The New Recruit- Tamir Kobrin

Tamir Kobrin, general manager of the Leela Palace Kempinski Udaipur looks forward to tough competition at Udaipur from some of the best hotels of the world

What will be your main responsibilities as general manager of the Leela Palace Kempinski Udaipur?

Managing the day to day operations of the palace, positioning the property as the leading luxury choice of the discerning clientele, putting in place training programs that develop and enhance the team’s experience and knowledge and creating the tools to benefit the local community surrounding the Palace.

What challenges do you see this time?

Being the main attraction and a symbol of romance and a bygone era, the lack of water in Lake Pichola is most definitely not in favour of attracting tourists to Udaipur. Also, Udaipur has two formidable properties which rank the best in the country and amongst the best in the world. This means we have a lot to do to be able to be considered in the same league.

Retaining well trained team members if always a challenge. There is no doubt that this is one of the biggest challenges we have as do all luxury hotels in remote destinations.

What are your plans for the hotel?

The plans include:
• The opening of our tented luxury spa concept. With traditional Rajasthani tents, private plunge pools and nestled on the bed of Lake Pichola, the combination is sublime and unique. The spa will be run by ESPA, which in itself is a luxury brand associated with excellence and attention to detail.
• Making the Palace not only a wonderful lodging experience but as well a culinary haven offering a unique venture of pallets and tastes, blending local cuisine with international influences.
• Positioning it as a pinnacle leader in hospitality which combines the essence of ‘invisible service’ with service excellence and unobtrusive luxury. Guest is god...

What was your role and job profile before this? How will it change in this role?

My role earlier was managing, repositioning and developing luxury resorts, boutique hotels and destination wellness retreats.

After a period of six months in India, working and transforming the Palace from a construction site to an opulent luxury hotel, my role has transformed from planning to detailing of the fine elements that create an intangible experience that guests can feel they receive value for money, surrounded by attention to detail and an earnest sincere service environment.

17 years of experience in luxury hotels and resorts that span the world, including several years in Asia of developing and opening luxury high end destination resorts, have enabled me to have the capacity to handle challenging situations, that one can expect when the objective is the creation of a product that attention to details and excellence are imbedded in the essence of its creation.

What is the most challenging part of your job? 

Providing the tools to the team, on a daily basis, to understand the importance they have on the creation and delivery of the guest experience. The experience being an intangible one and being one that is experienced by people in different levels, based on their expectations and experiences, demands the team to be able to anticipate, exceed and create a lasting image on the guests. That can only be done when one understands the importance one has, no matter what function one plays in the hotel operation, on the ultimate experience the guests leaves with.

What has been the most unusual experience of career so far?  

The most interesting experience has been the opportunity to manage teams in third world countries, the majority of whichcome from the surrounding villages, where in their own homes running water or a stove are a rarity, and be able to have them assimilate to providing services to guests, in a luxury hotel environment. By having them wear their traditional outfits (depicting their culture), providing a gesture that signifies their heritage, and to see how these simple elements are the ones that really create the guests’ experience of authenticity and purity.

Where in the world would you like to work the most and why? 
 
At destinations that exert culture and heritage and where service is a combination of these two elements combined with the highest level of service, depicting the local customs and people.

Away from your work, what do you do to relax?   

Read a good book and have an enlightening conversations with family and friends.