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A memorable journey
Vishal Singh, general manager of Vivanta by Taj, Goa, is gung-ho as he speaks about the potential and distinctive nature of his hotel.
Goa is saturated with hotels; this is the fourth property that the Taj itself has out there. How does Singh plan to differentiate his hotel from the other three? “Vivanta is a very city hotel, and that is a first for Goa, in the fivestar segment. The name ‘Vivanta’ is drawn from vivacity, vividness, and ‘bon vivant’: an appreciation of the good things in life,” he says.
As to how he hopes to achieve a distinct branding in public perception, amid such a competitive environment, Singh says that guests will experience hospitality with a difference at Vivanta.
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“Vivanta by Taj – Panaji Goa is slated to be the ultimate escape, and a perfect spot for work and play”, he declares.
“It is a premium business hotel with high end work spaces, and fills the market gap of a business hotel in the centre of the business districts, where a customer can relax as well as work at ease with a number of technological innovations available at his fingertips”.
What are the new diktats that GM’s are following, do they tend to ignore the micro aspects? “No”, Singh rebuts.
“With changing trends, most general managers are now becoming more alert towards the micro aspects of hoteliering.
“Also, there are several arguments for protecting rates in a hotel. On one hand, it is very difficult to recover previous levels once the market recovers, and, on the other, it is important to protect the reputation of both the hotel and the destination.
In the past, hoteliers have learned the hard way that lowering rates doesn’t always bring the business. Hoteliers know that if they reduce rates now it will be much harder to increase them once the economy begins its upturn.
Of course it is easy to say that we won’t drop rates, but, at the end of the day, if the competition does, then invariably other hotels will have to follow suit. There is undercutting going on and a lack of creativity,” he says.
Singh has an F&B background, and calls himself an amateur cook; he feels cooking is a great stress buster. He also thinks that, as a general manager, having an F&B background has its advantages: “Each restaurant has to be handled like a mini department with its own vagaries. This helps you get a grip on a larger operation and you learn the ropes of hoteliering faster,” he explains.
“And besides, overseeing the day-to-day operations of hotels, restaurants, and resorts is definitely not a job for a wallflower – you need to be welcoming and energetic, as also approachable”.
Singh is a staunch Taj product; he says he was offered multiple opportunities, at the right time and at the pace that he wanted.
“Working with the Taj has been a memorable journey and I am fortunate that my career development was handled very nicely by the group”. He is an avid cricketer, which is not only a gentleman’s game, but also a team game; does he agree?
Says Singh: “Teamwork does not happen overnight. Just like kids and families, groups lurch through different developmental stages. A widely-known approach is Tuckman’s forming, storming, norming, and performing model.
A fifth stage called mourning is sometimes added when teams break up. A key challenge for those in leadership roles is to use methods that bypass the destructive conflict characterising the storming phase.”
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COMMENT
its really bng a pleasure to work under Mr.kobrin.