‘We Understand the Mind of the Owner’
“I STUMBLED into hotels by accident” said Ajay Bakaya, Managing Director of Sarovar Hotels. Bakaya is a seasoned hotelier, and has been enjoying his hotel business internationally and nationally for the last 39 years. With Sarovar hotel, he has gracefully completed his 22 year of work. BW Hotelier caught up with Bakaya to know about his experience.
The youngest out of the four siblings, Bakaya did his schooling from Shimla. “I left Shimla and went to Hansraj College for studies. I had very little plans for life at that point of time. I did my bachelors in science and started working as a medical representative,” said Bakaya. He later did his management training from Oberois and post graduated from Cornell-Essec, France.
His journey as an hotelier started with the designation of banqueting manager in Oberoi, Mumbai. Bakaya’s international hotel experience includes senior assignments in Africa, Australia, France, and the UK. He was General Manager with Oberoi Hotels, Director at Hyatt, Sydney. He also worked as Additional General Manager at The Sheraton on the Park, Sydney.
Speaking about the Sarovar hotels, Bakaya said, “For me our biggest achievement is our recognition. We are recognized in the mid-market as a leading and a strong player.” Bakaya has headed Sarovar’s expansion to Africa which currently spans across five countries in the continent including Tanzania, Kenya, South Sudan, Zambia and Ethiopia.
According to Bakaya, taking Sarovar to the Middle East will create a natural bridge for expansion. “Taking Sarovar to the Middle East is still at a discussion stage. Around us, Pakistan is not so friendly, from the Bangladesh side, situations are always dicey. Sri Lanka wants people to come in for investment. Singapore and Thailand are very much west dominated,” stated Bakaya.
When asked about the revenue generation, Bakaya claimed that 65 per cent of revenue is generated from the business clientele and the rest 35 per cent from leisure. Bakaya has special inclination towards the kitchen. He told us, “While I was in Paris, I worked in a very exclusive French kitchen with chef Jacky Freon. I was very fond of kitchen at that point of time. When I started off with Oberoi, I wanted to do the food and beverages.”
“We majorly focus on kitchens. We have basic parameters which are non- negotiable. My focus is we must provide at least 20 per cent of the food that is local. In different states we focus on their local cuisine,” added Bakaya.
According to Bakaya, Sarovar hotels hold three basic key factors as its USP. “The very first critical thing is we understand the mind of the owner. Secondly, we have built the team of professionals which the individual owners cannot afford or retain. Whether it is team of chefs, housekeepers, purchase mangers, engineers, we have got people who are in our pay role and create zero cost to the owner. Lastly, we have sales office all over India and we are running 25 per cent of total hotel business through our offline channel.” says Bakaya.
While commenting on the growing hospitality industry, Bakaya said, “I think India doesn’t take tourism very seriously. The budget of tourism department is too little. Despite all of that, I think we are growing at a fair pace. This country can showcase every possible thing in the world, the government must focus on bringing more tourists in. when a new hotel comes up in a city, it should always focus on adding value to the city.”
Apart from being a hotelier, Bakaya is also a keen mountaineer and a cyclist. He has been the highest fundraiser for the Delhi half marathon for several years. Presently, he has developed an affinity for meditation.
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