Mumbai: Mr. Sandip Mukherjee – Techno India Group and Sister Nivedita University of Kolkata, opens up on Current Scenario of Hotels amid Lockdown, appeals to Government to give Hotel Industry a status.
Mumbai: The Covid-19 pandemic has caused much turmoil; social isolation, uncertainty about the future and coping with academic pressures. A global crisis such as this often leads to or aggravates pre-existing mental illness.
Interacting with Hello Mumbai News reporter Ashmita Chhabria Mr. Sandip Mukherjee – Director of Hospitality-Sister Nivedita University and the Techno India Group shared his candid views.
He said “Right from day 1 March’20, when lockdown was induced the hospitality industry on national as well as on international levels nearly folded up. Hotels are a long term investment industry and not a get rich quick gamble as envisaged by some people.
The lockdown has severely impacted all categories of the industry as revenues have effectively dried up. With operating cash flow generally extending to a few months down the line, most of these owners and operators are finding it hard to carry on maintaining properties in terms of the top cost levers in the business – payroll, property maintenance and other operating costs.
It’s indeed an uphill task to maintain luxury hotels.
Some Hotels have chosen to work as quarantine centers catering to VANDE BHARAT MISSION for overseas evacuees and charge a certain amount hoping to break even. Even this is not at all embracing operating strategy but the need of the hour being such – hotels are coming to fore to participate in this worldwide pandemic by assisting and leading from the front.
Meeting extreme levels of hygiene and security is important for hotels even in normal times of operations. At this juncture, providing services with minimum interaction and with social distancing is a big challenge for hospitality personnel who are used to a high touch, warm and high level of service at all times. However and rightly so now as a protective umbrella this interaction is reduced.
Currently Hotels must take all medical, health and safety precautions. NYC’s Four Seasons Hotel – was one of the earliest containment property and they set the operating procedures for safety, rolling as early as March of this year. Instead of door attendants, doctors and nurses welcomed guests with thermal gun checks and there was no interaction at all at check-in levels. Automated kiosks gave out electronic keys, lifts were unmanned and limited to one guest at a time, mini bars and other collaterals which could leave physical impressions were taken out, billings were automated, in room dining menus limited and were to be picked up by guests themselves from the all-day diners, etc. were some of the steps taken to protect in house residents and staff from getting infected.
House-keeping was limited and after guests check-out, rooms not let out to anyone for a two day cycle – fumigating these rooms for safety of the new incoming resident.
By now most Indian hospitality organizations have taken heed of these and other world statutory health guidelines – publicizing their efforts to incoming guests – projecting their properties as a safe, hygienic abode to spend their quarantine for the time being. This level of driving comfort-is now seen as a must to gather traction for the future sustenance of hotels, going forward.
In general, hoteliers must reduce physical touch points in any room or public area and a judicious use of health and safety guidelines fused with intense training of associates to deliver services with a human touch will be the key to success in the future.
While understandably guests themselves would possibly not be looking at being served with close physical attention now for some time at least– the hospitality maxim of service with warmth cannot be overlooked.
So the question is- How does a hotel teach its staff to serve with a smile, behind a mask? Hotels which can do so, will obviously steal a march over its competition.
In the interim, hospitality companies are innovating like never before. From sending chefs to homes to recreate dishes that are signatures in their establishments, to now bringing it live at home kitchens! Home delivery laundries, take away patisserie and main items, business center services for homes, fumigation and pest control on call, are some of the new products that have been recently launched by even very large operators. All in a bid to keep the cash register ringing and hopefully stay afloat in these very difficult times.
While the Central Government has indeed taken some steps towards assisting various other industries now the hospitality businesses, which even after sixty plus years of our independence, have not even been recognized as ‘INDUSTRY.’ This therefore brings with it added woes of no help ever coming in – which is so required especially during these trying times.
A reduction in VAT, bridging over loan periods, reduction in finance or refinance of properties, allotment of available land parcels at reasonable rates, tax holidays etc., are measures which will greatly assist the ‘INDUSTRY’ and help it serve national interests – of which close to 12% of the nation’s workforce and around 10% of the GDP contributions go into.
Simultaneously, since hospitality is a strong, long haul business, hospitality schools must invest well into building their infrastructures as many are indeed woefully short of world class labs, teaching and extra co-curricular zones. Professionals who can take the mantle, of leading the Indian hospitality beacon; to the next level, by truly enlightening the world with its legacy of ‘ATITHI DEVO BHAVA.’ Now ‘NAMASKAR’ has already replaced the ‘HANDSHAKE.’
Brief introduction of Mr. Sandip Mukherjee-
Mukherjee :
He is a seasoned global hospitality professional with over four decades of international experience in hotels and the travel industry in senior positions worldwide.
News Report by Ashmita Chhabria,
News Edit by K.V.Raman.
