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Anand Rao, general manager of ITC’s newest property in Bangalore, tells Syed Ameen Kader he has clearly defined the markets and territories for both the hotels to foster their businesses.
What are your main responsibilities in this new position?
I am the area manager for both the ITC properties in Bangalore, Windsor and Royal Gardenia, and am also the general manager for the latter. I will be accountable for financial results, customer experiences, and profitability.
Bangalore is a city where the hotel competition is fierce and manifold; what are your business strategies going to be like, to stay ahead of the competition?
There are various activities and strategies that we put into place. It spans from re-pricing of products to giving a bundle of benefits to the right segment. For instance, if you look at Windsor’s customer segment mix now, compared to what it was two years back, you will notice a shift in strategy to garner new businesses to maintain occupancy despite the recession. Security is another strategy which has paid us off well. It has become a very tangible differentiator for our hotels.
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With another ITC property already in the city, how will you create the brand identity differentiation in the public eye?
Windsor is strategically closer to the airport and situated in the north Bangalore geography, while Royal Gardenia will be right in the central business district. Therefore, we are not pursuing the same businesses; our business has to come from the competition, not from Windsor. Our competitor sets are The Oberoi, The Leela, and Taj Residency. So we have clearly defined the markets and the territories.
Windsor has lesser banqueting space because it was designed 25 years ago as a compact hotel. Gardenia has been designed to take much more MICE and conference business. As a strategy, the facility in this hotel is going to bring synergies between the two hotels and also take away prospective business from competition.
How do you plan to capture the MICE segment?
We will go to the MICE segment with very appropriate and attractive-price-and-experience led packages, coupled with high-end state-of-the-art banqueting and conference facilities. A lot of specials events happen in Bangalore which are convention and exhibition led, and we will offer individualised services for them.
Why have you decided to sign with Starwood?
Starwood is a formidable brand, and the Luxury Collection is a very priced-brand considering the limited number of properties it has. The global distribution channel of Starwood is tremendous.
Also, we have a long relationship with them and have made the transition from the Sheraton to the Luxury Collection brand, so it is a great fit in terms of the brand personality. This particular brand is about every hotel not being in a cookie cutter mould, but individually different, based on its destination.
What qualities do you think you have that make you the right choice for this role?
My experience in the Bangalore market is most definitely the one reason for my selection. I would believe that I have done the job fairly well and positioned the Windsor property very strongly as a high quality hotel.
Secondly, my sheer experience of running hotels of different sizes has played an important role. I have run ITC Maratha for two years in Mumbai, as also running a smaller property like the Chola, and opening a hotel in Vizag. Also, my own strengths of being a Bangalorian who can speak Kannada, have come in handy.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
The most challenging task for me in these six-to-seven months has been to ensure that we create a product of right quality and standard, and secondly, that we create a right culture by recruiting the right quality of people.
You might have a great product, but new hotels have very often faltered on the quality of services and the quality of people they have recruited.
What’s your mantra for success?
My mantra for success is ‘indomitable will with perseverance’ that is something I relied upon right through my career. And I believe it has paid off well.
What has been the most unusual experience of career so far?
One of my unforgettable experiences was the deluge of 26 July in Mumbai. I was just two months old at the ITC Maratha but the incident taught me a lot of management lessons.
I saw how my employees put the hotel before themselves, to look after the guests. The whole experience taught me a lot and strengthened my managerial and leadership skills. I think no crisis can equal that.
Where in the world would you like to work the most, and why?
I would choose two places, Paris and London. I lived in Paris for two years when I was doing my hospitality studies there. It is a fantastic city, culturally and historically. London is another city that I love.
How do you choose to unwind at the end of a long, hard day?
I am a great fan of cricket and at one time I had contemplated a career in the sport. I watch a lot of movies; I love buying DVDs, I have a collection of 300. I also read a lot of management books.
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COMMENT
Kudos to Anand rao for nurturing ITC hotel. PL . throw some light on his family and personal life.