Armed with some innovative ideas, Vijay Singh, GM, InterContinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort, is set to take the guest experience to the next level
BY Usha
How is to have a resort in a location not too far from the city?
It’s great, because the East Coast road in Chennai has not seen anything new for nearly three decades. And the people of Chennai and visitors to the city have gotten used to the existing properties and were looking forward to a new addition – a premium product with newer offerings. And the destination itself has huge potential – there is the bay, the beach and a world heritage site Mahabalipuram, is around the corner. The entire stretch from Chennai to Pondicherry is very culturally and historically rich with many offerings. So the potential is tremendous.
Tell us about your hospitality journey.
I began my career with the Taj and spent nine years with them. My first hotel was Taj Mansingh, and I moved to Maldives where I spend eight years. I then shifted to an American firm called One & Only, which belongs to Kerzner International. Post that I came back to India and opened Westin’s first managed resort outside Gurgaon. Then went back to the Maldives and did a brand conversion for a Mauritian company and now I have joined the InterContinental.
You have a lot of experience with brands that operate globally and you also have worked abroad. How do you compare the two work cultures?
It is challenging to work in India, more so since logistics and infrastructure are not that great in our country. Then there are lot of government rules and regulations that affect the industry, while abroad, those systems are much simpler and hence it’s easier to get things done. Here I work with majorly Indian associates, whereas in the resorts, depending on its size, I worked with about 15 to 43 nationalities. So, it’s a gamut of people, different mind-sets, cultures and hence a great learning experience. But in the hospitality business, everyday is a new day, a new learning experience and it is never enough. I’ve done about seven resort openings, all different, challenging and incomparable.
What about gender diversity at your property?
The Indian hospitality industry is really struggling on gender diversity. We have about 5 to 7% ladies in the team and we are pushing to take that to at least 12 to 15% this year. In India, parents have a lot of reservations in sending their daughters to faraway places, specially remote locations. Though they might be more comfortable in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, etc. It is a struggle to break that mind set.
During my stints abroad, we faced a similar issue. Though the diversity was less, it was never 50-50 and hovered at about 25 to 30% women in the teams. I think, we as a culture, are very closed, want to be together and not send children out.
How is managing a resort property different from a city hotel? What are some of the challenges?
The key difference is that in a city hotel, you see the guest for only a certain period of time, as they check in, go to their room and do their work or go out for meetings, etc. In a resort environment, however, they are there to stay and to experience what you have to offer. To really give a good experience, you need to have a very obsessive and fanatic eye for detail, because that is what creates the experience. And for that, one has to be completely involved. Every step and experience has to be thought through in detail and be on top of the game.
When the guest is spending so much of his time and money, he wants every thing to be great, right from food and service to the experience. And putting it together is a great challenge and exciting at the same time. You need to be highly passionate and motivated to be able to deliver on the expectations.
What are the brand values of the InterContinental that you identify yourself with?
It is one of the oldest luxury brands in the world – InterContinental was established in 1947. It prides at being in the right place and right location with the right partners. The brand is strong in terms of luxury offerings that wants to create bespoke experiences for guests who are in the age group from 30 to 55 and usually in leadership roles.
We want to get stronger in the family segment, which is why one of our key brand hallmarks is the kids’ programme called Planet Trekkers. It is a conscious programme which believes in not just a site-seeing tour, but allowing guests to see places, experience things themselves, through the eyes of somebody from the team who has complete inside knowledge. It is about being in the know of the destination and share it with the guests.
Also, dining is a major focus. It is not just food that we offer in the restaurants, we have a whole range of, what we call, dine by design, where you chose the venue and the menu, and we present it to your preference. This concept has done extremely well in Chennai as the weather is lovely and everyone wants to dine on the beach. So we create a lovely set up of tent and table on the ocean front, complete with candles and lights and there is a private chef to cater to all the guests’ needs. Though it is a premium segment, we’ve discovered that people are willing to pay for quality. It is all about the experience and nobody is offering them in this area.
Is infrastructure a challenge, especially in the wake of last year’s floods and what followed?
We are located about 45-kilometers away from the City Centre, so we were not really affected by the floods. But since some roads and bridges were washed away, there was a supply issue. But I have to say that though Chennai was badly hit, it recovered and bounced back quite soon.
What new offerings can be expected from you?
We plan to take the concept of small meetings to a new level. And very shortly, we are going to be launching the idea of meetings on the beach. So we do away with the typical meeting room setups, board rooms, projector, tea, coffee and all, and the dress code would be shorts T-shirts. It is different and a market does exist for it. Of course, we can’t do large numbers and 5 to 20 would be manageable.
But can a concept like this succeed in Chennai?
The major share of our business is going to come from Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi. In fact, Bengaluru is going to be a huge corporate base for us along with the weekend getaway traveller, as would Mumbai. Delhi. Chennai will hold an important share, but more for weekend getaways and social engagements.
