the brand’s flag flying high in the country while pressing the pedal firmly on the growth accelerator.

Since taking charge as IHG’s South West Asian operations in 2014, he has fast-tracked the brand’s investment in its personnel, since the hospitality industry is a people-intensive one. Under his stewardship, the company developed programmes to attract and grow talent at every organisational strata.

“At the entry level, we have a 12-month ‘I-Host’ programme that trains people for supervisory positions. We also have an 18-month ‘I-Grad’ programme for graduates, which trains them for managerial positions. Additionally, we expanded our ‘IHG Academy programs’ wherein we collaborate with educational institutions to give training and exposure to people, especially from local underprivileged communities, for them to build a career in the hospitality industry,” de Silva stated.

As a result of its investment in people, IHG was ranked 14th amongst India’s Best Companies to Work for in 2017. It was also recognised for being amongst the best in the hotels and resorts sector. To scale a business conscientiously, de Silva knows that opportunities have to be augmented across the board – from people to properties to profitability. Ultimately, all these conversations boil down to a single term – ROI.

Hence, he got busy beefing up the company’s pipeline in the country after taking charge. “In 2014, we started the year with about 14 hotels. Since then, we grew our network to 30 hotels and within three to five years we expect to grow our portfolio by 100%, with approximately 60 hotels in the South West Asia region. To support this growth, we launched our National Sales Office, which serves as a centralised source to book IHG hotels located across South West Asia. This office helps us reach a wider audience and drive performance,” he explained.During his frequent travels, de Silva observed a shift in the Indian hospitality landscape, with an increasing focus on quality midscale hotels. He believes this is largely in response to the rising middle class and a significant increase in domestic travel in India. Wanting to lose no ground, he has ambitious growth plans for IHG’s midscale brands, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express to tap this space.

“We currently have 12 Holiday Inn and five Holiday Inn Express hotels in India and close to 80% of our development pipeline (by number of hotels) in the country are these two brands, which are expected to open in the next three to five,” revealed de Silva.

To support its growth plans, IHG is developing strategic long-term partnerships for these brands. It has partnered with Brigade Group, to develop 10 Holiday Inn Express hotels in South India, Jain Group to develop three Holiday Inn in West Bengal and Amrapali Group to develop two Holiday Inn and four Holiday Inn Express hotels, amongst others.

While many would wonder why IHG is planning so far ahead – even forecasting that it will open 150 hotels within 10 to 15 years – de Silva believes that it is always best to be prepared. Not only does this mean that one has various contingency plans ready, it also ensures that you do not give your competition a chance to go one-up over you.

By Vinita Bhatia