Exclusive Interview | Pramod Naithani, General Manager, Anuraga Palace
/“I always look for people who are passionate, bold, and fierce at work. Apart from soft skills and knowledge, I always prefer to hire staff with the right attitude. We can always train their skills but can’t transform one’s mindset or attitude.”
Pramod Naithani, General Manager, Anuraga Palace
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
My journey in the hospitality industry was in actual the road less travelled in my time. Born and brought up in Dehradun, my father was an army officer. The closest encounter that I had of the hospitality industry was at the Army Mess. It was during my teenage years when several small hotels started opening in my neighbourhood. I was fascinated by the services they would be offering which attracted me towards this sector.
After my graduation, I started my training at Mussoorie in a small hotel as a Bar Attendant. I used to even break coal blocks at 5 AM in 2°C temps during winters for the kitchen and prepare cocktails during the evening. I learnt a lot about the industry during those years.
In due course of time, I worked in different hotels in various cities and finally became a General Manager in 1983. I have worked as a General Manager of 3 properties Hillock Hotel, Hilton Hotel and Cama Rajputana making them the best in class during my tenure of 27 years in Mount Abu. While I was the General Manager at Cama Rajputana in Mount Abu Rajasthan, we hosted the All India Congress Conference in 2002.
It has been around 40 years since I'm in this industry and with pride, I can say, I successfully launched several properties across Rajasthan, Punjab, New Delhi and Uttarakhand and got them 4/5-star accreditations from scratch.
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
I believe having an urge to provide an everlasting experience for the guests is needed to succeed in the industry. Hospitality is one industry that requires hard work, patience, and perseverance to handle humans who can be challenging and making the situation extreme at times. One needs to be passionate about the industry. It demands commitment when everyone around is enjoying their holidays. Since it is a service industry, expectations are always set high, and one can never be complacent no matter who you are.
Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring?
I always look for people who are passionate, bold, and fierce at work. Apart from soft skills and knowledge, I always prefer to hire staff with the right attitude. We can always train their skills but can't transform one's mindset or attitude.
Editor: What advice would you give to a young, aspiring hotelier for their internship?
I always advise young hoteliers to have a sound knowledge of every department. I suggest they keep asking lots of questions and never restrict themselves from going the extra mile to create a delightful experience for the guest. The more practical knowledge one gains, they will take better and spontaneous responses towards a situation.
Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?
There has been a paradigm shift in bookings, people have moved online from offline. Additionally, Covid has created a big impact in the industry. Inbound travel has been affected and will take around 3-4 years to recover. Corporate working from home has affected MICE sales. We had to rewrite the rules of business and transform ourselves quickly. However domestic business has picked up. We are witnessing an uptick in domestic travellers, we call it revenge travelling.
Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.
Gender diversification is something that I would like to change and see a higher female percentage in leadership positions.
Editor: What is your favorite interview question and why?
"If you could do one thing to make the customer stay a delight, what would that be?"
This question always helps us know if the candidate is thinking out of the box, his/her passion towards customer service which helps us evaluate the candidate better.
