‘Difficult to follow a plan in hospitality industry now’

No challenge is ever a threat for Vinay Nair. In fact, the General Manager of DoubleTree by Hilton Pune-Chinchwad looks at the positive side of the challenge and tries to convert it into an opportunity for a win-win situation. Having joined the property during the challenging period of the pandemic, Nair has been successfully leading the property located near Chinchwad Railway Station for the past one year. 

Sharing his experience at DoubleTree by Hilton Pune-Chinchwad, Nair, who has previously worked with Marriott, IHG, Accor and Taj, says, “It has been extremely rewarding as well as fun. I’m looking forward to a lot more of such amazing experiences with the team. I started during the pandemic and now when we are out and about in the open, it feels good to see the fun and banter back between the team members. We have had great activities for the team members as well as the guests with many more to look forward to. There are enough and more opportunities which can take the hotel to greater heights.”

A mini-Pune

The hotel, situated in the industrial belt and in close proximity to several international IT and automotive companies, has a vast target segment, feels Nair. “Due to our location, we cater to corporates, travellers, families, bikers and also for people looking for a nice place to unwind in the evenings with a panoramic rooftop view at our rooftop restaurant, Level-12,” he says, adding that as a city, Pune has a very mixed and cosmopolitan crowd and it is difficult to define a particular target segment for the hotel as there are vast disparities. But Pune, says Nair, has a lot of opportunities for food lovers.

All the hotel offers

Apart from an outdoor pool, a fitness centre and a host of F&B options, the hotel has 115 well-appointed rooms with some of the most scenic views of the city, informs Nair. “Along with the hotels’ F&B offerings that include Miyuki – a teppanyaki-styled Japanese speciality restaurant; 3 Spices, the buffet and a-la-carte restaurant which serves world cuisine; a rooftop dining restaurant Level 12 and Tarta, the bakery, the hotel has an in-house spa which offers soothing massages and two banquet halls – Food Studio and Viharas – which can hold up to 200-250 guests for MICE, weddings or other events,” shares Nair.

Looking into the future

The industry as a whole has come out of a period of uncertainty, and it is time to have a forward-looking approach. Speaking about what he is taking forward from his pandemic experience, Nair says, “Life has been very unpredictable over the last few years and it is difficult to follow a plan. However, seeing the way the industry is now booming again and people yearning to move out of their homes and wanting to travel, the future looks promising. There seems to be a pent-up demand for vacationing which is good for our business. One thing we have learnt from the two years of the pandemic is that you should always have a contingency plan and that’s exactly what helped us steer through the pandemic smoothly.”

Boon and bane for F&B industry

“Food delivery services existed prior to the pandemic as well but when we were confined to our homes, we got more comfortable with using the food delivery apps and services, thus creating a wider and rampant usage of such apps. The concept of online food delivery has been both a boon and a bane for the industry. It has given birth to cloud kitchens where people no longer need to spend on the ambience and can just start their food business from a small place. On the other hand, it hasn’t been so well for the restaurants that have beautiful ambience to offer,” he opines.

Smart hotel

Technology adoption during the past few years has been rapid, especially in the hospitality industry. “There is an entire graph shift of people wanting to go digital. When we opened after the pandemic with all safety measures in place, we came up with digital menu cards where a QR code was placed on the table and people had to scan it rather than touching and using a physical menu card. This proved beneficial for us. We have gone digital with our employee feedback systems where there is an online form that we circulate in order to give as well as take valuable feedbacks of and for our team members,” Nair explains.