The Westin Mumbai Garden City to Enhance its MICE Presence

An Alumni of Institute of Hotel management and catering technology (IHMCTAN) Mumbai, Sharad Datta, General Manager at The Westin Mumbai Garden City oversee the overall operations and management of 269 room iconic hotel. Prior to joining The Westin Mumbai Garden City, Datta was the General Manager at Hyderabad Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre and Courtyard by Marriott Hyderabad.

Hailing from a defence family background, Datta commenced his career with food and beverage operations before his first assignment as General Manager with Oberoi Hotels and Resorts. "I took over the reins of The Westin Mumbai Garden City in January 2017 and it has been an amazing journey since. The hotel occupies a niche space in the Mumbai market and enjoys a strong reputation for quality of product and service," he said.

Datta's role in the first year has been largely strategic, focusing on increasing Westin Mumbai’s market share, solidifying its Food and Beverage reputation and ensuring Marriott’s philosophy of ‘Putting People First’ is driven across the hotel. "Situated in North Mumbai, The Westin Mumbai is a quality Corporate hotel with a healthy mix of Transient, Corporate and MICE travelers. I see the sub-market growing as the economic indicators continue to predict buoyancy for the near future," he said.

"As the North Mumbai market continues to attract corporates offices due to its proximity to the airport and expansion capability, I see the opportunity for business to grow across rooms and F&B," he added.
According to Datta, Westin is a very distinctive brand with extremely well-defined brand programs. "Our focus going forward will be on continuing to excel in service, upkeep of the hotel, building relationships and implementing impactful strategies to maximize yield across our profit centers. We will continue to grow in Market Share, driving a premium over our competition and uplift our F&B reputation," he said.

Speaking about the future plans Datta said, "We are in the process of creating two unique spaces offering varied experiences to our guests. The fresh look of our Alfresco dining area with conceptualized offerings at our chic Italian restaurant Prego. The second space is Westin Woods, an outdoor venue with lush greenery which will be developed to offer specialized large catering requirements. There is an opportunity for the hotel to enhance our MICE presence, and will be an area of focus too."