By Louis Sailer
WITH-30 YEARS of experience in the hotel industry, working in and visiting hotels all around the world, for the past one-and-a-half-years, I have had the good fortune of being the general manager of the exemplary Leela Palace in New Delhi. This a hotel that I would consider to be the best as far as my experience goes, with the ability to rub shoulders with some of the globally acknowledged bests.
All over the world you do not find many hotels like Leela. Some may have beautiful lobbies but the guest rooms may not match up or there might be a fantastic suite but the rest of the product falls short of expectations. I like to call The Leela Palace a hotel that offers 100 per cent luxury.
This probably has something to do with India itself. As a foreigner it is a complete privilege to get the opportunity to work and live in a country like India. There a lot of positives here with people being the main. For the hotel business world over, it is very difficult to rope in people who are genuinely committed to working. This is a trait that you find in the Indian labour. In America monetary want serves as the prime motivation, the desire to provide good service for big tips. In Europe, getting appropriate labour is a major problem because you have people coming in from Eastern Europe with absolutely no knowledge of the native language. India today is exporting its labour to all parts of the world and in all sectors. This is similar to the situation that was prevalent in China about a decade ago, but I can guarantee that within 5 to 10 years, when the indigenous demand for labour grows, Indians will be able to find great jobs here.
Another thing that is different about the Indian situation is the level transparency, everything starts shoulder to shoulder. You have wealth and poverty side by side and despite this, unlike other countries, there is a general sense of happiness. This is what I learnt when I first came to Delhi
One has to remember that it doesn’t matter what part of the world a brand comes from, as long as it has the ability to deliver on its promises, it will flourish and survive. Leela being essentially a Indian brand imbibes all the advantages of India, one like I mentioned before being the fact that Indian personalities are very genuine and are coupled with a willingness to serve. This is something that may exist if you go down towards Malaysia and Thailand, a sentiment echoing that of European offerings in the old days, but not anymore which makes this a very valuable and rare trait. So, I am confident, that once we take Leela global, we will not need to bow to anybody.
Of course, there always are certain challenges that come with working in any type of environment. At The Leela, inside the hotel, the internal workings are almost a dream but we do have external challenges, structures such as the supply lines, certain restrictions and complexities of imports and the local availability of certain goods. It is not as easy to get all the things required to run an international luxury establishment unlike places like Dubai and Singapore.
However, having said that, I have to say that Leela is the only hotel that outshines all the ones that I have previously worked for, in terms of the product offered. Some may believe that despite the fact that The Leela being a phenomenal hotel where absolutely no costs have been cut, it is overshadowed by the other bigger brands however, I see it from a different perspective. Leela is a unique offering. It doesn’t stress on the commercial aspect. It is a vision.
The Leela has a certain love and an old world vibe about it unlike other American business propositions. It is essentially India. If you look at the intricate details everywhere, within our facilities, there is a rich maharaja look to all our suites and guest rooms. It is a representation of a true Indian palace with a modern look. We have certain elements which you would see in all historical hotels all over the world, but we are essentially Indian. This is reflected in the fabrics we use and the way the hotels are decorated- mother of pearl inlays in the writing desks, carved elephants, the silver elephants, the magnificent elephants at the entrance, etc. Each piece is created by an artist and has a story behind it. The Indian-ness is incorporated everywhere but in a very elegant, bespoke way and the guests love that.
Our ambition is to make Leela what it should be, a bespoke global brand. There is space to grow both in India and abroad. We definitely need to finish off the triangle in northern Indian by including Agra and Jaipur in our portfolio. This is the typical travel route that international tourists explore. We are going to set ourselves up in all key cities and key destinations. However this is going to be very challenging for us because we never compromise. Leela is a combination of the product, name and services. I believe that we could be the new Ritz Carlton of the 21st century, which was at its best in the nineties when the whole brand really came to life. That is the potential and future of The Leela Palaces.
The author is General Manager of The Leela Palace New Delhi. As told to Bikramjit Ray.
WITH-30 YEARS of experience in the hotel industry, working in and visiting hotels all around the world, for the past one-and-a-half-years, I have had the good fortune of being the general manager of the exemplary Leela Palace in New Delhi. This a hotel that I would consider to be the best as far as my experience goes, with the ability to rub shoulders with some of the globally acknowledged bests.
All over the world you do not find many hotels like Leela. Some may have beautiful lobbies but the guest rooms may not match up or there might be a fantastic suite but the rest of the product falls short of expectations. I like to call The Leela Palace a hotel that offers 100 per cent luxury.
This probably has something to do with India itself. As a foreigner it is a complete privilege to get the opportunity to work and live in a country like India. There a lot of positives here with people being the main. For the hotel business world over, it is very difficult to rope in people who are genuinely committed to working. This is a trait that you find in the Indian labour. In America monetary want serves as the prime motivation, the desire to provide good service for big tips. In Europe, getting appropriate labour is a major problem because you have people coming in from Eastern Europe with absolutely no knowledge of the native language. India today is exporting its labour to all parts of the world and in all sectors. This is similar to the situation that was prevalent in China about a decade ago, but I can guarantee that within 5 to 10 years, when the indigenous demand for labour grows, Indians will be able to find great jobs here.
Another thing that is different about the Indian situation is the level transparency, everything starts shoulder to shoulder. You have wealth and poverty side by side and despite this, unlike other countries, there is a general sense of happiness. This is what I learnt when I first came to Delhi
One has to remember that it doesn’t matter what part of the world a brand comes from, as long as it has the ability to deliver on its promises, it will flourish and survive. Leela being essentially a Indian brand imbibes all the advantages of India, one like I mentioned before being the fact that Indian personalities are very genuine and are coupled with a willingness to serve. This is something that may exist if you go down towards Malaysia and Thailand, a sentiment echoing that of European offerings in the old days, but not anymore which makes this a very valuable and rare trait. So, I am confident, that once we take Leela global, we will not need to bow to anybody.
Of course, there always are certain challenges that come with working in any type of environment. At The Leela, inside the hotel, the internal workings are almost a dream but we do have external challenges, structures such as the supply lines, certain restrictions and complexities of imports and the local availability of certain goods. It is not as easy to get all the things required to run an international luxury establishment unlike places like Dubai and Singapore.
However, having said that, I have to say that Leela is the only hotel that outshines all the ones that I have previously worked for, in terms of the product offered. Some may believe that despite the fact that The Leela being a phenomenal hotel where absolutely no costs have been cut, it is overshadowed by the other bigger brands however, I see it from a different perspective. Leela is a unique offering. It doesn’t stress on the commercial aspect. It is a vision.
The Leela has a certain love and an old world vibe about it unlike other American business propositions. It is essentially India. If you look at the intricate details everywhere, within our facilities, there is a rich maharaja look to all our suites and guest rooms. It is a representation of a true Indian palace with a modern look. We have certain elements which you would see in all historical hotels all over the world, but we are essentially Indian. This is reflected in the fabrics we use and the way the hotels are decorated- mother of pearl inlays in the writing desks, carved elephants, the silver elephants, the magnificent elephants at the entrance, etc. Each piece is created by an artist and has a story behind it. The Indian-ness is incorporated everywhere but in a very elegant, bespoke way and the guests love that.
Our ambition is to make Leela what it should be, a bespoke global brand. There is space to grow both in India and abroad. We definitely need to finish off the triangle in northern Indian by including Agra and Jaipur in our portfolio. This is the typical travel route that international tourists explore. We are going to set ourselves up in all key cities and key destinations. However this is going to be very challenging for us because we never compromise. Leela is a combination of the product, name and services. I believe that we could be the new Ritz Carlton of the 21st century, which was at its best in the nineties when the whole brand really came to life. That is the potential and future of The Leela Palaces.
The author is General Manager of The Leela Palace New Delhi. As told to Bikramjit Ray.
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