- Since you have had a remarkable journey with The Balwa Group, Radisson group of hotels and now the Marriott, What distinctive brand philosophy do you intend to bring to the new Fairfield by Marriott, Mumbai Hotel?
All brands philosophy remains the same, employee happiness, guest delight and promoters satisfaction in terms of revenues, but in Fairfield by Marriott our brand ethos remains more predominately focuses on guest promises which is warm welcome , providing highest quality of standards, respond promptly and give the service which will want them to return with us. Marriott belief of ‘TAKE CARE’ primarily focuses on employee satisfaction which revolves round the cycle of keeping our associates happy which will in turn lead to guest and business. With great engagement programs at the hotel we strive to keep our associates happy.
- What unique GM learnings do you bring to this hotel?
Since I have a strong experience of successfully opening and managing hotels, my key role is to build a strong team and get the hotel to run smoothly within a short spell of time. I would like to initiate sustainability which is the future of the globe with best practices at the hotel that will support and drive green energy. While driving talent acquisition , I would also like to support gender diversity by having minimum 30% of women in our workforce.
- What are the top 3 draw points/USPs that will attract customers to Fairfield by Marriott, Mumbai?
Our key driver is :
1) Functional rooms with luxurious in room amenities which caters to the business traveller 2) Strategic location to the International airport with a stunning view of the airport as well as the runway,
3) Our Banquet halls which has inbuilt 173 inch LED screen that caters to the MICE segment, 4) Infinity pool provides a breath-taking view of the runway located on the rooftop of the hotel.
- Since your journey took off with F&B operations, What are the few details you took care of while setting up the restaurant and bar space of Fairfield by Marriott Mumbai?
We have a very dynamic space for F&B with a fairly large coffee shop which overlooks the courtyard, we have started taking baby steps of starting with a Sunday Brunch which has slowly but steadily started garnering a lot of interest, our bar is a cosy place for guest within the hotel as well as from outside who can come and try our unique cocktails and snacks, our focus was to keep things simple and straight. We would also like to integrate Marriott Bonvoy on wheels for the locals to experience our F&B while they are at office or at home space.
- Since there are already quite a few well-established hotels around the Mumbai International Airport, how long will it take for you to establish your brand in the same vicinity?
We have opened the hotel less than 2 months now and we have already been able to garner a fair bit of interest in the property, establishing ourselves in the vicinity should not take more than 6 months time. The first Fairfield by Marriott itself is a talk of the town via various social media platforms , we are already seeing a positive footprints at the hotel in every segment of the business.
- Since the hotel is all about ‘Beauty with simplicity’, Which elements/experiences of the hotel bring out the best aspects of the concept?
The entire ethos that we work on all over emphasises this, from the lobby to the restaurant, rooms, gym and the rooftop swimming pool. Even the uniform that our staff wear is unlike a typical hotel uniform but quite modern and utility wise quite comfortable
- What are the special services offered to business travellers?
Including seamless Wi-Fi connectivity to rooms which is high on comfort and utility, our boardroom plus the banquet venue which has modern and the latest facility for every kind of corporate and social events, our SKY Gym, featuring state-of-the-art cardio equipment which will allow the guest to stay exhilarated post their work schedule at the hotel
- With the upcoming outdoor banquet lawn, How do you further wish to expand the MICE segment of the hotel?
With more than 30,000 sq. feet of open outdoor space that we have to use, this will be ideal to use for product launch, events and functions, being a 200 + room hotel with closed and open banquet space to accommodate more than 1000 people, this is the ideal need of the times for the city.
- Where do you intend to take Fairfield by Marriott in the next 3-5 years?
This is the first of the 3 Marriott hotels that the promoters of this property intend to make, we are going all out to ensure this property starts delivering on the promise to the guest as well as the employees and the promoters, We would like to strengthen the brand presence by having another Fairfield opening up in south Mumbai and a Marriott which will open in north Mumbai.
