“Competencies can be outsourced but trust cannot”

The eighth edition of the prestigious BW Hotelier Indian Hospitality Summit & Awards (IHA 2024) hosted the BW Leadership Keynote by Dr Dipak C Jain, Former Dean at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Illinois, USA, Co-Chair of Academic Council of China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and Social Security and Aging Finance Institute. He delved into the topic of Navigating the next decade: India’s competitive advantage in the global hospitality arena/industry.

Jain stated, “India is going to be the next charming destination. Our differentiation will not come from the number of hotels or rooms. It will come from our ‘software’ - how we serve the people. We need to make sure that we serve our people ‘Dil se’ and ‘Prem se’ to earn their trust.”

He further added, “We all today are in this business of healthy ageing, we are going to live longer and healthier than our forefathers. First time in history, there are more people who are older than 65 than people who are younger than five years, we call it the silver economy. This is the segment worldwide that we need to attract to India because the nation has so much to offer.”

Jain shed light on positives for India's growth, “India has safe haven and the growth in India is stable due to local consumption, second is the middle-class, third is favourable demographics and destiny along with education excellence.”

He emphasised on the culture of trust in the hospitality industry, stating, “Brand is not the promise but the delivery of the promise. Competencies can be outsourced but trust can’t be outsourced. Create a culture of trust in the hotel environment.”

The two-day BW Hotelier Indian Hospitality Summit & Awards (IHA 2024) encompassed over 20 sessions where hospitality veterans and experts across the nation gathered in order to provide diverse knowledge and insights. The Summit & Awards is a testament to BW Hotelier’s commitment towards revolutionising Indian hospitality by honouring the Crème de la crème of the industry.