Anything but ordinary

It was in the decade of the 1990s that she pioneered the concept of luxury design boutique hotels in India, one which has ever since kept evolving with the vision of leadership through differentiations. Today, under the able leadership of Priya Paul, THE Park has 18 hotels across four brands – THE Park Hotels, THE Park Collection, Zone by The Park Hotels and Zone Connect – with 1,813 keys and a robust presence in India’s major cities and leisure destinations. Paul is the chairperson of Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels, a subsidiary of the Apeejay Surrendra Group, which operates THE Park Hotels chain of hotels.

The first property from the Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels opened on Kolkata’s Park Street in 1967, followed by Visakhapatnam and New Delhi. “THE Park Hotels is positioned as Anything But Ordinary. THE Park Hotels is where unusual experiences are possible – where our DNA of creativity and innovation is expressed in distinctive ways. We draw from myriad cultural and global influences to create a stylish, vibrant landscape, illustrative of contemporary India and house some of India’s most inventive restaurants, liveliest bars and happening nightclubs,” says Paul.

Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels’ chairperson adds that the Group’s spirit comes alive through its seven brand pillars – Urbane India, Curating Culture, Food Reimagined, 360° Design, Stay Swell, Life: Leisure and Ready, Set, Business. “THE Park collection is intimate, personalised and tailored to transmit an inimitable guest experience. Ideally, between 20-40 room hotels, it is located in unique travel destinations and places of natural beauty and consists of THE Park Calangute Goa, THE Vaadhyar’s House (Chettinad), THE Denmark Tavern (Serampore, Kolkata) and upcoming heritage hotels in Patiala and Ladakh. Our Zone by The Park Hotels, an upscale social catalyst brand for the design-conscious price-conscious travellers is social, nimble and at ease. With relaxed, un-boxy spaces, a happening bar, and restaurants, Zone by The Park gives guests the space to make new connections, refresh and recharge themselves,” she informs.

The Group recently launched Zone Connect, an upscale brand that channels the inimitable spirit of Zone by The Park. “During the pandemic, we signed four hotels under the brand with upcoming hotels in Coimbatore, Goa, Port Blair and Darjeeling, and are slated to open in FY 2022. All our brands continue to be aided by our S.H.I.E.L.D, our all-encompassing programme that brings the best of luxury, design, hygiene, safety and service excellence, all under one roof,” informs Paul.

Despite pandemic-related disruptions, ASPHL had better financial year 2021 than its competitors. “We were EBITDA positive from Q3 2021 and closed with an occupancy of 92 per cent. I am proud of my team, led by Vijay Dewan, Managing Director, who utilised this period of slowdown to significantly improve our efficiency levels and this would lead to long-term margin improvement going forward,” she says.

THE Park Kolkata

With business and leisure travel gaining momentum, the Group continues to stay bullish on its expansion plans. The new properties are at Port Blair (24 keys), Goa (49 keys), Coimbatore (55), Ladakh (12 keys), heritage property Qila Mubarak in Patiala (28 keys) and Darjeeling (65 keys). The development work of a 200-room property in Pune has also re-commenced. There are plans to add more outlets to the iconic tearoom Flurys ie has grown to 47 outlets and 10 more will be added by end of FY 2022. “THE Park Indore is on track to open by November 2021. Contemporary and boutique in design and style, it has 99 keys. Indore, a smart city is one of the largest educational and pharma hubs yet lacks luxury hospitality and entertainment options. THE Park will change that. The hotel will bring legendary Someplace Else that set trends since it opened in 1994 to the city as well as Aqua, the glamorous alfresco bar and restaurant,” she shares. Plans are underway to bring Someplace Else to Mumbai. 

While it continues to grow in India, the Group is open to exploring destinations outside the country as well. “We are looking for the right partners and at all-time evaluating multiple proposals. Our brands have a distinctive identity that reflects contemporary India like no one else. Our trademark, Anything But Ordinary, and our expertise in nightlife and entertainment helps us to lead in any market that we are,” she puts in.

THE Park Visakhapatnam

SOCIAL AND BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

A strong believer of giving back to the industry, Paul has been actively involved in industry bodies particularly the Hotel Association of India where she has been the President for four years. “The past year-and-a-half has seen a lot of engagement with all stakeholders and government. I am happy to see how the industry is coalescing around issues that affect all of us,” shares Paul who is also the founding member of the World Travel and Tourism Council–India Initiative. She is also actively involved in philanthropy, both through the family Trust and through the company’s CSR activities. She was the founder director of South Asia Women’s Fund (now Women’s Fund Asia) and was in Chair from 2010 to 2018, working to nurture and lead feminist philanthropy in the region by effectively mobilising resources to support, and strengthen partner capacities, leadership, advocacy and networks. “I’m on the board of Breakthrough India and a member of Harvard Business Schools’ India Advisory Board,” she informs.

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS THEN AND NOW 

THE Park head honcho says the industry has become more sophisticated, is more technology driven and there is a lot more competition now than in the past. “When I started, there were a few players and hardly any international brands in India. But now the country is increasingly becoming an important market. In the past, the focus was only on luxury travellers while now, tourism is growing across all categories and new niches being developed from hostels to homestays. As India’s GDP growth accelerates to more than 20 per cent, domestic tourism become the mainstay of tourism growth,” avers Paul.

THE Park Baga River Goa

HR STRATEGY AND EMPLOYEE RELATIONS

“We have ensured our people are cared for and given all the support. Some of our initiatives during this time included extension of Covid-related medical care, financial assistance, mental support and ensuring our teams are vaccinated speedily. The lockdown period was utilised to upskill teams through online/ e-learning imparted by Apeejay Institute of Hospitality and in-house trainers,” she informs. Teams were socially and mentally engaged through various online forums and groups that were job specific as well for fun. Preparations for business and turnaround were undertaken through task forces of teams who ideated, planned and executed. Department heads and HR departments functioned as 24x7 hotlines for the teams to extend support in all forms. “Our employee relations are based on accessibility and an open-door policy. We have a progressive culture based on merit, results and commitment and being Anything But Ordinary,” she shares.

PASSION FOR ART AND DESIGN 

It was during her growing up years in Kolkata that she got exposed to art. Her dad would take her to shows where he would often buy works for the properties. “We travelled a great deal and visited museums worldwide and witnessed the aesthetics of different cities. All that shaped my sensibilities. Each of our hotels is focussed on art and design and each has its own personality. For instance, THE Park Hyderabad is a modern Indian palace that is a seamless blend of the traditional and the modern, complete with sustainable design elements. We worked with 24 designers. THE Park New Delhi is based on the five elements — earth, water, fire, wind and space. THE Park Bangalore is inspired by Indian landscapes and THE Park Kolkata has references of the chakras and their seven colours. The 234-year-old THE Denmark Tavern brings the Danish hygge to Hooghly. It exudes comfort, beauty and a warm atmosphere – both reflective of the 18th century and the contemporary luxurious and convivial space. Each hotel has its own USP and it is my job to find one that is interesting and resonates with people,” she explains.

Zone by THE Park Coimbatore

Paul adds that art is becoming more immersive now and is not limited to something that hangs on the walls. “I have always believed in using art and local handicrafts for each of my hotels. I am extremely lucky that I work in India where each region has wonderful traditional craftspeople. I enjoy working with them and enable traditional art and crafts into contemporary work for my hotels,” she adds.

HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY AND FUTURE TALENT

Talking about the disruption in the hospitality and tourism industry due to Covid-19 and its impact on the overall business,a Paul says, “We do see through our Apeejay Institute of Hospitality (AIH) that students are passionate to join the industry. However, due to the pandemic and lockdown, there has been a reduction in the income levels of parents due to wage cuts and job losses. The admission numbers in hospitality institutes are reduced as many are joining courses like BSc, BCom and BA where the fee structure is low as an interim measure. These students will certainly join back the hospitality courses when their financial situation improves. In my opinion, if there is no third wave, then the admissions will certainly improve in 2022.” 

She adds that the industry will have returned to nomal by 2024 when these students would graduate and it will be then that there will be a surge in demand for trained hospitality graduates. Paul opines the hospitality curriculum currently followed is dominated by the old British and French curriculum and requires up-gradation and needs to be more industry-specific. “The latest trends and technology needs to be incorporated. The curriculum should have an entrepreneurship component as many students aspire to venture into entrepreneurship and startups,” she adds.

WOMEN WORKFORCE AND EMPOWERMENT

“We have women with us in very senior roles. The focus has been on calibre and competence. The percentage of women in our hotels is about 18 per cent and I think this number can be improved upon,” shares Paul.

CSR ACTIVITIES

In staying true to its vision of Leadership through Differentiation, ASPHL aspires to be a thought leader and innovator in the area of sustainability and has identified five core areas for strategic action: community engagement; the arts, design, heritage and culture; gender equity; the environment; and education and skills development. “In aligning its sustainability efforts nationally and globally, ASPHL draws on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework,” says Paul, adding that last year, in 2020, when the pandemic hit the country hard, the Group stepped up and launched a solicitous initiative, #THEParkHeartofHope to provide a helping hand to the guests and neighbours. “Across all our hotels, we had more than 50,000 hotel rooms assigned for the health practitioner, medical staff battling the Covid-19 outbreak,” puts in Paul who feels whether you are a man or a woman, you have to find balance in life. 

EASE OF DOING BUSINESS IN INDIA 

For the survival of the industry, period of restructuring for hotels should be extended till March 2024 and the repayment period for the hotel industry under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Schemes (ECLGS) should be extended to 10 years, shares Paul. “The financially-hit hotel industry needs the government to give infrastructure status. It is critical, seeing how the tourism and hospitality sector has been weathering Covid-19, a separate tourism fund must be created under the aegis of the Ministry of Tourism and bailout packages to fund and support the salaries. One of the stronger reforms the industry needs is single-window clearance – hotels have to obtain 10-12 certifications and licences which takes almost weight-10 months,” she avers.