We Can Never be Complacent Towards Service and Quality: Pavithran Nambiar

By Rashmi Pradhan THE FLAGSHIP property of Marriott International in India, the JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu is known for its F&B offerings and celebrity factor. BW Hotelier speaks to Pavithran Nambiar, General Manager, JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu (see photo) on what makes this property so special and his business strategy. The property welcomed its first guest in 2002, tell us about the journey so far? It has been almost 13 years and it’s a constant challenge to run the hotel. People appreciate quality and good service so the fundamentals remain the same. We keep on leveraging on our strengths, which is the amazing location and view of the sea, huge gardens and swimming pools. Our F&B is another of our strengths, since we opened the hotel. Almost 60 per cent of revenue is from F&B. We are proud to state that 60-70 per cent of our F&B revenue comes from non-residential guests. We are fortunate to receive great support from Mumbaikars for our restaurants. We continue to focus on quality, authenticity and great service at our restaurants. We have 60 per cent domestic and 40 per cent international guests. The domestic market is increasingly important. We receive 70 per cent of corporates and 30 per cent is leisure travelers. Besides F&B, the wedding and exhibitions business is crucial for the hotel. JW Marriott is now an established brand in India, how difficult it is get business? We have to work hard to keep getting business and keep what we have. We can never fall into the trap of believing that just by being in the market, we can prosper. Competition is increasing compared to what it was, when we opened in 2002, there are many good hotels and lot of choices available. In order to be successful we have to work not just from the sales and marketing point of view but also guest relations and delivery. In a high profile business, the expectations of guests are higher. This is a 24X7 business, we can serve the best breakfast in the city, but that has no bearing on lunch. We constantly strive to do better. What are the challenges of running a hotel? The biggest challenge is finding, training and retaining talent. Marriott has been repeatedly recognised as one of the best places to work and that has a big impact on our services. The attrition rate at this hotel is 9.6 per cent, which is extremely low. Our associates are extremely important to us and we strongly believe that they are the beginning and end of the success of our business. We put huge focus on associate training. Tell us about the trends in hospitality industry over the couple of years. There has been tremendous growth in the hospitality sector. Five years ago, Marriott had 14 hotels in India, now it has 29. This just proves the fact that there is so much opportunity. Not only the hotel industry but airlines, travel and tourism industry has witnessed huge growth. The mushrooming standalone restaurants business is another segment to watch out for. The wine industry is again a great story. In fact, I heard that there are around 80 vineyards in Nashik, and the quality of Indian wines is rising. The growth of business and budget hotels are another big aspect. Hospitality brands like ibis, Lemon Tree and Ginger have changed the dynamics of the hospitality sector. Not only is the luxury market rapidly growing, but growth can be witnessed across various hotel segments. In 2013, India crossed the threshold of 1 lakh branded hotel rooms, much behind China at 30 lakh and the US with 50 lakh, so there is still a long way to go. Social media is enormously importance. We have largely diverted our advertising efforts from the so called ’traditional’ media like print and billboards to the online space. We do a lot of work on social media and find it an effective and engaging way to connect with our guests. This hotel has been recognized as having the highest engagement on Facebook in terms of JW Marriott hotels across the globe. Any new concept at the hotel this year? We keep doing something new at the hotel. We brought the concept where diners in India can experience signature menus by Michelin Star Chefs. Culinary innovation is our main focus at this hotel and the above concept marked the beginning of a gastronomic revolution in the city. This year, we set a new benchmark in the field of culinary innovation by curating the ultimate Michelin dining experience in partnership with 4XFOUR Singapore, an expert in pop up dining experiences with handpicked Michelin star chefs from across the globe. This unique concept comes to India for the first time and will be part of a two-part series, bringing the world's best Michelin Star Chefs to the city, through a customised experiences curated by the hotel. In April 2015, we had 2 Michelin Star Chefs and next month (November 2015), we will be getting a 3 Michelin Stars Chef for a week. The author is Assistant Editor of BW Hotelier.