In the third episode of the third season of BW HOTELIER’s webBLAST series, The GM Show, titled Mumbai Hospitality: A Benchmark for Global Standards in Indian Hotels distinguished hoteliers got together to discuss the Mumbai hospitality. The discussion of Mumbai's booming hospitality industry aimed to enlighten guests about achieving excellence in the competitive market.
The show began with the host and moderator, Bhuvanesh Khanna, CEO, BW Communities, BW Businessworld along with super speakers, Ritesh Sharma, General Manager, Taj Mahal Palace And Tower Mumbai; Kunal Chauhan, General Manager, JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar; Nitesh Gandhi, General Manager, Four Seasons Mumbai; Manish Dayya, General Manager, Sofitel Mumbai BKC and Sameer Sud, General Manager, The Leela Mumbai.
The discussions included various topics ranging from business, revenue, challenges to industry-based issues.
On the topic of the iconic legacy of the Taj Mahal Palace and the balance of its iconic heritage with evolving guest expectations, Sharma said, “The Taj Mahal Palace is not just a hotel but a cornerstone of Indian hospitality. It requires a keen understanding of heritage and modern advancements to balance legacy and guest expectations. We achieve better expectations by continuously engaging with our guests.” On redefining luxury through personalised service for creating exceptional guest experiences, he added, “It is deeply rooted at our core. We engage with our guests and colleagues very deeply. We’ve learned that this institution needs a lot of love and that’s what drives us.”
Chauhan spoke on how to cater to the unique needs of business travellers and transit guests, especially with airport in the property’s proximity. “Our presence in various destinations has made a huge difference and being close to the airport makes you central to the business. The convention facilities make Mumbai more accessible for businesses. It will continue to grow and we expect a similar outburst in Navi Mumbai too,” he observed.
On innovation in F&B, he added, “Free-standing restaurants have challenged the hospitality F&B industry. The excellence in hotels will be marked with the passion we have for the hotel and soon, the era of mediocrity in food and beverage shall pass. In the future, one will be able to identify the standing of the hotel through their culinary excellence.”
Meanwhile, Dayya emphasised on how Sofitel brings a global perspective while integrating Indian culture into its service ethos. “When we speak about India, we think of Atithi Devo Bhava. It is an honour to represent a brand that marries French elegance with the vibrancy of Indian culture. Sofitel is tastefully blending the modern French art de vivre or art of living and the essence of the destination,” he shared.
On the unique demands of hosting events and business travellers in BKC area, he added, “In the last two years, the domestic and international travellers mix has gone up. The preferences will keep evolving and the demand will keep evolving too. More than a challenge, it is an opportunity to host MICE business because there is a demand now. All roads now lead to BKC and we are now in active discussions to add more MICE space and inventory.”
“F&B, in the long term, will have a much more important role to play at hotels. For us, beverage has been a huge game-changer. It is the soul of a hotel and we’re very passionate about it,” stated Gandhi on how the rooftop bar, AER, has become a brand-defining feature of Four Seasons Mumbai. On the role of wellness offerings in attracting discerning guests, he opined, “We love the spa business as it contributes to the positioning of the hotel and now is the time for us to evolve the spa business. We can do a lot with spas in terms of longevity and focus on wellness more than massages.”
Sud shed light on how The Leela Mumbai maintains its positioning as a leading luxury destination amidst fierce competition. “At the heart of everything we do are the guests. We have outperformed our business for the past few years and no investor will put in money where they can't make money.”
Speaking on the sustainability initiatives, he added, “Sustainability has been in our DNA since the beginning. For example, we do our own bottling plants under our wellness scheme known as Aujasya and 80 per cent of our energy comes from the energy we produce through windmills.”
The show culminated with Bhuvanesh Khanna thanking the panellists for sharing their thoughts and views on the subject and informing about the next GM Show scheduled for January 10, 2025 with Episode 4 beginning 5.30 pm on Luxury in Urban Chaos: Operational Excellence in Mumbai.
