Hotel Management & Its Current Scenario In India
Having recently taken over the reign of CEO for the company, Kush has earlier served as the Area General Manager of Roseate Hotels & Resorts. Holding 17-year of experience in the hospitality industry, he has been crowned with several prestigious awards.How has space for Hotel Management evolved over the years? Provide insights into the kind of innovations that the sector has embraced over the years.
The hospitality industry has evolved multifold over the years. The most breakthrough ones I have observed are Artificial Intelligence and Smart Technology that general managers and owners alike are getting included in their hotels to keep a constant connect with guests. iPad controlled rooms are widely used now in hotels and resorts with a one-button access to all room functions such as lights blinds television, music and temperature control. Voice command enabled guest room control and heat & light control through sensors is also being used in a lot of hotels. Guest privacy is of utmost importance in hotels, and whether technology or not, it is to be protected. With progress in technology, data security is also fortified to ensure guests get a seamless experience without compromising their privacy and data. Smart rooms are the future – it will only get better with technology and aid hotels to offer personalized experience to their guests.
With the world seeing rapid technological advancements, how has technology assisted in Hotel Management? What modern-age technologies is the sector looking forward to?
Technology is imperative and a boon in the hospitality industry, especially in today’s time, to personalize guest experiences and tackle a lot of hotel operations and guest queries. Guests today are well-travelled and mostly on the move. It suits their needs and time, giving them a one button control for everything. It is equally convenient for staff, as it saves them time in manually checking everything individually when it can be done with one device.
Hotels and resorts have adopted to be smart in today’s era and software for complaint management,
where housekeeping, annual hotel maintenance,guest escalations and guest feedback have been embraced.The property management software of rooms is also constantly upgraded to keep track of guest expectations and to ensure they are met with consistency in service standards. Online Reputation management is another key area hotels are looking into to manage and uphold their goodwill on social media and the digital space. Two major technologies are already available in India – ipad controlled system in rooms and voice command enabled guest room with heat & light control through sensors. Robots, in room mobile check in and keyless cards are also in. Further, there are also talks of developing artificial intelligence and geo positioning of guests present in hotel in near future.
As the Hotel Management industry is flourishing at a frantic pace, what future prospects do you think the segment awaits?
I believe that the hotel industry is moving at a steady and positive pace. The future holds good and offers immense opportunities in this segment. The Indian hospitality industry has consistently demonstrated a strong performance growth in particular with consistent growth in travel and tourism. Proximity to the airport, business hubs and connectivity are important factors. With more and more travelers, there is in fact an increase in demand for new hotels and resorts throughout the country. Moreover, with the shift in focus from ‘all-about-me’ to ‘guest-centric’, hotels are now infusing experiential elements with stays for their guests who are well-travelled by providing them with unique experiences. Again, technology is imperative, and as mentioned above, smart hotels are the future.
How is this market helping in building a more coherent and cohesive workplace? Also, what are the opportunities prevailing in the space at the moment?
The hotel industry has been an ever evolving and a dynamic one. A lot of companies, including international and domestic, have started the eight offs in a month for their employees replacing meager four offs earlier. Work culture has evolved from a stringent austere to a more transparent and fuss-free. Organizations see a less bureaucratic work environment now, with more first name and surname being used to address each other instead of sir and madam. Flexible timings along with extracurricular activities for a better work-life balance in hotels have also promoted a better work culture.
What strategy should the Hotel Management industry adopt in order to boost an employee’s performance while retaining the top talent of the industry?
As mentioned above, a company’s work culture will define an employee’s performance, apart from his skills and competency – a transparent environment is a must these days, teamed with best team building exercise and extracurricular activities to keep them engaged to balance their work life and personal space. Companies have hired wellness coaches and past life regression experts, also offer sound therapy healing, Zumba, aqua Zumba, mediation, yoga, and so on to keep their employees stress-free and have a free mind to focus on their performance to achieve the organizational goals.
With the shift in focus from ‘all-about-me’ to ‘guest-centric’, hotels are now infusing experiential elements with stays for their guests who are well-travelled by providing them with unique experiences
As the Hotel Management industry is flourishing at a frantic pace, what future prospects do you think the segment awaits?
I believe that the hotel industry is moving at a steady and positive pace. The future holds good and offers immense opportunities in this segment. The Indian hospitality industry has consistently demonstrated a strong performance growth in particular with consistent growth in travel and tourism. Proximity to the airport, business hubs and connectivity are important factors. With more and more travelers, there is in fact an increase in demand for new hotels and resorts throughout the country. Moreover, with the shift in focus from ‘all-about-me’ to ‘guest-centric’, hotels are now infusing experiential elements with stays for their guests who are well-travelled by providing them with unique experiences. Again, technology is imperative, and as mentioned above, smart hotels are the future.
How is this market helping in building a more coherent and cohesive workplace? Also, what are the opportunities prevailing in the space at the moment?
The hotel industry has been an ever evolving and a dynamic one. A lot of companies, including international and domestic, have started the eight offs in a month for their employees replacing meager four offs earlier. Work culture has evolved from a stringent austere to a more transparent and fuss-free. Organizations see a less bureaucratic work environment now, with more first name and surname being used to address each other instead of sir and madam. Flexible timings along with extracurricular activities for a better work-life balance in hotels have also promoted a better work culture.
What strategy should the Hotel Management industry adopt in order to boost an employee’s performance while retaining the top talent of the industry?
As mentioned above, a company’s work culture will define an employee’s performance, apart from his skills and competency – a transparent environment is a must these days, teamed with best team building exercise and extracurricular activities to keep them engaged to balance their work life and personal space. Companies have hired wellness coaches and past life regression experts, also offer sound therapy healing, Zumba, aqua Zumba, mediation, yoga, and so on to keep their employees stress-free and have a free mind to focus on their performance to achieve the organizational goals.
