Creating memorable moments through hospitality

‘Never get intimidated in adverse situations’ is the attitude with which Vishal Jamuar faces challenges as General Manager of Radisson Blu Guwahati. “Working in a hotel has its own charisma. As a leader, you need to be a team player with strong people skills and meeting diverse challenges head on that can tide over to favourable results,” he says about his 30-year journey in the hospitality industry. With prior long-term experience in senior positions at Taj Hotels and the Radisson Hotel Group, Jamuar set out to steer the ship of the Guwahati property in May this year. It was in 2014 that Radisson Blu Guwahati had opened as the first five-star hotel in northeastern region of the country. “Since its inception, the property has been very successful and widely acclaimed, not only in Eastern India but also within RHG South Asia,” informs Jamuar. 

Even during his short tenure at the property, his time has been fruitful, says the Radisson Blu Guwahati GM. “To lead a committed, passionate and ambitious team is exciting and I’m proud to represent the beliefs of the brand,” he says, adding, “Over a period of time, I’ve been able to foster a culture of creating a high-performance and sustainable organisation that meets its strategic and operational goals and objectives.”

Unique property

Located near Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary (1 km) and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary (2.5 km), the hotel offers a one-of-a-kind stay experience amid Nature. “We cater to multiple segments, from sports fraternity, government sectors, PSUs to leisure clientele, business travellers and corporates. Our hotel is considered as an oasis within the city periphery. There are 196 spacious rooms and suites with amenities like tea-coffee facility, 24-hour room service and a complimentary fruit basket,” informs Jamuar. 

Speaking about his property’s position with respect to increased competition, the GM says, “The hotel lives up to its image in terms of products, services, guest satisfaction and revenue. The wide scope of innovation and creativity this award-winning hotel provides makes it one of the most prominent hospitality products in Northeast India.”

When it comes to guest experience, Jamuar’s emphasis remains on the philosophy of ‘Experience the Locale’. “Guwahati is one of the fastest growing cities in India and the performance of the market has been fantastic. ‘Experience the Locale’ truly highlights it being in the Gateway to the Northeast and localising the hospitality experience for guests,” he avers. 

According to Jamuar, the hotel provides a nostalgic feeling by being an urban resort creating a calming space to avoid the cluttered city life. “We create memorable moments where guests feel at ease, experience the locales and enjoy the brilliant basics along with innovative culinary offerings,” shares Jamuar. 

Drivers of revenue

At Radisson Blu Guwahati, F&B is an important part of business, contributing 45-50 per cent of total revenue. Jamuar shares the hotel carries out several new promotions as well as food festivals. This, along with, ample banqueting options within and outside the hotel, makes a difference to the revenue pattern. The property has F&B outlets including Café B You, the multi-cuisine all-day dining restaurant, The Great Kebab Factory, Nest Asia, the Oriental specialty restaurant and Reign, the lounge bar at lobby level. In addition, The Patio is the ultra-modern bright glass restaurant and Dolce, the Bakery and Patisserie.

“We are exploring all sales channels to increase our revenues while working hard to optimise our major costs without affecting the quality of services. The hotel’s revenue is related to service standards, upkeep and maintenance of the core product. With growing competition, we focus on each and every revenue generating stream and re-energise existing and proven revenue generating methods,” says Jamuar. 

Dealing with post-pandemic changes

Radisson Blu Guwahati has over 40,000 sq ft of venue space for meetings and weddings. As Covid19 impacted big gatherings for weddings and MICE, hotels had to think of innovative ways to generate revenue, says Jamuar. “People had to give up key rituals during the pandemic and now that pent-up demand is back and possibly going higher. The wedding industry too is booming and with festival season nearing, guests are ready to spend,” shares the GM. “There are a lot ot queries for upcoming season as demand for destination weddings is in trend. Since Guwahati is situated in the Northeast, many consider it as a venue for destination events,” he adds. 

However, Jamuar says this sudden burst of celebratory demand sometimes collides with supply chain backlogs, workforce shortages and inflation. “Getting skilled manpower is a major challenge and we face challenges in terms of inbound logistic. Our business is constantly evolving, guests have many choices nowadays and these aspects play a major role to keep up with guest expectations,” he shares. 

“In addition, the pandemic served as an accelerator for already existing trends and pushed people further into e-commerce. For hotels, the period accelerated creation of contactless points, bringing digital and electronic kiosks and POS instead of human agents and massive growth in digitalisation-powered by mobile applications. We have managed to uplift the hotel experience by digitalising as much as possible from arrival to departure. From here on, technology is going to create hotel comforts in future. The exponential increase in guest experience and comfort will come from those who seamlessly integrate physical experience with the digital one,” Jamuar opines. 

Finding the right people and developing right skillsets and competencies are the key for a sustainable future, even though finding the right choice can be a challenge sometimes, feels Jamuar. “The business of hospitality is about creating memorable moments and that is only possible by highly motivated, engaged and happy individuals. Revenue falls in place if the first part is taken care of, it is all about understanding human emotions,” he avers.