What makes Corporate Communications’ Heads tick? Read the journey of Amritesh Bakshi, Director of Brand and Field Marketing – India and Southwest Asia, Hyatt India Consultancy Pvt Ltd, in his own words…
The Trigger
“The hospitality industry is one-of-its-kind – the customer interaction, engagement, and feedback happen in person. And that’s what makes it so dynamic and full of opportunities for marketers. The fact that you can nurture and cultivate loyalty through tailor-made guest services and experiences to establish your brand affinity is something that drew me closer to this industry. Post pandemic, things got more interesting with focus on the new and ever-changing demands and expectations of the customers, which keeps us on our toes and gives enough room for innovations and experimentations. This ever-evolving nature of the business and guests always throws something interesting and brings out the best in all of us.”
My biggest strength
“Empathy. I believe when you understand the consumers and their core expectations, you deliver the right brand experience to your guests. It helped me understand the psyche of guests in the new normal and what they expect from hotels. And this really helped me work on consumer-centric strategies and being creative for the role.”
Skills marketers and communicators need today
“The ability to be innovative, observational, and fearless while consistently looking for creating new market and finding new customers for your brand.”
My most challenging, and rewarding moments
“As is the case always, the most challenging moments turn into the more rewarding ones as well. When we set out the journey for our #PerfectlyYours wedding campaign, reaching out to customers, partners, colleagues to understand the experience on-ground and to translate it into a communication strategy and finally executing it was quite challenging. To contextualize, we, at Hyatt, recognized that weddings are highly personalized, and one size does not fit all. Our initiative aimed to cater to the unique needs and preferences of modern couples by providing bespoke, anti-templated, and highly personalized wedding experiences.”
Trends that shape communications in hospitality
“Like any other profession, marketing functions across industries have been evolving to keep up with the latest trends and emerging technologies to provide better customer experiences and stay competitive in the market. In hospitality, we are witnessing a shift in our consumer mix coupled with the new generation of customers. We have adopted laser focus approach on differentiating and creating unique proposition for each of our hotels to build on this.“We are also seeing guests who are quite adept with technology spending a lot of time on their phones and hence, social media platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest have become a part of our overall acquisition strategy. We are leveraging all these mediums effectively with the right tools and strategies to ensure that we are not just present there but also engaging and creating affinity for our hotels.”
A day in my work-life
“My day is a mix of chaos and peace. I start my day with a bit of yoga and meditation before I get on with the work. It’s important to focus on your well-being. I start my workday with the toughest thing to do on the list. With that out of the way, I focus on new openings, formulating strategic opportunities with existing hotels, and partnership opportunities. I like to keep some time aside just to introspect and reflect on how we can do things differently. And in between, a little of social media just to see what’s trending that day.”
The best thing about working for an organisation like Hyatt
“The heart of Hyatt’s purpose is to care for people so they can be their best. This translates in everything we do – the level of detailing that goes into creating perfect experiences for our guests is quite inspiring. Hyatt offers the opportunity to work for a company that values its colleagues and provides opportunities for growth, while being committed to sustainability and making a positive impact in the local communities it serves. Moreover, the organisation’s open system and camaraderie among colleagues allows us to bring our best selves to work.”
