1. Give us a brief introduction of your childhood and academic background. 

I was born and brought up in Delhi, where I completed my educational journey. I went to the Institute of Hotel Management Catering Technology Pusa New Delhi, considered one of the country’s prestigious institutions for hotel schooling. A couple of years later, I started my career in 1989 with the newly opened Holiday Inn Connaught Place. It was my first job which gradually led me to various domestic and international assignments. A significant part of my work has been in the commercial department, primarily in sales and marketing. I subsequently decided to move into hotel operations and continued my journey there-on since 2005. I started as the Executive Assistant Manager, for a convention hotel in Kerala and relocated to Jaipur with my first assignment as General Manager for a resort in 2008. My career in this industry is spanning three decades. This being my second assignment in Dhaka, so I consider this as a second home. I had the opportunity to work here back in 2013, and I lived here for around four years during my first assignment which gave me the opportunity to be a part of building and operating one of the finest hotels in the country. I was involved from the project stage, starting from construction till the hotel had achieved 100% occupancy on the eve of its 1^st anniversary. Thus, opening that hotel and running it to success remains as a significant achievement for me in my career. InterContinental Dhaka is for me a cherished assignment. Not only is this hotel the only luxury branded hotel in the country, it is also an iconic hotel which has been a part of the country’s most significant moments thereby making it the most refined hotel experience among all the existing hotels. It has been an extraordinary experience working with this hotel till now. Most of my career has been based in South East and South Asia, which has been an incredible journey thus far. 

2. Give us an overview of your hospitality industry experience and why you chose this path? 

To be honest, I had no predetermined intentions to step into this industry. Back in the mid-80s, There were minimal opportunities to pursue hotel living or hospitality as a career. It was a crucial decision to choose a career in this industry at that point in time, but that decision stayed with me as a part of my DNA. What has excited me over the years is that it gives a person exciting opportunities to explore. The people you work with or the guests you serve come from across the globe. It also allows you to travel and see the world. As hospitality professionals, one thing is very likely said is that it does help you make a global citizen. I consider all professionals that work in the hospitality industry to be ‘true citizens of the world’ who are not confined to any one area or any one place. It requires a lot of open-mindedness and the ability to adapt to various situations, places, styles, and cultures. It teaches you to respect diversity, making it a very noble profession. As one of the oldest professions in the world, I feel this opens your doors to the world to assist people while they travel, being a part of their journey, making it one of the finest professions. It has withstood every aspect of time, for as long as commercial activity started; the first profession that started along with it was hospitality, which has eased the travel experience for people worldwide. 

3. How would you like to compare the hospitality industry of Bangladesh compared to other countries?

I firmly believe Bangladesh is currently on the pivot of a hospitality boom and a significant expansion in this industry compared to its peers in South Asia. Whilst, it started its independent journey much later compared to peers in South Asia, I see that the progress is very proactive, systematic, and strategic. I think that has been the vision that has ensured that the growth in the country across various business segments and the economy, along with the socio-economic development, has been very consistent and potent. Bangladesh has progressed significantly in terms of growth compared to all its peers in South Asia, making it one of the leading countries in terms of development. In my opinion, the people assigned to the tourism and hospitality industry are like the barometer for the industry at large. We are like a gauge of the socio-economic development of any area where we operate. When people’s social habits, lifestyles, and disposable incomes increase or decrease, it significantly impacts the hospitality industry, which can be both upward and downward.

Similarly, if we look at the economic growth and development in the country, when there is economic activity on a positive trend, the necessity of traveling and interacting increases significantly. Thus, the need for hotels and tourism is one of the first requirements that comes to their mind. However, if you reverse the cycle, and if it gets into a deep low, this is also one of the first industries that get most affected. That is why the individual involved in this industry has a clear insight into the socio-economic development of the country they operate in. So given that Bangladesh is going through so much positive growth at such a fast pace, even during the pandemic there was still growth happening here, which even the leading economies in the world could not achieve. Therefore, our industry has also continued to develop and grow in a similar manner especially in the recent few years. Now, the government has created massive opportunities in terms of investments in infrastructure and with their strategic focus on infrastructure. So as these projects continue to open within this year and further on, the demand and requirement for hotel accommodation will continue to rise. 

4. Share your opinion on how technological advancement is making an impact in the Hospitality Industry. 

As the guests visit us, it is like home away from home for them and this also doubles up as their workplace in most cases. It is important that we recognize their needs and we must provide them with all the essential resource and support they require for substituting their home and workplace. One of the first things that is essential to ensure is good internet connectivity, substantial bandwidth, and proper technological infrastructure so that travelers can remain on top of their work and life schedules. In my opinion however that is not sufficient enough, It is more like only exploring the surface of how hotels or the hospitality industry can induce technological growth. As you know, Bangladesh is progressing towards the fourth industrial revolution and the crux of which is focused on technological development and technological innovations. Taking that into account, the question arises, how does the hospitality industry either provide diverse or utilize diverse technical products to move forward?

To begin with a few examples of technical advancements that will shape the future of guest services in hospitality industry. Firstly there is contactless Check-in, where a person is able to create a reservation sitting 10,000 miles away. Through technology, they can easily find hotel rooms, check the availability, and find the suitable price. Not only that, but they can also check the entire product with a 360-degree virtual tour if they would like on their handheld devices or any device of their choice. Now, when I say contactless Check-in, this is one of the innovations that IHG Hotels & Resorts as a company is working towards and launching in different parts of the world. Through this service, a person can quickly get a message on their handheld device and check in with it, avoiding the hassle of even going to the reception. They can also use their mobile devices as their room key. Today the upwardly mobile, international corporate traveler is looking at certain experiences with a definite perspective on how to spend their leisure time, where they will like personal interactions and may consider this as a luxury. But there are many times when they are in travel or transit, coming or going from work, that they want the least amount of intersections or interruptions to their movement. People like things to be more and more seamless. And this is what this kind of technology will provide. Even at the departure, you can get a copy of your bill or your invoice for your stay on your handheld device, or you can get it even on your television screen. Right now, these are the kind of technological interventions that are coming into our industry.

Similarly, as we have recently been through Covid, We are implementing technological innovations in the food business, which previously required a lot of personalized contact. Through technology, we are introducing contactless dining, where a person from his room or sitting in the restaurant cannot only scan the barcode provided as a menu but also a graphic description of the menu on their phone. They can even go as much as seeing the ingredients or the sort of preparation the chef is using in a complete graphic way made with virtual reality. After placing the order, the order seamlessly reaches the kitchen on their devices, and they can process it and serve it to the guests. The customers can also pay their bills through digital payment or cards through technology. So the only intervention was when the server picked up the odor from the kitchen, placed it on the guest table, and ensured they were comfortable if they wanted a quick meal. We also have the option of the traditional luxury dining experience a customer seeks in a five-star hotel. 

Another area we are integrating technology in is sales and marketing as the first in any hospitality, retail, or service industry. It is called the virtual 360-degree, which we provide on a virtual reality device. It will provide a seamless experience where guests can take a virtual tour of the entire hotel without moving from their seats. So even if a guest cannot visit and wants to see the product before making the reservations, Our salesperson can easily provide them with the virtual device, which is equipped with 8k virtual technology. With the device, customers can have a virtual hotel tour and customize it according to their preferences. For example, suppose somebody is willing to organize a conference in one of our banquet halls. In that case, they can see it through our virtual reality device and remotely simulate everything according to their convenience, including the decoration and sitting arrangement, without moving from their seat. So, this is the kind of technology we will bring into the country, and we are finalizing our work. This will be a groundbreaking technology for the service industry, facilitating the customers in many ways. Starting from B2C experiences to customer experiences or even B2B experiences will enhance significantly through this technology as this virtual reality will provide a complete simulation of your facility, saving time and money and enabling us to interact and transact with each other effortlessly. We intend to do our part in not only bringing our new innovative technology into the country but also by adapting global technology which has been used all over the world, in the most advanced of countries or technologically advanced countries, and stay one step ahead of them. 

5. Where would you like to take Intercontinental Dhaka in its upcoming years, and what changes can we expect?

As you know, the hotel has been renovated recently. Starting its journey in 1966, it is the oldest hotel in the country and has witnessed among the most phenomenal changes and events that have taken place while building the nation. From a cultural perspective, this hotel has seen the same journey as Bangladesh as a nation because it was there right from the country’s inception. Today, it retains its tradition and our outward culture of hospitality. We have a service that is very localized and genuine from the heart. If you see the facade of the building, that has not changed from the original design, showing the everlasting traditional touch we provide in terms of hospitality. But if you consider the product, it gives you the ultimate luxury experience. The current interior of InterContinental Dhaka is designed in such an elegant way that it can compete with any other InterContinental hotel in any corner of the world. 

Having said that, the question might arise: Where do we need to go forward? one of the significant strategic changes we brought into this hotel during the renovation is catering to both international and domestic travelers. Many hotels that have been built or renovated before our hotel have had a very single-minded approach to catering to international visitors only. However, in this hotel, we have very strategically looked at both international and domestic clients. Due to that, the staycations and workcations, where people spend quality time with their family in the same city or within an hour driving distance have rapidly increased for us. With this, our guests are moving out of their homes, checking into a different world, and experiencing a comfortable retreat. It gives you the experience of doing something different, but it gives you all the comforts or requirements you need at work or in your leisure time. So, today, this hotel is leading in the number of everyday staycation and vacation guests compared to any other hotels in our city. We are very aggressive in our approach to attracting domestic customers not only for our food and beverage, spa gym, and those facilities but also for our accommodation facilities. And that’s why we have designed the product in such a way.

It is essential to foresee the future as to where the business opportunities originate. In the past, business opportunities for hotels or hotel accommodation may have been more constricted or focused only on the incoming international travelers. But with the gradual changes and the increase in purchasing power that people have, they are looking for global luxury experiences. They do not necessarily have the time to travel to other destinations, so we are fulfilling that demand with our facilities. 

Moving ahead, our vision with InterContinental Dhaka is Glocalization which implies that we want to ensure that at the heart of everything we do, we are local and following the global and international standards in terms of efficiency and standards. We have already begun a journey of moving away from as many nonessential international products or resources and utilizing very high-quality resources available locally now, including perishable and non-perishable items. Our goal is to bring excellent outcomes from what is available to us fresh out of the local market. Within a few years, our goal is to take this local product, giving it the distinct touch the Intercontinental provides, and make it a global product that can become a benchmark that others can follow.

See, the fact is that we are very open to adapting to adopting international culture which is what we represent. But it should not be one-way traffic where we are the only ones taking the intellectual capital or the ideas and the way of doing things from people outside of here. I think it’s high time that we contribute, create, and innovate our product, that others use that as a benchmark, and others see that as something they need to follow and learn. That is our goal for the next five years. 

6. What would be your message for the youth, and how can they prepare themselves to get into this industry? 

To all the young aspirants eager to step into the hospitality and service industry, I think it is essential for a person to keep an open mind and free themselves from any biases. You have to be able to adapt to global culture. Fortunately, IHM Pusa offered a setting that accepted this reality of “hospitality” and enabled me to get eye-opening experiences that set me out, and prepared me to excel in my profession. I want to share with the youngsters my ‘five principles of innkeeping’, which are – knowing How to learn, How to connect, How to serve, How to survive, and How to beat the odds!”