fhraimagazine April 14

april 2014 A MONTHLY ON HOSPITALITY TRADE

magazineBy DDP Publications

Vol 14 Issue 4 Pages 72 `50

Top

Culinary Art I Celebrity Chef Sanjeev KapoorPLUS

Careers

Right Attitude+Right Education=

April 2014

Cover Story26

Chef Talk 56

Culinary Art 54

26Cover Story

Right Attitude+ Right Education= Top Careers!Getting people with the right skills for the right job is always a challenge for any industry. We look into the HR strategies, role of education and training opportunities in the hospitality industry.

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64

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THIS MONTH

President’s Message FHrAI Desk

Secretary’s Message News Updates

Products & Services Appointments

events

56

FEATURES

CUlINAry Art recognising talent at

Culinary Art India 2014Culinary Art India 2014 organised by

ICF, in association with ITPO, saw 250 chefs competing in

15 different categories

CHeF tAlk Be passionate and

cook with loveCelebrity Chef Sanjeev Kapoor talks

about his inspirations and the dream of highlighting Indian cuisine

across the world

54

Picture on the cover: ITM-FHRAI Institute of Hospitality & ManagementBy Simran Kaur

April 2014 I www.fhrai.com I6

Restaurant Review 6262

70

60

FEATURES

SUPPlIer tAlk Cooking with 100%

pure steamPinaki Banerjee, Chief

Representative - India, RATIONAL, talks about the triple-digit growth witnessed

in India by the German company since its launch

reStAUrANt revIew Feast your

taste buds @ SsenceThe all-day dining outlet at The Suryaa New Delhi, Ssence, showcases culinary delights, where food lovers can satiate

their love for all kinds of cuisines

teCHNoloGyHotel Distribution Services:

Best PracticesHospitality summit organised

by RezNext witnesses industry stalwarts expressing their concerns on the distribution model

Products & Services64 Events68

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FHRAI Magazine is published, edited and printed monthly by DDP Publication Pvt. Ltd. On behalf of Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India and published from DDP Publications Pvt. Ltd. 72 Todarmal Road New Delhi 110001 Email: [email protected] Tel : 91-11-23731971 Fax: 91-11-23351503

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this issue of FHRAI Magazine contains 68+4 pages cover

All information in the FHRAI Magazine is derived from sources, which we consider reliable and a sincere effort is made to report accurate information. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. The publisher regrets that he cannot accept liability for errors and omissions contained in this publication, however caused. Similarly, opinions/views expressed by third parties in abstract and/or in interviews are not necessarily shared by FHRAI Magazine or DDP. However, we wish to advice our readers that one or more recognised authorities may hold different views than those reported. Material used in this publication is intended for information purpose only. Readers are advised to seek specific advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use, and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. Contents of this publication are copyright. No part of FHRAI Magazine or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in

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secretary generalM D Kapoor - [email protected]

editorDeepa Sethi - [email protected]

associate editorKanchan Nath - [email protected]

sub-editorShubhi Tandon

creative designRuchi Sinha

advertising Gunjan Sabikhi - [email protected]. Vice President – Marketing

delhiPrateek Sahay - [email protected] Manager – Marketing (+919650911388)

Udit Pandey - [email protected] Manager – Marketing (+919650399907)

Shradha Kapoor - [email protected] Executive – Marketing (+919650196525)

MumbaiHarshal Ashar - [email protected] General Manager(+919619499167)

FHrai - Marketing S.P. Joshi

Production ManagerAnil Kharbanda

advertiseMent designers Vikas Mandotia Nitin Kumar Aarushi Agrawal

president’s message

I would like to begin by complimenting the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI) for successfully organising an interactive seminar last month, on the key concerns of the hospitality industry

over certain developments relating to environmental law and regulation. The well-attended event brought together multiple stakeholders, including hoteliers and restaurateurs, senior Government officials, legal experts, consultants and the media for spirited and wide-ranging discussions on this vital issue.

As our members are aware, FHRAI has always been a strong advocate for internalising and institutionalising global best practices on sustainability and reducing our industry’s carbon footprint. We firmly believe that an emphasis on creating greater awareness as well as putting in place, an enabling policy framework which incentivises and promotes voluntary initiatives such as adoption of innovative technologies for eco-efficiency and pollution control, can be a far more potent mechanism as compared to inflexible regulations and punitive measures. The hospitality industry also has some urgent and genuine grievances with regard to the existing environmental regulations. These include, the exorbitant consent fees levied by state pollution control boards and rigid technical stipulations which are often imposed retrospectively and are thus, impractical to comply with, for instance, mandating the installation of ETP/STP even in operational establishments. We are also concerned about the arbitrary re-categorisation of hotels which had been recently notified under statutes such as the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. In consultation with our Regional Associations and supported with authoritative data and expert opinion, FHRAI is vigorously raising these concerns, both at the Central and State level.

I am delighted to note that the lead feature of this issue of the FHRAI Magazine enumerates the contemporary

trends in hospitality education and careers. Being part of a service-based and customer-oriented industry, our human capital is truly the greatest source of competitive advantage for any hospitality establishment. In fact, one of the most critical challenges which the industry confronts today is the widening gap between demand and availability of suitably qualified and trained manpower. In view of the 12th Plan target of augmenting the hotel industry’s inventory by 1,80,000 rooms, there will be an additional requirement of nearly 2,85,000 managers and supervisors! Considering that there are roughly fewer than 150 approved hotel management institutes in the country and factoring the permissible intake for each institute, there are about 10,000-12,000 students graduating with either a degree or diploma in hospitality every year. Obviously this number falls significantly short of the projected annual demand. Moreover, we must bear in mind that not all hospitality graduates end up joining the hotel industry, as they are an attractive talent pool for other industries as well, like retail, airlines, BPOs etc. In addition to quantity, there is also a shortfall in terms of quality. Many of the fresh graduates simply do not have the requisite skill-set necessary for a rapidly growing and continuously evolving industry such as ours.

The 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17) has laid special emphasis on steadily scaling up the hospitality education infrastructure in the country, both through government investment and private sector participation. The plan document presently identifies that there is not just a shortage of trained manpower but an acute paucity of trainers, inadequate teaching materials, outmoded methodologies and an absence of a cohesive national-level hospitality and tourism education strategy. It has also made a series of visionary recommendations for overcoming many of these challenges. In particular, the 12th Plan has called for setting up more IHMs and Food Craft Institutes across the

S.M. Shervani President

Dear fellow members,

Human capital is truly the greatest source of competitive advantage for any hospitality establishment”

8April 2014 I www.fhrai.com I

president’s message

country. I am myself a proud alumnus of one of the premier IHMs and privileged to now serve on its Board of Governors. As such, I have personally witnessed the seminal contribution which these institutes and the NCHMCT have made in establishing impeccable benchmarks. Along with a much-needed expansion in the total number of institutes, there must be a concurrent focus on promotion of research and specialisation, academic quality audits, periodic curricula review, faculty development, student exchange programmes, and developing applied training centres/training hotels.

In a welcome development, the Union Government has already implemented one of the key recommendations made in the 12th Plan by sanctioning the establishment of an Indian Culinary Institute, which will be headquartered in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh and have campuses at Kolkata, Pinjore and Noida.

As an industry, we too must be willing to accept a fair share of responsibility to achieve the gargantuan task of capacity-building in the sphere of hospitality education by contributing our collective experience, individual expertise and financial resources. For example, through relatively simple means such as offering internships to students, sparing the time of senior employees for mentoring students and delivering guest lectures, entering into collaborative research partnerships with institutes, etc. we can help build a stronger industry-academia interface and upgrade student skills and competencies through practical exposure. Similarly, as employers, through proactive employee engagement, empowerment and apposite investment in continuous training, we must seek to be more effective in attracting, retaining and developing talent.

FHRAI, being the leading representative of the Indian hospitality industry, has always adopted a forward-looking approach in its strategy to counter the impediments facing our sector. In keeping with this

commitment, in its golden jubilee year of 2005, FHRAI had embarked on a pioneering initiative to set up the FHRAI Institute of Hospitality Management (FIHM). The substantial investment earmarked for this ambitious and sincere endeavour is a powerful symbol of our shared vision to nurture a new generation of 21st century managers, leaders and professionals. The FIHM has been developed on a sprawling six-acre modern campus in the well-planned city of Greater Noida. It has been enormously gratifying for us that within a short span of a few years, the FIHM has evolved into a unique center of excellence. Pursuant to FHRAI’s long-term agreement with the ITM Group in 2013, the FIHM has entered a new and exciting phase of high growth and is now poised to take even bigger strides forward. The institute offers a 20 per cent discount in the tuition fee of its hospitality management courses to the wards of FHRAI members and a 30 per cent discount to the children of employees of all FHRAI establishments. I urge everyone make the most of this exclusive offer!

The month of April marks the beginning of a new financial year, which I hope is a very profitable one for your business and the industry as a whole. You will shortly be receiving your FHRAI membership renewal forms. Inspite of record inflation and a consequent sharp rise in overhead costs, our members will be pleased to know that we have once again decided not to increase the annual subscription and membership fee.

This month will also witness the commencement of polling for the 2014 General Elections. I request our members to encourage their family, friends and colleagues to judiciously exercise their electoral franchise and thereby, further strengthen India’s vibrant democracy!

With warm regards,

S.M. ShervaniPresident, FHRAI

There must be a concurrent focus on promotion of research and specialisation, periodic curricula review, faculty development, student exchange programmes and developing applied training centres”

fhrai desk

A meeting of the FHRAI Executive Committee was held on March 8, 2014 at The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata, chaired by Mr. S.M. Shervani, President, FHRAI.

EC mEETIng


secretary’s message

The WTTC has recently unveiled its comprehensive research on the economic impact of the travel and tourism sector worldwide. The report provides a compelling insight into how, even during a period of unprecedented volatility and tumult, tourism

resiliently continues to be a beacon of growth for developed and emerging countries alike. In 2013, travel and tourism’s total contribution to the world economy rose to 9.5 per cent of global GDP, not only outpacing the broader economy, but also growing faster than other major sectors such as financial services, manufacturing, etc. With various macroeconomic indicators now showing an encouraging uptick, we can be cautiously optimistic that a sustained recovery from the global recession is finally taking root,

which will drive higher consumer spending and increased demand for international tourism.

In 2014, tourism is forecast to contribute 6.3 per cent of India’s GDP. Notably, current government data also shows that the sector’s average share in incremental employment generation over 2009-13, further expanded to a formidable 10.8 per cent. Over the years, a primary focus for FHRAI has been to correct a widespread misconception, that tourism is largely an ‘elitist’ activity. Through our persistence and diligent engagement we have succeeded in ensuring that tourism is no longer

confined to being at the periphery of the public and policy discourse, but rather is viewed holistically as an economic imperative and an effectual tool in the national priority of achieving inclusive growth. A profound manifestation of this very perspective is articulated in the landmark 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17) which has identified tourism as a pivotal catalyst for pro-poor economic development.

Inclusive growth is a multi-dimensional goal, which involves addressing entrenched social and economic inequities and overcoming regional disparities. In each of these multiple facets, tourism has a key and indispensable role to play. By virtue of its deep backward and forward linkages with a host of varied sectors across the spectrum, tourism is uniquely positioned to act as a force multiplier for accelerating equitable and sustainable development, which permeates to backward and remote regions, by way of propagation of indigenous skills and ethnic crafts, market access for micro-

enterprises, greater investment on improving basic public services, heritage conservation, etc.

With over 50 per cent of our population being below the age of 25, India has a younger population not only in comparison to advanced economies but also in relation to the large developing countries. As a result, the labour force in India is expected to increase by 32 per cent over the next 20 years, while it will decline by 4 per cent in industrialised countries and by nearly 5 per cent in China. This ‘demographic dividend’ can substantially add to the country’s competitiveness and growth potential, provided two conditions are fulfilled. First, higher levels of skill development must be achieved and secondly, an environment must be created in which the economy not only grows rapidly, but also generates good quality employment opportunities. Needless to mention, it will be vital to harness the tourism sector’s full potential as an engine of job-creation to meet the future needs and aspirations of our youth.

Another complex challenge which the country urgently confronts is to enhance the participation of women in the labour force. As per NSSO data, India’s female labour force participation rate is an abysmally low 22.5 per cent and the country is globally ranked at the 120th position out of 131 countries on this parameter. Research by the International Labour Organisation has consistently shown that women constitute more than 60 per cent of the total workforce employed in tourism worldwide and this sector has an inherent capacity to absorb a greater proportion of women workers than other industries. Therefore, in the years ahead, tourism will have a critical role in helping to reverse the widening gender gap in the Indian labour market by providing alternative and gainful livelihood sources for women, across age-groups, education levels and in both, rural and urban areas.

Going forward, we must aim to build synergistic partnerships between the Government, private sector and civil society, which can facilitate a convergence of the experience, expertise and efforts of all stakeholders in the tourism sector, towards leveraging “Incredible India” to empower and uplift those at the bottom of the pyramid, and thereby, accomplish our collective vision of a truly “Inclusive India”.

With warm regards,

Vivek NairHonorary Secretary

Vivek Nair I Hony. Secretary

Dear fellow members,

Tourism – Energising Inclusive Growth

It will be vital to harness the tourism sector’s full potential as an engine of job-creation to meet the future needs and aspirations of our youth”


fhrai desk

ASSOCHAM, with support from YES BANK as Knowledge Partner, held the ‘Annual Summit on Inclusive Tourism’. The Summit focussed on the role of Tourism as a social-economic enabler and deliberated on community-based tourism models as well as emerging themes like Art and Culture, Literature, Sports and Medical Tourism.

THInk TourIsm- THInk IndIa, 2014


The Summit focussed on the role of tourism as a social-economic enabler and deliberated on community-based tourism models.

ASSOCHAM, with support from YES BANK as Knowledge Partner, held the ‘Annual Summit on Inclusive Tourism’ on March 19, 2014 at ITC Maurya, New Delhi. The Summit focussed on the role of Tourism as a social-economic enabler and deliberated on community-based tourism models as well as emerging themes like Art and Culture, Literature, Sports and Medical Tourism. Mr. S.M. Shervani, President, FHRAI, talking about inclusive tourism said, “It was Dr Scott Rain who invented the phrase inclusive tourism.” Quoting him, he said,” When I talk about Inclusive Tourism, I am referring to social inclusion. When I first used the expression ‘inclusive tourism’, I was aware that I would confuse some people in the tourism industry who refer to ‘all-inclusive packages.’ I really mean social inclusion and the social movement supporting that inclusion. I wanted to signal that meaning to consumers and those inside the travel industry who possessed a political orientation towards cultural inclusion and diversity. That way it would be easier to weave related concepts together in people’s minds.”

It means access on the level, that the access should be seamless, not noticeable - it works for everybody and when families, friends, relatives go on a holiday together. He added, “It means disabled and non-disabled, slow walkers, people with crutches, children on holiday together with grandparents, it means classmates

enjoying school trips together. No exclusion because of ‘special needs’. It means that if a family would like to go to London, for example, they would be able to go to a hotel where the facilities would include everybody, they would be able to take public transport and have a good time visiting tourist spots. There is no need for stigmatisation and there should be no separation.”

Further, Mr. Shervani said that as far as policy was concerned Inclusive Tourism meant taking all varieties of establishments like dhabas, roadside restaurants, city

restaurants, QSRs, motels, hotels of all categories, guest houses, transporters, travel agents, tour operators, guides into consideration while making policy. He said including hotels of project cost of `200 crore and above, in the Harmonised Master List of Infrastructure Sub-sectors kept 80 per cent of projects out of its purview.

As per the growth projections for the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2012-17), especially the Ministry of Tourism’s ambitious target of doubling our Domestic Tourist Visits (DTVs) to an astounding 1,452 million, India will face a shortfall of 1,20,000 hotel rooms in the affordable segment, mandating an additional capex of approximately `50,000 crore.

Therefore, the Government must ensure that hotels catering to this pivotal and high-growth market segment are eligible for liberalised lending norms and have access to diverse and innovative sources of equity and debt financing.

Think Tourism-Think India, 2014

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Inclusive tourism means that affordable

hotels, restaurants, motels, guest houses must be eligible for liberalised lending norms and have

access to diverse and innovative sources of equity and debt

financing

fhrai deskPhoto: Sim

ran Kaur


HRANI organised a seminar in the wake of a series of orders of National Green Tribunal, New Delhi and directions of Delhi Pollution

Control Committee to several Hotels and Restaurants to close down for their failure to comply with various Environmental requirements.

Inaugurated by Mr. Anand Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, GOI as the Chief Guest and Mr. P. K. Gupta, Sr. Environment Engineer & Scientist Central Pollution Control Board, MoEF, GOI as Guest of Honour. The seminar was graced by Mr. S.M. Shervani, President, FHRAI, Mr. Garish Oberoi, President, HRANI, Mr. Bharat Aggarwal, Treasurer, HRANI and Mr. Rajindera Kumar, Former President, FHRAI & HRANI.

Mr. S.M. Shervani, President, FHRAI in his address stated that while the hotel and restaurant industry was not against ‘pragmatic rules‘ for environment protection, such rules should be in consonance with the ground realities. He added that a hotel with a minimum of 20 rooms has to pay `20 lakhs as consent fee, while a hospital of the same size need to pay less than `50,000 as consent fee, which is discriminatory. He also highlighted that most of the restaurants are on-lease rent and space is a major constraint to set up ETP and STP plants.

Anand Kumar said that by levying hefty consent fee in the name of environment protection on hotels and restaurants would make these services costly and unaffordable, ultimately making the destination costlier for travellers.“This is equal to killing the golden goose,” he opined. He urged the industry and regulators to work together to derive on a rational fee structure.Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Garish Oberoi, President, HRANI said that the rules and regulations should not “impede economic development,” rather should “provide opportunity for economic development. “Standards, in terms of environment, required to be rationalised considering the commercial viability of businesses, especially the small and medium players.”H

RAN

IHRANI demands rational Environmental Fee Structure

fhrai desk

rEguLaTIon ConCErnsn Environmental compliance is not a money

making activity of state pollution control boards and ministry should examine exorbitant consent fee being charged by Delhi Pollution Control Committee and consent fee should commensurate with environmental concerns.

n The standards for hotels and restaurants need to be rationalised keeping in view nature of the activity with suitable exemptions for small players.

n MoEF to ensure use of money for environmentally sound trade practices through suitable incentives and subsidies rather than punitive mechanism.

n All state Governments to facilitate simplification of licensing process through single window clearance and to resolve sequencing of various clearances/licences required by hotels and restaurants.

Photo: Simran Kaur

p (L-R): Bharat Aggarwal, Treasurer, HRANI; Anand Kumar, Joint Secretary, MoT; Garish Oberoi, President, HRANI; S.M. Shervani, President, FHRAI; Rajindera Kumar, Former President, FHRAI & HRANI


A regional meeting of the South Kerala Hoteliers Forum (SKHF) and South India Hotels and Restaurants Association (SIHRA) was held at

the Vivanta by Taj.

The meeting was attended by Dr Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Government of India and Shri Hari Kishore, IAS, Direc-tor Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala. The meeting was attended by the leaders of the hospitality industry from all over Kerala. The event was formally inaugurated by the lighting of the Lamp by the Hon’ble Minister and the other members on the dais.

Shri G. Sudhiesh Kumar, President, Kerala Hotel and Restaurants Association (KHRA) gave a presentation on the Tourism scenario in Kerala. He lauded the Government of India’s initiative of ‘Visa-on-Arrival’ which will have a positive impact on the number of tourists visiting the state. However, lack of proper connectivity in road, rail and air between the states and the poor maintenance of airport surroundings, present a negative impression to the visitors from abroad and should be taken up on priority. He thanked the Government of Kerala for reducing the Luxury Tax by 5 per cent during the lean tourist period and wanted the concession be extended for the entire year. He recommended a single window clearance for issuing the various licenses needed for a hotel. Shri Kumar

observed, though the state of Kerala has declared tourism as an Industry, as far back as 1986, it is yet to be imple-mented. Further, despite the Hospitality industry providing more job opportunities relative to the IT Industry, no con-cessions as applicable to the IT industry were extended to the hospitality industry.

Mr K.Syama Raju, President, SIHRA highlighted the tourist potential of Kerala in being rich in fauna and flora, providing wellness in tourism in the form of Ay-urvedic treatment which has attracted large number of visitors. He also thanked the Government of Kerala for reducing 5 per cent in Luxury Tax and appealed to the Government for continuous support for future growth and sustenance. He requested Dr Shashi Tharoor, Union Minister to use his good offices for taking up the

fhrai desk

SIH

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Forum addresses industry issues in south kerala


fhrai desk

HR

AWI

various matters concerning the Hospitality Industry in the South and in particular Kerala state, at the appro-priate level at the Centre.

Shri Hari Kishore, Director of Tourism thanked the organisers for providing him this opportunity to present a detailed picture on Tourist Development in Kerala. According to him there is an eight per cent increase in Foreign Tourist Arrivals in 2013 as compared to 2012 and that Domestic Tourist Arrivals has reached 1.1 crore. Presently, the state has 360 star hotels and three international Airports and the Department is vigorously promoting the state at various international fairs and forums. Much importance is given to Responsible Tour-ism taking into consideration the Social, Economic and Environmental responsibility in selected tourism places that have been categorised as Platinum, Gold and Silver.

With the help of IIM, Calicut, a campaign on cleanliness was undertaken in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. He assured the audience of his support and that he will prioritise the various issues concerning the Hospitality industry for immediate action.

Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Union Minister for Human Re-sources thanked the organisers for inviting him to inaugurate the meeting and be the chief Guest. He said the country with its incredible natural beauty and vibrant culture is yet to achieve its full potential for Tourism.

He commended the members, all leaders of the Hotel Industry, on their contribution and urged them to be more aggressive and work towards making India reach its rightful place in the global tourism map.

HRAWI has also filed a writ petition in the Mumbai High Court, against the unreasonable hike which is up to 50 per cent in the Excise

License fees applicable to the Hotel & Restaurant members of the Association in Maharashtra, challenging this unreasonable hike in excise license fee.

The Association is looking for an interim relief in payment of the license fees and Maharashtra members have accordingly been requested to wait for the outcome of this case before renewing their excise license.

Prior to filing of the above writ petition, Mr. D. S. Advani, President, HRAWI, Mr. Prrem Tiwari, Hony. Treasurer, HRAWI, and Mr. Malvinder Narang, Secretary General, HRAWI, had also met up with Mr. S. K. Sharma, Principal Secretary Excise and discussed with him regarding the steep increase in Liquor License fees.

Mr. D.S. Advani wrote to Shri Ganesh Naik, Minister of Excise, Maharashtra Government, regarding the nearly 50 per cent hike in Liquor license fees for Hotel & Restaurant Bars and were hopeful of meeting him along with the Association’s Member of Honour, Mr. Vivek Nair. Response for the meeting is awaited. However, since the Elections Code of Conduct has been implemented effective March 5, 2014, hence the Association had approached the Mumbai High court to get an interim order.

Excise License Fee challenged

HRAWI conducted a meeting with Dr. V. Pasupathy, Food Scientist and Expert and Consultant to HRAWI and FHRAI on March

2, 2014. The meeting was regarding the setting up the FSSAI compliant labs in the region, subject to the same being feasible and viable. Discussions were also held with various vendors who had sent their quotations for supplying the equipments for HRAWI’s Food testing Labs regarding the terms, pricing, support, warranty, etc. Mr. D. S. Advani, President, HRAWI and Mr. Pradeep Shetty, Chairman Legal Matters and Honorary Secretary were also present at the meeting.

HRAWI with the help of Mr. Nirav Gandhi, Gujarat State Chairman of HRAWI has finalised a space in Vadodra for setting its first FSSAI compliant Lab in the region, under the guidance and support of Dr. Pasupathy. HRAWI placed the order for Lab equipments which will be commissioned shortly. This FSSAI Lab will be a boon for the members in Vadodra and nearby places as they can avail the option testing food samples at reasonable rates.

HRAWI is considering commissioning the next FSSAI Lab in Ahmedabad soon for which few places have been shortlisted. The search is also on for locating suitable affordable places in Mumbai and its surrounding areas - Pune, Goa and Madhya Pradesh, wherein the Association has solicited help from our respective state Chairman to explore the feasibility.

HRAWI to set-up FSSAI Labs

fhrai desk

D elhi Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology (DIHM&CT) has imparted training in hospitality courses to the inmates of the Tihar

Jail under the Ministry of Tourism initiative ’Hunar Se Rozgar Tak‘ for creation of employable skills among them, to facilitate their reformation, rehabilitation and assimilation in the society after completion of their term in the Tihar Jail. With immense encouragement and mentorship of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and

consistent support of the Tihar authorities, the ‘Hunar Se Rozgar Tak’ initiative in the Tihar Jail was inaugurated on December 20, 2014. Training to the first batch consisting 135 inmates in three trades i.e. Cook, Waiter and Bakery was imparted, which completed on February, 14, 2014 and the valedictory ceremony of the batch was held on March 27, 2014, attended by the above mentioned dignitaries. The institute is a socially active organisation and in its endeavour, HSRT programme was extended under corporate social responsibility.

DIHM&CT facilitates Tihar inmates with job skills

p u (L-R) Sh. Ravi Prakash, Principal DIHM, Mr. G. Sudhakar, DIG (Prisons) Tihar, New Delhi; Mrs. Vimla Mehra, DG (Prisons) Tihar New Delhi; Mrs. Usha Sharma, ADG Ministry of Tourism GOI; Mrs. Hena Usman, Director Admin MOT, GOI & Mr. Vijay Kumar, Consultant, HSRT Schemes.

v (L-R) Tihar Inmates along with Faculty of DIHM, Mr. Umed Ram & Mr. Raheem Bux, Bakery Trainers

HR

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HR

ANI

Ecotourism Conclave in Manipur

A two-day Ecotourism Conclave was organised on April 7-8, 2014 in Imphal, Manipur. This was

organised for the first time in India by the Ecotourism Society of India and Government of Manipur. The conclave brought into national focus, the rich natural assets, heritage and culture of the state and the adventure and sporting spirit of the people, such as the Polo Tourism which was born in Manipur. The conclave aimed to showcase, for the benefit of all stakeholders, some of the leading Ecotourism and Responsible Community based Tourism related practices from across India and the world.

Rise in popularity of Tea Tourism in East India

Tea Tourism is gaining popularity in the Eastern part of India. Indians love a good cup of tea (chai). India is the largest

producer of tea, contributing over 30 per cent of the world’s tea. However, most of it is consumed by Indians themselves. The tourism officials in India have recently launched a new branch of tourism called ‘Tea Tourism’, in the hope of drawing British visitors to the region. East India is luring British visitors with their favourite brew: tea. Many plantations in West Bengal and Assam have developed accommodations, from simple cottages to five-star resorts, for guests. Visitors can stay on a tea estate and tour the tea factories.

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IHG Academy programme launched in Delhi

49th Annual FHRAI Convention to be held in Jaipur

p Richard Solomons, Chief Executive Officer, IHG officially launched the 15th IHG Academy programme in India

news updates

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and IL&FS Skills have announced the launch of the 15th IHG Academy programme in

India, joining over 300 IHG Academy programmes globally. The partnership will see IL&FS Institute of Skills (IIS) providing IHG approved vocational hospitality training across the country as part of the programme.

On his visit to IL&FS Institute of Skills, Delhi, Richard Solomons, Chief Executive Officer, IHG commented, “In India, we have the task of recruiting 10,000 new employees over the next three to five years as we open the 45 hotels in our development pipeline. One of the most effective ways for us to achieve this is to train for the required skills through skill development programs like this one. This partnership with IL&FS Skills will make a big difference to these students and enables us to actively contribute to our local communities.”

FHRAI is proud to announce that the 49th Annual Convention will be held from September 12 – 15, 2014 in the vibrant city of Jaipur, Rajasthan.

The timeless charm, captivating beauty and regal splendour of Jaipur, which is one of India’s foremost tourist destinations, will provide a befittingly spectacular backdrop for your exclusive opportunity to network with the veritable who’s who of the hospitality industry and deliberate on myriad contemporary trends and challenges confronting the tourism sector.

Please block these dates and prepare to be a part of the most prestigious and eagerly anticipated event in the industry’s calendar!

EDUCATION

CONVENTION

news updates

The South India Travel Awards 2014 started off with a bang at Hyderabad filling in the long-felt necessity to focus on the travel industry down

south. ‘The sun is rising in the South’, these were the apt words with which Chandana Khan, Special Chief Secretary, Andhra Pradesh Tourism, summed up the South India Travel Awards.

Chandana Khan, who was the chief guest at the event, congratulated the organisers and said that there had been a long-felt necessity to focus on the south. The awards recognised the efforts of achievers from different segments of the industry, including those from the aviation sector, domestic and international tourism boards, hotels and resorts, GDSes as well as travel agents and tour operators.

Explaining the criteria for the awards, SanJeet, Publisher, DDP Publications, said, “The winners of the awards were decided by a fair and unbiased selection process done through voting and judgment by a panel of jury consisting of the travel industry’s major players. The total score of the judges and the number of votes received by each nominee determined the final scores of the winners.” What was most heartening to know was that the organisers received 250,000 votes from 61 different countries, including USA, Canada, UK, France, UAE, Germany, China and many other places.

Receiving the Wall of Legends Award on behalf of her father Vivek Nair, CMD, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, Amruda Nair, who is the Leela Group’s Head of Asset Management, said, “With the travel and tourism industry poised to grow exponentially the entire industry will benefit from it.”

Winner of the DDP Game Changer Award, Sunil Kumar, Vice President, TAAI and CEO, Travel World, said, “This award will remind me of my commitment to the industry which will be there till my last breath.” On being awarded the Face of the Future Award, Zaheer Ellias Najeeb, Executive Director, ATE Group of Companies, said, “It’s humbling to be here, it’s not just me, but the entire future of the travel industry sits before me, every person here and everything that we do changes and defines the future of the travel industry.”

Having completed the South leg with a bang, the awards will now travel to east, west and north India, finally culminating in the grand finale. To see other winners log on to the website

www.indiatravelawards.in

South India Travel Awards recognise industry achievers

AWARDS

p u Vivek Nair, Chairman & MD, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, was conferred with The Wall of Legends Award. His daughter, Amruda Nair, Head of Asset Management, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, received the award on his behalf from Chandana Khan, Special Chief Secretary, Andhra Pradesh Tourism

p v Sunil Kumar, CEO, Travel World and Vice-President, TAAI, receiving the DDP Game Changer Award from Chandana Khan. Accompanying her are Amita Motwani, Mrs. India-International 2013 and SanJeet, Publisher, DDP Publications

p w Zaheer E. Najeeb, Executive Director, ATE Group of Companies, receiving the Face of the Future award from Chandana Khan

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news updates

The Oberoi Group launched summer price packages for their hotels and resorts along with their ‘Oberoi Experiences’. The programme

includes a cooking session, junior chef programme, kite decoration and kite flying, picnic in the woods, elephant safari, etc. It is available at The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur, The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur; The Oberoi Vanyavilas, Ranthambhore; The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra; Wildflower Hall, Shimla in the Himalayas and The Oberoi Cecil, Shimla.

The special package ‘Unforgettable Holidays’ is valid from April 1, 2014 to June 30, 2014. It includes:

n Accommodation in a Premier Room on double occupancy (Luxury Tent at The Oberoi Vanyavilas, Ranthambhore)

n Daily breakfastn Cocktail hour every evening from 6 pm to 7 pm n 20 per cent savings on food, beverages and spa

therapies

n Luxury car transfersn A complimentary third night with two consecutive

paid nightsn Complimentary additional room for two children (up

to 12 years of age), subject to availability

The Oberoi experiences includes – a cooking session with the masters, children activities, block printing, Young Hoteliers Programme and an Elephant Safari.

Oberoi Group launches summer packages

HOLIDAY OffERS

Hiring for Attitude and Aptitudel Ritu S. Verma Regional Director - HR, South Asia Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts

What is the essence of your recruitment policy? At Starwood Hotels and Resorts, we hire for attitude and aptitude. Today, Starwood is recognised as a best employer. We have a multi-pronged strategy for recruitment which is a part of our overall HR Strategy of ADR (Attract, Develop and Retain). We route all recruitment (both internal and external) through our Global Recruitment Portal – Star Finder.

We don’t just provide a job, we provide a career. Interpersonal skills, teamwork, communication skills, empathy and an ability to flex your style are key skills required to excel in this industry. We hire candidates who have the potential to learn, evolve and grow with the company, those who are willing to embrace the Starwood Cares culture and make a valuable contribution, while realising their own personal and professional aspirations.

Are the colleges providing the right education? Are the needs of the industry being addressed well?

I strongly feel that the curriculum in the hospitality colleges has not moved along with the changes in the industry and hence when students come to practical working scenarios they have to unlearn many things and then adapt to the dynamic and ever-evolving real time situations. We live in what we call the Age of Great

Change. I believe that with closer interaction and engagement between the industry and the hospitality training institutes and colleges, we will be able to overcome this gap and ensure that students are well-equipped to handle the industry’s needs on completion of their training.

Do you provide any internal or external training / workshops for your employees?Besides the tracks under Starwood Careers, we also provide ample opportunity for cross-exposure, task force and international assignments. We have a structured approach

for training and development across competencies and functions and across various levels. These range from classroom to on-the-job to online learning modules. Some training like Service Culture are mandatory for all associates. We also have associations for online training with eCornell and Harvard.

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right attitude+right skill = +right Talent

Getting people with the right skills for the right jobs is always a challenge

for any industry. FHRAI Magazine delves further to

explore HR strategies, role of education, and career opportunities in the hospitality industry.

Kanchan Nathhosp

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Regional Director - HR, South Asia, Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts

» External Bench Strength» Internal Succession Planning» Management Trainee Program» Starwood Class

>> Key initiatives for recruitment


What are the main hiring trends in hospitality industry? Is there a dearth of skilled professionals? We are seeing a growing trend towards hiring through online job portals, social media especially professional networking sites like LinkedIn and the age old method of hiring through references continues to be strong. The key here is hiring the right candidate for the right role with the right attitude and aptitude. Today, we are facing a situation which I call ‘Paradox of plenty’. There are enough candidates that apply for the role but very few that are suitable and have the relevant skill and attitude to be hired.

What does your organisation do to retain people? At which level and for what reason do you see maximum attrition? Starwood hires talents who have the potential to grow and evolve with the company. As a global company, we are able to provide a career path to our associates and develop in them, what we call ‘Win with Talent’ competencies that will help them on their journey with Starwood. We are able to provide task force exposure, cross exposure, international work experience and employment opportunities and help our associates reach their potential. This is what makes us a preferred employer. Today, we have a lot of options and alternate and lucrative opportunities from across industries. But the key to retaining talent is getting associates to stay engaged and provide them a work environment that helps them strike a balance between work and life.

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We recruit for Attitude and Train for Skilll Major Rajesh Chauhan Chief People Officer The Lemon Tree Hotel Company

What is the essence of your recruitment policy? At Lemon Tree Hotels, we have a strong belief in the mantra - “We recruit for Attitude and Train for Skill”.

Skills can be polished, however what are the inherent qualities needed to be an hospitality professional? Over the years, I have learnt that the three qualities that make a hotel professional successful are:Humility: We are in the business of providing service and there is no room for ego. ‘Hands-On’ professionals do well in the Industry.Adaptability: Readiness to accept new ideas and change helps make good Hoteliers.Perseverance & Tenacity: It is a demanding industry, both physically and mentally. Only the ‘Tough’ ones last till the last mile.

Excellence in

CarEEr

Major rajesh chauhan Chief People Officer The Lemon Tree Hotel Company

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Are the colleges providing the right education? Are the needs of the industry being addressed well? The Hotel Management Colleges are able to impart basic functional learning to their students. However, their syllabus needs constant upgradation, in line with the fast changing trends of this dynamic industry. The skill development happens primarily during the Industrial Training phase of a student, wherein he is exposed to hotel shop-floor operations. This experiential learning coupled with the various moments of truth that the student experiences during this phase helps him get a first hand, realistic understanding of the business of running hotels.

Do you provide any internal or external training/ workshops for your employees?Head Start Institute India (HIPL), who are our Strategic partners in the L&D space, have a full-time team of professional trainers who are constantly designing and upgrading customised training programs for various levels of hierarchy in our organisation. Based on the training needs identified as a part of our Performance Management System, Individual Development Plans (IDPs’) are formulated for each employee. Where needed, employees are sent to premier Institutes such as IIM’s, ISB’s and the like for specialised trainings.

What are the main hiring trends in hospitality industry? Is there a dearth of skilled professionals? We, at Lemon Tree Hotels, actively participate in the mass recruitment drive, i.e. campus placements that take place once annually.

The North Eastern states have proven to be a potent and perennial source market for talent acquisition. Over and above this, job portals, social media, careers web page and employee referral schemes assist us in maintaining a robust talent pipeline.

There is a dearth of skill professionals in the hospitality industry as on date. Both domestic and international hotel companies, are flooding the market with new inventory, thereby creating an unprecedented demand for talent.

What does your organisation do to retain people and nurture their talent?Being in people’s business, we fully understand that employee happiness will help us achieve employee engagement and thus success in business. Always treat your employees as you want them to treat your best customers. Lemon Tree has walked and talked this thinking through its Happiness Equation.

“Happy Employees = Happy Customers = Happy Investors = Happy Management”Our Management Teams are encouraged to use leadership styles that are ‘enabling’, ‘supporting’,

and ‘mentoring’ instead of being ‘dictatorial’. The empowering work culture encourages employees to think freely, ideate and be creative. We promote a work climate which encourages participative management and thus allows employees to participate in running and managing the business. We believe in building talent from within rather than buying the same from outside.

After observing the attrition rates at your hotels, at which level do you see maximum attrition and why? Attrition is the maximum at the shop floor level. Many people leave us for higher education. Some are not able to live up to the physical and mental demands of the industry and thus choose to experiment with other career options outside the industry.

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Focus on acquiring talentl Gurmeet Singh Area Director of Human Resource, India Subcontinent Marriott Int’l Inc.

What is the essence of your recruitment policy? At Marriott, we have a very robust Talent Acquisition policy. We value our associates and recognise that our global workforce is a key to our success. It is our associates who create the personal experiences that keep our guests coming back. We were founded on the philosophy of ‘taking care of our associates so they can take care of our guests.’

We strive to provide competitive levels of pay and benefits relative to the industry and local markets in which we operate. Our associates have access to services and training that support their well-being and encourage personal and professional growth. We are dedicated to hiring, engaging and retaining a talented workforce around the world.

Are the colleges providing the right education? Are the needs of the industry being addressed well? The colleges are the first stepping stone to provide theoretical knowledge. The practical and most updated knowledge is imparted to all the students in the industry through the various internships, college lectures and field trips.

Do you provide any internal or external training/ workshops for your employees?

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gurmeet singh Area Director of Human Resource, India Subcontinent Marriott Int’l Inc.


Each Marriott hotel has a monthly and Annual training calendar which has details of Internal and External trainings. Each hotel has a dedicated training team which works extensively with the department heads to ensure individual growth and learning which results in excellence at work.

What does your organisation do to retain people? At which level do you see maximum attrition and why? At Marriott, we believe that our associates are our asset and we continuously work to ensure that they are all trained and skilled. We also believe that if your associates are happy, then they will continue to be a part of the hotel. So Retention happens automatically.

Our maximum attrition happens at the entry-level, where the associates leave either to pursue further education, to work in cruise liners as the money is very good, or to work abroad.

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‘Catch me, grow me and keep me’ l Nilesh Mitra Senior Director - Human Resources, South Asia Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

What is the essence of your recruitment policy? At Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, we have a perfectly niche and precise HR Strategy - catch me, grow me and keep me. ‘Catch me’ is about attracting the talent. ‘Keep me’ is what we do from an initiative perspective internally to retain the talent, and ‘Grow me’ is about developing talent to meet the organisational and employee’s goal. We identify talent with ‘right attitude’ and have in them what we think of as, the ‘hospitality gene’. Hire the people who want to ‘make a mark’, are guest oriented, understand the guest point of view, anticipate the guest needs and reach out to deliver those needs as a quick learner.

Are the colleges providing the right education? Are the needs of the industry being addressed well? There is a visible gap in the training imparted by the institutes and that sought by the industry. Only a few institutes provide regular industry visits, live demonstrations and visiting faculty from the industry to their student body.

Do you provide any internal or external training/ workshops for your employees?One tool the company uses is the “Right Time Training” approach wherein the managers and departmental trainers observes the shop floor actions, behaviours and processes and correct the issues / problems immediately by conducting the Right Time Training immediately. The process forces training manager to absorb essential concepts in the training and try out new found skills in live settings.

To ensure that the guest interactions are positive, the company imparts three kinds of skills: functional, for employees to master their job, soft skills (like grooming, communication, body language, etc.) and Brand Service Philosophy so that employees learn to listen to guests, anticipate their needs and go beyond to exceed the expectations.

What are the main hiring trends in hospitality industry? Is there a dearth of skilled professionals? Right from attracting talent to retaining it, the industry is doing all in its realm to fight the dearth of skilled professionals. The hotel industry in India has overstepped the IT and ITES industry in hiring employees. But still the industry faces acute shortage of human resource. The growth of the hospitality industry in India demands more employees to meet the requirements. As a result, the growth of employment opportunities in the sector is going to be increased in the coming months.

Hotel groups are looking to open budget and mid-segment hotels in the Tier 2 and 3 towns and cities but face manpower and skill supply challenges. Current mitigation steps include temporarily shifting key manpower to these locations for a certain period by when local talent can be skilled to take over.

What does your organisation do to retain people? At which level do you see maximum attrition and why? The current industry average of attrition is at 35 per cent. This has been increasing in the past and is expected to grow. Maximum attrition is seen in core functions like, Food & Beverage Service, Housekeeping & Front Office. Two major causes of attrition for an employer in the industry are:

» Updating subject knowledge » An outdated syllabus » Responsiveness of institutions to latest trends

and technology» Faculty development

>> Concerns with Hospitality Colleges:


nilesh Mitra Senior Director - Human Resources, South Asia Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

n New entrants in the industry and therefore poaching from existing players.

n Poaching from other sectors for service-oriented roles

At Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, we continuously review and refine what we are doing. Our talent focussed approach and strategy of ‘catch me, grow me & keep me’ encompasses all the various touch points which any employee experiences.

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Attrition will be a key challenge l Ashwin Shirali Regional Director - HR Accor Hotels India

What is the essence of your recruitment policy? Our focus is on recruiting associate talent that has generous levels of enthusiasm and energy with a great attitude to serve and do all that is required to wow the guest. Once this foundation is assured it is our job, as employers, to then provide the associates with all the required training and development opportunities to ensure they are well-equipped with the brand and functional knowledge to perform the technical part of the job well.

Are the colleges providing the right education? Are the needs of the industry being addressed well? Hotel schools need to reinvent themselves and constantly tune and refresh their approach to make their students more relevant to the constantly changing demands of the marketplace.

The global hotel customer of today has a vastly different mindset from that prevailing, even a decade earlier, due to enhanced incomes and technology and the high levels of stress that is the DNA of the dynamic and volatile world of today. The customer of today wants an environment that is less formal and more casual and homely – being surrounded by inanimate luxury items no longer gives a high. In this backdrop hotel schools need to make a paradigm shift to equip students with the skills to service a completely new generation of guests.

Do you provide any internal or external training/ workshops for your employees?

We have an in-house Training Academie which offers a variety of structured learning experiences to assist our employees meet their professional development needs, promote the acquisition and development of skills to improve the quality of service offered to our customers. The Academie Accor India is a self-sustaining virtual training set-up headed by a dedicated India Campus Manager and supported by 27 multi brand Certified Trainers to ensure access to training, learning and development opportunities for all Accor employees. Academie Accor offers more than 150 leadership, behavioural related training and offering different training solutions to various needs. Academie Accor Online University offers training solutions to help managers learn at their own pace.

What does your organisation do to retain people? At which level do you see maximum attrition and why? Attrition will be a key challenge going forward considering the talent war unleashed by the huge additions to rooms supply with no corresponding addition to talent in the short run – either in numbers or quality.

We have an active retention strategy to ensure that key talent remains with the organisation and is developed to staff the growing pipeline.

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Positive attitude, creativity important for employeel Gulshan ChibHead-HR Duet India Hotels

What is the essence of your recruitment policy? Hospitality is a very common sense profession. Someone who has presence of mind and has inclination towards service with positive attitude and creativity is a best fit for the industry. Our hiring process is transparent as we communicate and define each step in our process to avoid any surprises for potential candidates. Hiring right fit with matching skill set and experience is very important for an engaged and motivated workforce.

Are the colleges providing the right education? Are the needs of the industry being addressed well? We firmly believe that education has to be an ideal mix

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gulshan chibHead-HR Duet India Hotels

Ashwin Shirali Regional Director - HR Accor Hotels India


of education and practical training and its importance gets more highlighted in the hospitality sector. Technical skill and basics of course are learned from colleges, but to impart practical education on current business requirement is the responsibility of Industry. The industry needs to identify required skills and support colleges by developing required skills for the business.

Do you provide any internal or external training/ workshops for your employees? We offer a platform and all necessary support from a very experienced team which empowers and propels an individual to perform at the highest level. As part of the developmental plan, we have taken few initiatives which help the personal development of our team members. One of the key initiatives has been to build the confidence of the team member by providing opportunity to conduct open session and share knowledge with others in the area of their interest which help them to develop their presentation skills as well as confidence.

What are the main hiring trends in hospitality industry? Is there a dearth of skilled professionals? Over a period when we witnessed boom in the BPO and service sector, we have realised that there is no

dearth of manpower in our country. What we really lack is the expertise and desired competencies. One of the major deviations from the traditional hiring through advertisements and job portals has been the process of referral hiring. With the distinct advantage of getting a sense check on the competencies and background of the candidate it also leads to reduction in the attrition rate.

What does your organisation do to retain people? At which level and for what reason do you see maximum attrition? We have cultivated very healthy talent retention programs which take care of not only the monetary aspirations but also impact positively on the softer side of the team members. We provide platforms to all executives to participate and contribute to the growth of each vertical as well as the company as a whole which provides a feeling of being part of the team.

We see maximum attrition at the middle-level executives as the candidates are trained and are under constant scanner of the other verticals in the service industry say retail, communications and also to the BPO segment who find the profile ready for higher salaries which is an easy lure for the candidates.


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Learning Interpersonal Skillsl Dr. Gopalkrishnan PurushottamCampus Director, ITM-FHRAI Institute of Hospitality & Management

What is your course criterion? The curriculum is designed in a manner so as to allow students to develop interpersonal skills in the form of presentations, debates, elocution competitions etc. Assignments are also sought in the form of poster presentations, management style reports and so on. ITM-FHRAI offers industry relevant curriculum to meet the ever growing demands of the service sector, which in turn, initiate reading and research, to meet effective quality assurance standards for a well-structured progression of the student’s career path. The

institute tries to maintain the ratio of 60:40 i.e. 60 per cent of the curriculum is being done through practical education and the remaining 40 per cent focus is given to the theory classes.

How does the curriculum at your university compare with international universities?In the endeavour to develop skills and knowledge of students and faculty, the institute organises national level culinary programs under the guidance and support of the industry, and national and international level workshops with the support of FHRAI. We at ITM- FHRAI, incorporate International curriculum with latest pedagogy in teaching and also collaboration with International universities for faculty-students exchange program.

What are your criteria for enrolment?Students are chosen through an admissions process. In addition, they are individually scrutinised for leadership potential and a commitment to service excellence.

Developing skills through Education

dr. gopalkrishnan PurushottamCampus Director, ITM-FHRAI Institute of Hospitality & Management

Contemporary Trends in Hospitality Educationl Prof. Ruchita VermaDirector- IHM Group

The hospitality businesses make continuous efforts for maintaining a positive image along with great guest service. It appears that quality service is the basis to industry success. Thus, those organisations that focus on quality become the leaders for on-going guest satisfaction, creating loyalty and influencing future behavioral intentions. The new philosophy in hospitality is that managers counsel their associates, give them resources and help them to think for themselves. Whilst, on the education front, its a challenge for the Hospitality Institutions to mould young graduates to requirements of the current trends. Keeping in mind the scenario above, the current hospitality education trends point towards,

practical subjects being given top priority, experiential learning be the key to success, introduction of virtual learning software, need for international exchange programs, practical-based subjects to maintain their importance, subscription to and usage of online journals, operational hospitality education is preferred to management concepts and industrial experts doubling up as part-time faculty.

For the reshaping or remoulding of these young graduates, the essentials identified are modified internships i.e. the floor-level staff to understand the thinking of the management, because the changes in students occur during the internships- the make or break is decided then; research and case study based curriculum (like an open book exam or continuous evaluation pattern) and emphasis on students feedback at the end of the course may help in making right amendments. Thus, the need of the hour is competency-based hospitality education system, virtual and live project-based learning, continuous evaluation system, industrial visits, theme-based learning based on supply and demand like a working business plan and letting the student decide his/her Graduation Large Scale Project.

Prof. ruchita vermaDirector- IHM Group


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Educational Requirement:- Eligibility for BA International Hospitality & Tourism Management (BA-IHTM) » Candidates with 10 + 2 qualification » Aptitude for the Hospitality / Service industry as

demonstrated through a personal interview » Written and spoken fluency in English

Eligibility for BA Culinary Arts (BA-CA) » Candidates with 10 + 2 qualification » Aptitude for the Hospitality / Service industry as

demonstrated through a personal interview » Written and spoken fluency in English

Eligibility for Advanced Diploma in Patisserie and Confectionary (ADPC) » Aptitude for the Hospitality / Service industry as

demonstrated through a personal interview » Working knowledge of English Language

Is your institute fully geared up for selection and providing training under the ‘Hunar se Rozgar’ scheme?ITM-FHRAI helps the students to get the knowledge and training they needed for the ‘Hunar Se Rozgar Scheme’. The students learn the various skills, in areas of hotel operations and allied fields, during the time they spend on the campus, which is undoubtedly one of the most

technologically advanced hotel management campus of the country. It has a complete range of learning and teaching facilities.

The Basic Training Kitchen» The Quantity Food Kitchen» The Advanced Training Kitchen» Bakery & Confectionery» Housekeeping» Front Office» Training Restaurant» Information & Technology Laboratory» Library

Who have you tied up with in the industry for employment opportunities for your students?Getting the right student the right job is the primary aim of the Placement Cell in ITM’s Institute of Hotel Management. The students find lucrative jobs with International hotel Chains, Airline Companies, Cruise Liners, Dining Restaurants, Fast Food Chains, Event Management Companies, Industrial Caterers, Theme Parks, and Airline Catering Establishments & Hospitals. With the immense support of our Board of Advisors and the Training Managers, H.R. Managers and Senior Officers of some of India’s best known Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Businesses, ITM –FHRAI has consistently placed its students for Training and Placements at top notch Hotels

Developing skills through EducationPhoto: Sim

ran Kaur

and Hospitality companies, both nationally and internationally.

Skills can be developed, however what are the inherent qualities that are needed to be a hospitality professional? A sincere interest in the people you are serving and a willingness to help them. This is very important because the people who you will be serving are different. For example, there are those who may know exactly what they want, but there are also those who are not sure what they want and who you have to really spend time and go into details with. If you don’t have an interest in serving and helping people you will soon get tired and want out. On the other hand if you like helping people you can find your job very satisfying.

Inherent skills» Paying attention to detail » A good temper and a positive attitude » Presentable.

Placement records for ITM-FHRAI Institute » Taj Mahal Palace and Tower» Oberoi Hotels & Resorts» Intercontinental - The Lalit» J.W. Marriott» Le Royal Meredian

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Contemporary IT gaining ground in Hospitality educationl Aneeta MyintSenior Professor,IHM-PUSA

What are the varied skill-sets that a hospitality student develops in your graduate program? The IHMs offers MSc. Hospitality Administration, BSc. Hotel & Hospitality Administration, UG Diploma and PG courses, where practical lab training is an essential element apart from the courses on technical, managerial and human relations. Apart from the above said curriculum, IHMs also offers skill-oriented and craft based tailor-made short duration courses like ‘Hunar Se Rozgar’ and National Skill Certification.

Practical exposure is given to the tune of 20 weeks in

five-star property, for the students enrolled for three years BSc. HHA program.

What are your criteria for enrolment? The criteria for enrolment is class 12th results and on the basis of All India Entrance Exam (JEE ). The course is highly job-oriented. Focus on personality development is through regular team assignments, presentations made by the students and other activities that aim at developing the softer skills of the students.

What ancillary service industries can hospitality graduates look for jobs in?Hospitality graduates today find lucrative assignments in several industries. All Corporate houses have hospitality teams as estate management team for efficient management of their several estates and offices. Airlines and Shipping are two other industries that have a direct intake of hospitality students. The MNC food chains are on a rapidly expanding spree and prefer Hospitality graduates. The options are opening up hugely in the entertainment industry, the showbiz industry, the upcoming adventure parks, sports stadia and complexes, the malls, retail management, travel & tourism, hospital & healthcare.

Are you in touch with alumni of the Institute to inspire and help new pass-outs?IHM Pusa’s Alumni is our major strength. Several of the alumni are the who’s who of the Industry today and are in regular interactions with the college. We have GSP (Guru Shisya Parampara), an annual feature wherein the alumni are invited to mentor our students. Inviting guest lecturers from our bouquet of alumni is regular on the teaching agenda.

The help offered by the Alumni network to the new pass-outs is more on an un-structured and referral basis. We need to develop the systems like the top global management institutes wherein regular interactions between the alumni and current students are anchored by the college.

What are the newer trends in specialisations that students are taking up?International students have a much wider plethora of specialisations like Casino Management, Hospitality Law, Hospitality Security and Hospitality Engineering, etc. Indian students are now diversifying into disciplines like Food and Wine pairing, entrepreneurship, etc. Most Indian students still find it safe to follow established specialisations like Food Production & Culinary Arts, Bakery and Confectionary, Food Science and Restaurant management etc.

Skills can be developed, however what are the inherent qualities that are needed to be hospitality professional?

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aneeta MyintSenior Professor,IHM-PUSA


hospitalityeducationThe right attitude and focus! Technical, managerial and human relations are basic qualities required by any hospitality professional to contribute to the operations of any modern hotel or catering establishment. Trade-based skills like cooking or guest relations are important for those aspiring to be a Chef or at the front office.

Apart from the above, few qualities where there is a major mismatch in the skill set of the students and the Industry requirements can be broadly classified in hard-core and soft-core skills. Contemporary IT and Cost accounting in the Hospitality sector are the two aspects under the hard core subjects. On the softer side are traits like interpersonal skills, patience, grooming, quick thinking, resourcefulness and diplomacy.

What are you doing to inculcate a passion for Indian cuisine among your students?Apart from the extensive practical training in various Indian cuisines, we have several faculty exchange programs across the country wherein renowned faculties from other Institutes are invited for courses on regional cuisines.

Under the Faculty Development Program, various workshops are organised across India, wherein, the

regional cuisine chefs from the industry are invited for bringing the faculty up to date.

Currently, the National Council of Hotel Management has undertaken a mammoth task of compilation and documentation of Indian herbs and spices, with an active assistance from IHMs across India and the Indian Cuisine chefs from the industry. This project has an active participation of the students as well as the core faculty.

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World’s best now at IHMl Parvez DewanSecretaryMinistry of Tourism

The IHMs’ tie-up with Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne will see the first batch from Lausanne arriving in Mumbai. The Indian

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Parvez dewanSecretaryMinistry of Tourism

Culinary Institute has also been formally approved and will open with four branches in Kolkata Pinjore, Noida and Tirupati.

Few months ago, Parvez Dewan, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Govt of India, had hinted at a possible tie up with a world-renowned hotel management institute to support a 360-degree upgrade in the curriculum of government-run hotel and tourism management Institutes. The move was expected to bring an enhanced skill set to service visitors to India and upgrade not just the curriculum, but also improve teaching methods.

Confirming this, Dewan said, “There are no more ifs and buts left, Lausanne is partnering with IHM. All formalities have been fulfilled, we have got the permission and we have already sent the first installment of fees to the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne.” He went on to mention that they had been in contact with six of the top hotel institutes in the world, out of which two of them had agreed to partner.

Talking about what the partnership entails, he said, “All IHMs and state IHMs and probably private sector institutes affiliated to IHMs will in 2-3 years time have a curriculum of the same standard as Lausannne. Our teachers will be trained by people from Lausanne, Lausanne professors will not lecture our students directly, however, the teachers will be trained in the Lausanne method and the teachers will in turn train the students. Our laboratories and equipment will be of the same standard as Lausanne.”

But that was not the only good news that Dewan announced, he also talked about the Indian Culinary Institute being formally approved. He further elaborated that the ICI will be a repository of every single recipe in India of the smallest community. The ICI will have four branches from its inception - in Kolkata Pinjore, Noida and its headquarters will be in Tirupati.

Dewan informed that the Kolkata centre might be the first to kick off as they already have for two floors in Salt Lake city in Kolkata. He said the Kolkata campus may take a year, year-and-a-half to begin operations.

He said, “The opening of the ICI concerns everyone in the tourism industry. Right now people have to be retrained on food because the IHMs’ training on food is a minor part of the curriculum. The students will be trained in all the cuisines popular in India, be it Thai Vietnamese or Chinese, but the primary responsibility is towards Indian cuisine. The course includes not just training, but also research and students will also be trained on molecular gastronomy.”

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72 IHM faculty members to be trained by LCH Switzerlandl Usha Sharma ADG, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India

The collaboration with Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland, will lead National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT) to further review the existing curriculum, identifying opportunities of improvement to the requirement of the global market and faculty development program leading to global standards of academic delivery. With regard to the same, 72 faculty members from IHMs all over India to be trained by LCH Switzerland.

The new agreement is likely to give a new lease of life to the curriculum and teaching style at IHMs all over India. This will not only encourage students to pursue there education in hospitality in India itself but also prepare them for global careers in hospitality. Usha Sharma said, “We need to go back to our traditions of the Gurukul - to inculcate in the students the confidence to have a questioning mind with more practical training. A liking, interest, passion and a sense of pride can be inculcated in the students through the right education.”

As per the recommendations of UNWTO, a need was felt to bring further improvement in the curriculum and

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usha sharma ADG, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India

As per the agreement between the two parties, Lausanne Hospitality Consulting S.A, L.C.H shall assist NCHMCT in providing the following consulting services to upgrade on a short-term basis NCHMCT institutes and faculty by: 1) Conducting a gap analysis to NCHMCT

institutions in New Delhi and Mumbai to identify discrepancies and possible improvements for NCHMCT institutions.

2) Creating and coaching the implementation team from NCHMCT which will work closely with LCH.

3) Delivering qualified learning facilitator (QLF) programs to NCHMCT faculty.

4) Conducting annual academic audits to NCHMCT institutions to asses their progress in the implementation of LHC recommendations.

>> LCH shall assist NCHMCT in:


syllabus of IHMs. Taking cognisance of the same, the Ministry of Tourism got in touch with six international universities out of two which were shortlisted and finally an MOU was signed with Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland. She added, “As per the recommendations of the 12th plan, there will be a requirement of 36.18 Lakh persons for jobs related to tourism and hospitality. In view of this, there is a need to build capacity with education. Keeping the above need in mind NCHMCT has come up with various short-term skill based courses, diplomas, ‘hunar se rozgar’, and graduate courses.”

NCHMCT is an autonomous body under Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. NCHM JEE 2014 scores will be accepted by 21 Central Institutes, 14 State Government Institutes and 15 private institutes of Hotel Management. She added that for this year the date of the entrance exam is April 26, 2014 and 20,000 applications have been received for a place in the prestigious institutes across India. Induction is on merit basis followed by counseling.

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Gap in skill and manpower for hospitalityl L K GanguliDirector (A&F) NCHMCT

How should a student who aspires to be in hospitality choose the right course?There are multiple job profiles in hotel management and depending upon the candidates’ education, work experience, the positions are offered. However, in order to work in top level or middle-level management, candidates must have a degree in travel management. Whereas some hotels hire graduates straight from universities, some other hotels hire only trained hotel management graduates. Candidates can do degree course in hotel management soon after 10+2 which are offered by various hotel management institutes.

Skills can be developed, however what are the inherent qualities that are needed to be an hospitality professional? Students looking for a career in hotel management should have strong communication skills, reasoning skills, numerical aptitude and pleasing personality. Therefore, if some candidate is lacking in these skills, he must inculcate them in him and for that starting early definitely helps. Many students start preparing for entrance

exams conducted by IHMs soon after their 10th board. Similarly, those who wish to go for higher studies in hotel management can do Masters in Hotel Management; for MHM the person is required to have BHM.

Before jumping to any decision to select hotel management as a career option, it is always advised to analyse the pros and cons, growth prospects, matching of work-profile with personality traits, etc. If the candidate is not willing to work in various profiles he may not be suitable for it as in hotel management an employee may be asked to work in management, food and beverage service, housekeeping, front office operation, sales and marketing, accounting or any other department depending upon the specific requirement.

What are the varied job prospects available for a hospitality student?Hotel management like any other sector is subject to the state of national economy and global economy. When the economy is doing well, jobs come a lot in the sector. Currently there are more than 2.40 million people working in hotel, catering and allied industry in India and the number is going to increase in next couple of years as new hotels are coming up in large numbers in urban and semi-urban areas. Trained hotel management professionals would have a privilege over untrained graduates as hotels are not willing to invest in training of recruits and prefer trained ones instead.

What are the current trends that can be seen in the hospitality education? The current state of hotel industry shows that India is being seen as a lucrative destination for hotel chains looking for growth. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, India is the 18th popular business travel destination and in next couple of years it would in top five. With shortage of hotel rooms, dearth of trained hotel management professionals, a lot needs to be done. With incentives coming from the Government of India, real estate developers and hoteliers are trying to build new hotels which would further the supply and increase the job opportunities for young hotel management graduates.

What are the positive and negative aspects of a career in hospitality?Despite being known as one of the most glamorous careers there are various flipsides of working in the hotel industry. One of them is that the hotel industry too, like any other industry, is subjected to the overall state of economy. Therefore, it gets affected if the economy is not doing well and travellers are not frequenting the hotel. Handling pressure situations calmly is mandatory for hotel professionals. Long working hours, rude responses from customers, hectic timings, etc. are some drawbacks of career in hotel management.

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hospitalityeducation

l k ganguliDirector (A&F) NCHMCT

Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa offers a four-year undergraduate hospitality management programme in India. The focus of the programme

is to develop students as hospitality leaders and entrepreneurs.

The 67,000 sq ft campus nestled in the hill city of Lavasa is the Indian network school of Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland. The course curriculum, teaching styles and assessments follow the rules laid down by the flagship institute.

Programme Overview The four-year Hospitality Management Bachelors programme is certified by Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland.u It is the only institute to offer practical training

at budget and luxury hotels, clubs, international convention centre, restaurants and spas, during the course itself, at Lavasa.

u Two business internships with prestigious hotels in India and abroad.

u Academic mobility to transfer credits from third year onwards within the network schools certified by Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland, Dubai, Mexico, Thailand and, China.

u Students have been successfully placed in leading

hotels in India and abroad such as The Oberoi, JW Marriot, Hyatt - Dubai, Westin, Novotel, Trident, Barclays Bank and others.

Highlighting the importance of the institution, Nathan Andrews, President, Lavasa Corporation, informed, Ecole Hôtelière Lavasa is the only hospitality management school with all business models like deluxe and budget hotels, fine dine and fast foods, convention centres and institutional catering, right at the doorstep. The experience gained by the students will make them thorough professionals with in-depth understanding of the business.

Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa (LEH) will conduct a written entrance test for aspiring candidates on May 3, 2013 at Pune, Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore. Applicants need to log on to www.ecolehotelierelavasa.com and register for the entrance test to be conducted.

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Developing hospitality leaders and entrepreneurs

» Wi-Fi enabled multimedia class room» Training and Demo Kitchen» Bakery, Confectionery and Patisserie» Chocolate Room» Wine Testing Lab» Mock Guest Room and Housekeeping Lab» Amphitheatre» 4 Restaurants

>> Campus Highlights

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Laureate Hospitality Education (LHE) is a leading hospitality management education group, managing seven of the most reputed institutions in the world.

Students from more than 100 countries come each year to LHE institutions to kick-start their careers in the diverse and growing hospitality industry. While each school has its own specialised approach, they are all dedicated to the same pursuit.

The mission is to offer the best experiential and academic curriculum, coupled with professional internships, to create the industry leaders of tomorrow.

The Group’s 7 Hospitality Management Institutions include:u Glion Institute of Higher Education, Switzerland

and UKu Les Roches International Hotel Management School,

Switzerland and Spain

u Les Roches Jin Jiang International Hotel Management College, China

u Kendall College, USAu Blue Mountains International Hotel Management

School, Australia

Ranking and AccreditationAmong their institutions are Glion Institute of Higher Education and Les Roches International School of Hotel Management in Switzerland, which have been ranked among the top three hospitality management schools in the world for an international career (TNS, global research, 2013) by hiring managers of luxury hotels. All their institutions are fully accredited, hence ensuring quality programs delivered to all our students.

A Bachelor of Business Administration in Hospitality Management can take students anywhere from organising world-class events, to opening their own chain of restaurants. The list is endless.

Culinary Business ManagementThe Culinary Business Management program at Les Roches International School of Hotel Management will prepare students to start their own culinary business, transform an existing restaurant venture or become a manager for hospitality dining establishments.

A Truly International EducationBeing part of an international network with schools across four continents is a great advantage to LHE students.

All students have the possibility of expanding their cultural knowledge to embark on an international study abroad semester or international transfer options during their Bachelor, Postgraduate and Master programs. This enables students to move easily between campuses to obtain the degree title and cultural experiences that result in the best education and career objectives.

Heading towards Global Careers

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SRM IHM is one of the country’s premier hotel management institute established in the year 1993, as part of the prestigious SRM University,

Chennai. The institution grew substantially over the years while always maintaining a cordial atmosphere and intimate learning environment for the students to mature and develop. They have campuses in Chennai, Trichy and Delhi with state-of-the-art infrastructure with the latest equipments, smart classrooms, advanced labs, well-equipped library and a fully operational star hotel, attached to the campus, to help the students acquire hands-on training in the real-time environment to hone their skills and competencies.

Their mission is ‘Education to Employment, Learn by Doing and Earn while you Learn.’ The institute cherishes a mission of ‘Commitment to Excellence, to nurture and develop young aspirants to be the finest Hospitality professionals for the most sophisticated hospitality industry’. To achieve this, students are trained in the aspect of Five ‘I’s which encompasses Intellect, Initiative, Integrity, Interpersonal skills and Industry to be the successful hospitality leaders of tomorrow.

Innovative curriculum and methodologyThe Institute has an Industry Advisory board for ongoing curriculum, pedagogy and student development to meet the industry needs. The institute offers a number of programmes such as Degree, Diploma and craft courses in Hotel and Catering Management. These programmes are carefully crafted for bridging the growing demand-supply gap that exist in the industry and will provide

students with a deep understanding of the subjects and practical opportunities to develop and demonstrate leadership skills. With the most advanced infrastructure, a hotel in the campus, unique pedagogical tools, soft skills training, smart classrooms and clear emphasis on operational and management-oriented education, backed with the cumulative experience of the faculty members, the skill sets are delivered to the students in the best possible environment.

The reason why hotels and restaurants hire students from the Institute and why they are able to provide 100 per cent placement is, through their students’ consistent performance at national

level examinations and the numerous awards and accolades the Institute has won. Their students are widely recognised for their passion, commitment and their professional competence. These traits coupled with academic excellence make their students standout from the rest of their counterparts from other institutes.

Few of the awards include:

u National Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Education in the years 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12.

v Arjun Mukund, student of SRM IHM, All India (National level) Topper and Naresh Kumar, student of SRM IHM, All India (National level) second rank in B.Sc Hospitality and Hotel Administration in NCHMCT Examinations for three consecutive years ( 2008-2011 )

w Subodh Kant Sahay, Minister of Tourism, Govt. of India, and Sultan Ahmed, Minister of State for Tourism, Govt. of India gave away the Gold and Silver Medal respectively, Certificate of Excellence and Cash Award on 4th April 2012.

KRD&WG honoured SRM Institute of Hotel Management with ‘Education Leadership Award 2013’ in an International seminar on August 31, 2013 at India International Centre, New Delhi.

The institute has strong ties with the industry and almost all the reputed hotel chains for campus interviews and have an excellent track record of 100 per cent placement since its inception.

Real-time environment to hone students’ skills

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RIG Institute of Hospitality and Management runs four campuses, at Knowledge Park III, Greater Noida, at Dwarka Delhi, at Bazpur near Nainital,

(Uttarakhand) and at Shahjahanpur, near Neemrana (Rajasthan) fully equipped with world class academic, hostel and sporting facilities in order to meet their requirement of high quality standards. Their main campus is in Greater Noida, which is built over 1.00 lakh sq ft. in an eight storey building, it is rated as the best hotel management campus in North India.

They have built a high reputation for their operations and in their placements for industrial training and jobs and that is the reason they receive high number of students each year.

The mission of RIG Institute is to train students for managerial and other positions in hotels and allied sectors; to develop and maintain a very high quality standard; to earn a brand image of one of the best hotel management institutes in India and to pass-out students who are recognised and respected as students of RIG Institute among their peers.

Their vision is to develop the brand image of RIG Institute to be in the top five hotel management institutes in India and to be recognised in the industry peers as a quality institute in Asia. Their vision is that their students should be holding managerial positions in all the top brands of hotels in India.

The Institute has been awarded with recognitions from various renowned organisations:

n ‘International Gold Star Award’ in 2014 for ‘Outstanding Services, Achievements and Contributions” by IIFS, India

n ‘Number One Hotel Management Institute in Northern India’ at 12th All India Excellence Awards 2014 by Indian Achievers Podium

n ‘Rashtriya Shiksha Shiromani Award’ for its best infrastructure, providing best education and placement record in 5 star hotels.

n ‘9th All India Excellence Award’ as ‘Best Emerging Institute for Hospitality and Management’ in Uttarakhand for our Bazpur Institute.

All four institutes operating across North India cater to needs of the growing market and their vision is to open and manage more such institutes all over India, thus extending the reach of RIG Management to benefit a much larger number of students in their aspirations for quality hotel management education.

RIG has set the standards for education and professionalism in the hospitality industry in India. In addition to the stunning scenery of the surrounding area of education hub in Greater Noida, RIG offers a combination of linguistic and cultural experiences where Indian and International influences are melded to create a

unique hospitality education style. RIG also offers a wide range of activities including indoor and outdoor sports, events, festivals, and cultural activities. It hosts a range of sporting and cultural activities and events taking place year-round. The hostel-life, mix of different nationalites, and international atmosphere make it an entertaining place to live while studying.

The grand and huge big campus, modern teaching methodology, and thriving travel and tourism industry professionals’ visit makes RIG a great place to learn about hospitality and to get first class training in five-star hotels during internships.

Training students for Excellence and Leadership

» English-speaking courses for all students as part of the regular curriculum

» Standard and Superior category rooms in the hostel» Fine dining five star standard Restaurant and a

training bar

» Four kitchens of high standard equipment » Five-star standard housekeeping labs» Fitness Centre and sports facilities» Transport facility from Delhi and Noida

Special Facilities and Training

The Insititute has built a high reputation for their operations and in their placements

for industrial training and jobs and attract

high number of students each year

Advertorial

Oriental School of Hotel Management (OSHM) is located at Lakkidi, Wayanad on the NH 212 at a sprawling campus of ten acres. It is owned

and managed by the Malabar Hotel Management & Catering Promotion Trust (MHMCPT) - a charitable trust formed with an intention of promoting the Hospitality and Tourism industry and promoting quality education in Hotel Management, Catering Science, Culinary Arts and Hotel Administration. Oriental School of Hotel Management, Lakkidi, came into existence in the year 1995.

The sprawling campus of OSHM has several units including the main block housing the Hospitality and the Management institute including classrooms, training laboratories, administrative offices, the library and the hostels. The campus is located on Kozhikode-Ooty-Bengaluru highway, the land of greenery, spice scented breeze, and mist-clad mountains, salubrious climate and hypnotising scenic beauty. The campus is just 55 kms. from Calicut city and every detail at the Institute has been designed to give students a conducive atmosphere for effective learning and development.

The Institute has excellent infrastructure and state-of-the-art modern equipments to match the industry requirements. Faculty members are from across India and are multi-cultured, highly qualified and well experienced.

Prof. K C Robbins, Principal and Director, Oriental Group of Hospitality Management Institutions, Kerala says, “Despite large number of professionals being churned out from hospitality institutions, there is still dearth of manpower in the hospitality industry and the skewed ratio of manpower to rooms in the industry is yet to be met.”

Following are the programmes offered at Oriental School of Hotel Management:

B.Sc. H&HA (Hospitality and Hotel Administration) - This degree course is affiliated to the National Council for Hotel Management and Catering

Technology (NCHMCT) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and enables to produce hospitality professionals who can apply a range of management skills for effective Hotel operations, facilities’ management and hotel planning and policies. It prepares the student deftly for a successful and professional career in the lucrative hotel industry.

BHM (Bachelor of Hotel Management) - Four-years course - This is a professional degree course approved by AICTE and affiliated to the University of Calicut. The course imparts hospitality training and education to students with emphasis on professional operations as well as management aspects of the industry. A student pursuing this course can ensure sound professional knowledge of Hotel Management with enough exposure to management aspects and laws that govern the industry.

B.Sc. HM&CS (Hotel Management and Catering Science) The six semester course is affiliated to the University of Calicut and provides well-developed modules of Hospitality training to

students with equal relevance to both operational as well as management aspects of the Hotel industry. It enables students to use a range of research techniques for dealing with crisis management and effective property management.

BHA (Bachelor of Hotel administration) A well-structured semester-based degree course, it harnesses management and operational skills in students for Hotel management skills and operations with optimum efficacy. It also enables students to recognise human resources and their skills in order to reach their organisational goals and provides skills for a global approach to the hospitality industry.

B.Sc. HM&CA (Hotel Management and Culinary Arts) - Affiliated to the University of Calicut, this semester system degree course focusses on culinary development skills and provides deep knowledge of culinary and cookery aspects of the Food production department which is an integral part of the Hotel Industry. Besides, the students also learn various operational departments of the Hotel and Catering industry.

Promoting Quality Education in Hotel Management

The Institute has excellent

infrastructure and state-of-the-art

modern equipments for the students and matches the industry

requirements

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Mashal School of Hotel Management (MSOHM) run under the umbrella of IPS ACADEMY Indore has the unique advantage of being associated

with Indore’s famous star hotel- Hotel Mashal- The Red Maple. At the institute, the students get an excellent opportunity to apply the conceptual knowledge acquired in the classrooms to practical life situations at Hotel Mashal and the long interactions with customers enables them to adapt themselves to the changing needs and demands of the industry.

Mashal School of Hotel Management was established in 1994. It is approved by AICTE New Delhi, DTE, Bhopal and afflicted to DAVV Indore. It runs four year, BHM (Bachelor of Hotel Management) there year BBA-HM (Bachelor of Business Management in Hotel Management).

The institute boasts of a modern state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities – well equipped class rooms, kitchen, restaurants, deluxe suites, front line office swimming pool and auditorium and highly qualified and experienced faculty members. It is mandatory for the students to undergo one year training in the country’s top hotels. Their students have been placed in top hotel chains of India and world which include Taj, Sheraton, ITC, Hyatt, Radisson, Ambassador etc.

Bridging the Demand-Supply Gap A Small country like France attracts 79 million tourists

per year whereas a country as large as India gets only 6.5 million per year in spite of its exotic sea beaches in Goa and Kerala Panoramic hill stations in Himalayas Nilgiris and Sahyadri, ancient monuments in Agra, Khajuraho and Ajanta and wildlife Safaris at Corbett, Gir and Kanha.

The issue needs sincere and serious introspection all though tourism industry after agriculture and textiles. Its potential in employment and revenue generation has been grossly underutilised as the Hotel industry forms the backbone of tourism industry. It is unique in the sense that it requires manpower with highly specialised skills and knowledge which is provided by the small number of hospitality institutes. However there exist a huge demand and supply gap both qualitatively and quantitatively, between what the institute provide and the needs and aspirations of hotel industry. The need of the hour is that the industry and institutes should join hands and form a symbiotic relationship. The Industry should play an advisor role and provide platform for research and consultancy to the institutes. The Institutes should periodically update their curriculum to accommodate the high speed changes and needs of industry and provide innovative solutions to their problems.

(The views expressed are that of the author Dr. S.L. Kale, Professor & Director, Admissions, IPS Academy, Indore )

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Addressing the changing needs of the industry

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In the contemporary West, hospitality is more associated with etiquette and entertainment. Hospitality as a cultural norm or value is an

established sociological phenomenon that people study and write papers about. Some regions have become stereotyped as exhibiting a particular style of hospitality.

The Indian Hospitality Industry is projected to grow at a rate of 8.8 per cent between 2007-16, placing India as the second fastest growing tourism market in the world. Hotel and hospitality industries are among the biggest employment generators in the country. A focus on quality, behaviour-based evaluation, market choice and market response has predominantly shaped the State’s hospitality industry. Increased competition and increase in demand has consolidated the hospitality segment, whilst opening up a plethora of opportunities. Also, the entry of multinationals and Indian hotel-chains expanding internationally only reinforce the segment’s untapped business potential. With unlimited tourism and untapped business prospects, in the coming years Indian hospitality will see green pastures of growth.

With this era of globalisation and growth in the hospitality industry, the demand for qualified and experienced professionals in India and overseas is increasing. Globalisation and the advances in tourism, travel and the services sectors have brought in very many changes in today’s employment scenario with tremendous opportunities for professionals to grow, more so with international qualifications and Monarch International College of Hotel

Management is renowned for providing requisite training for acquiring necessary skills. Keeping pace with education throughout the world, they believe in giving ‘hands-on’ training along with sound theoretical foundation to make each student a

success story in his profession.

Their sound reputation since inception in 1998, comes from the success of their graduates and the response from the hospitality sector. The courses in MONARCH are career oriented and are designed for students wishing to grow in the Hospitality Industry worldwide.

The unique option of obtaining a B.Sc. degree (Hotel and Catering Management) from an Indian university and an advanced diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Administration from CENTENNIAL COLLEGE - Toronto, Canada is open to students.

Monarch International College of Hotel Management, Ooty is one of the prestigious colleges in South India, a brainchild of founder Chairman, Mithun Chakraborthy is located in the picturesque town of Ooty.

Their students also come from around the world—to study under their well-acclaimed faculty and the facilities available are state-of-the-art with Wi-Fi campus and E-Library. Monarch International College of Hotel Management is setting new standards of excellence for the Industry.

The Campus of Monarch International College of Hotel Management is situated just a few minutes from centre of the city.

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Keeping Abreast With The Times

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The students come from around the

world to study under the Insititute’s well-

acclaimed faculty and the state-of-the-art facilities available at

the Wi-Fi campus


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Disney InstituteDisney Institutes is a unit of Koyikal Group of Institutions, run and managed by Koyikel Educational Trust (KET), Kulasekharam, Kanyakumari District. KET started the Disney Institute at Kannumamoodu since 2006. Disney branches are Vettuvenni, Marthandam, Arasamoodu Jn, Kulasekharam. The institutes are affiliated to BSS (NDA) promoted by Govt. of India. Disney Institute is also approved by MS University DDE & CE, Tirunelveli for Fire and Industrial safety Management. Disney institutes are a co-educational institute providing training and education in the field of Hospitality industry, Garment industry, Fire & Industrial Safety, Para Medical courses and Computer courses.

Courses and TrainingThe courses in the Institutes pay more attention on developing language skills, personality and conversation skills for Hospitality professionals apart from their normal syllabus studies. In the present scenario, they give power point presentations and

audio-video lecturing and skills to develop hospitality in industry. The institute follows the dividing pattern of studies with a group of four-five students. The theory from the syllabus will be taught initially. After the theory, they will be well versed with practical industrial exposure training knowledge in the institute, hotels, resorts and restaurants, etc. While proceeding for training, they are issued with a log book and they write all their duties in the log book. They will submit the log book while completion of training. After perusal of all log books, the Institute evaluates the deficiencies in their training and according to that change their pattern of study curriculum.

Hiring OpportunitiesEvery year, their students go for two months industrial exposure training to acquire more knowledge. Hotels and restaurants hire students from Disney Institutes because of good personality, punctuality, discipline, good knowledge of theory and practical, good academic qualification, industrial trained, computer skills and leadership qualities.

Imparting world-standard educationho

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Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas at Dehradun and set against a picturesque backdrop of the breathtaking Himalayan

landscape, amidst six acres of well maintained lawns and landscape gardens, high rise pines and palms and a large variety of rare plants is the Madhuban Academy of Hospitality Administration and Research (MAHAR). It has a fully operational luxury four-star property, Hotel Madhuban, operating since 1975 at Dehradun in Uttarakhand. This unique, enriched environment provides the perfect platform of excellent hospitality education to the MAHAR students.

MAHAR offers qualifications that have the potential to help students in getting better placements with a curriculum that makes them enlightened towards greater avenues to excel in professional as well entrepreneurial spheres. The industry-centric syllabus enables the students to get hands-on training for in depth understanding of the ever growing hospitality industry.

State-of-the-Art InfrastructureMAHAR has state-of-the-art infrastructure equipped with the most modern teaching facilities,

well-equipped training kitchen and bakery, a tastefully designed training restaurant, Hi-Tech Computer lab to give the students hands-on experience with Hotel Management Software and other application packages, a well-stocked library and a gymnasium facilitated with ultra-modern equipments and comfortable accommodation within the campus hostel, making the whole program an energised, learning, easy, motivating and result-oriented experience on campus.

Getting better placements» Advanced Culinary Lab» Training Restaurant with Bar» Front Office Lab» Housekeeping Lab» Audio-Visual Room» Lecture Halls» Library and Reading Room» E-learning Resource Centre» Cafeteria» Hostel» Gymnasium

>> Facilities

hospitalityeducation

Glitterati from the culinary fraternity came together for the award ceremony of ‘Culinary Art India 2014’ on March 14,

2014 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Organised by Indian Culinary Forum, in association with ITPO, the awards ceremony was graced by who’s who of the hospitality industry.

‘Culinary Art India 2014’ began on March 10, 2014, with 250 chefs competing under one roof for 15 different categories. Winners of the four-day competition were awarded at

this grand ceremony by the chief guest Malay Shrivastava, Executive Director, ITPO, Govt. of India.

The award ceremony saw prominent chefs from all over North India. Chef Noel Nalin Fonseka, Master Baker and Certified judge, WACS, Sri Lanka presided as the Chairperson of the Jury. The food arts ranged from sculptures carved out of butter and margarine, artistic pastry and bakery showpieces, authentic India regional delicacies and live cooking sessions which was the most talked about amongst the masses.

culinary art

Recognising talent at

‘Culinary Art India 2014’

culinary art

Individual Artistic Display WinnersClass 1: Three-Tier Wedding Cake Arun Diwakar

Class 2: Artistic Pastry Showpiece Nehul Gautam, Shashank Khanna, Shambhu Prasad, Deepak Nainwal & N Srikanth

Class 3: Artistic Bakery Showpiece Amit Kumar

Class 4: Fruit & Vegetable CarvingJitender Singh

Class 5: Butter / Margarine Sculpture Deepak Nainwal

Individual Cold Display WinnersClass 6: Plated Appetisers Harish Kumar

Class 7: Petit Fours or Pralines Mansi Chauhan

Class 8: Three Course Set Dinner Menu Naresh kumar & Dinesh Prasad

Class 9: Desserts Ramesh Singh, Mohd. Asif & Deveshwar Prasad

Class 10: Authentic Indian Regional Cuisine Ramesh Singh, Prize Ratan Negi & Prize Gaurang Negi

Individual Live Cooking WinnersClass 11: Live Cooking Competition Chef Vichitra Kumar

Class 12: Live Cooking Competition Hemant Gariya & Chef Sameer Bairely

Class 13: Dress the Cake Live Prateek Agrawal

Class 14: Live Cooking Competition Rijul Gulati

Class 15: Mocktails Sumit Saha, Viirender & Jitender Kumar Mishra

Competition Categories & Winners:

Celebrity Chef Sanjeev Kapoor needs no

introduction. He is living his dream of making Indian

cuisine the number one in the world. An alumnus of

IHM, PUSA, New Delhi, he tells us more.

Kanchan Nath

Be PaSSionate and

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Ukdiche Modak

Sookhi Dal Amritsari--Dals

and Kadhis

56April 2014 I www.fhrai.com I

How did your love for food begin? Tell us a bit about yourself. What was your inspiration behind your career choice? I was born on April 10, 1964 in Ambala. My schooling was done in various states of India as my father, who was employed in a bank, had a transferable job. So, many different cities have been my home. My family is known as a family of foodies where good food had always been high on the list of priorities. My mother is a wonderful cook and even my late father used to love to churn out new delicacies in his spare time. I was a normal student – studious and by God’s grace, always among the high rankers. Taking cooking as a career was not my childhood ambition and being a chef was not always my dream. It just happened. In those days, the fashion was to study engineering or medicine but I wanted to do something different and I thought I will pursue architecture. That was not to be and I entered the Hotel Management Institute in PUSA, Delhi, when not many people were aware of this course. At that time my culinary icons were my parents. My father was also a regular in the kitchen, not only did he make brilliant food, but he also opened my eyes to go beyond cooking and understand the science of each thing that we do in the kitchen.

Be PaSSionate and

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L ve!Q&a““

Learning is a continuous process. It continues till the day you take your last breath. Even after 30 years in the industry, I am still learning on a daily basis

Kesari Shrikhand

Aviyal

Kanchipuram Idli

How important is education and training to become a good chef? As an alumnus of PUSA Institute, what message do you have for the students studying there?Over the years, hotel management colleges have mushroomed as the demand for skilled professionals have zoomed sky-high. My message to all culinary students, anywhere, would be to do this course only if they are passionate about this industry, if they have done enough homework on the subject matter and are totally convinced that they’re ready for the grind for this industry. Once they are sure, they should give their life to it, by learning everything taught and walking that extra mile by studying a lot extra on

the subject and experimenting in the laboratories.

Now the resources are too many and good food videos are there all over online and they should maximise the most and enhance their knowledge. If they focus on their passion, they will never deviate from their chosen path.

Are the colleges providing the right education? Does the education really help in skill development and finding jobs? All the colleges are centrally governed by the National Council for Hotel Management and they are the ones who conduct the final exams for all the institutes, so where is the scope of not teaching or covering the syllabus. The colleges outside the purview of the National Council are separately governed by their respective universities - whether in India or abroad and everyone has a system to follow. Learning is a continuous process. It continues till the day you take your last breath. So, it would be rather proper to say that the learning for this profession actually starts at your home,

followed by college and then it continues on the job on a daily basis as per the requirement of that organisation. Today, I have completed 30 years in the industry and even after spending 11,000 days, I am still learning on a daily basis. The industry is so wide that its needs can not be addressed by any number of colleges at any given time. So what the colleges are doing is giving the students a foundation and preparing them for whichever aspect of the industry they join.

Is the Indian cuisine hot or spicy? How can we send the correct message about the Indian cuisine across the world? It depends on the person who’s consuming that Indian food. A European who is not used to a spicy curry will find it hot and spicy, while it would not be the case with an Indian or many other nationalities. Within India, the taste of food differs every 20 kms, so it is unfair to define the Indian food as hot and spicy. Indian food has all the hues in

À Do you have a guilty food pleasure when no-one else is around? Everyone has, so do I. I am a foodie. I keep picking food from around the

world and love to experiment with them. But, fortunately I love to work out so I burn out all those guilty pangs.

À Which ingredients can you not live without when preparing Indian dishes? Love and salt.À What is the one trait for a person who wants to be a member in your kitchen? His understanding about ingredients, his in-depth knowledge and science of

cooking. Flair for simplifying the process and someone who can be an artist who considers the dinner plate his canvas.

À Your favourite destination to travel to for food? Wherever I travel, I make a destination for food. It could be in Kolhapur or Copenhagen or

Chandni Chowk in Delhi. Food is good everywhere, you should be able to give it, its due respect and attention.

Rapid-fire

chef talk


chef talk

taste and I can say with conviction that it is the healthiest, balanced and most adaptive food that anyone can have. First of all, we have to believe in it. Once we believe, we should preach. We must also practice, what we preach, as only then would the conviction show on your face and you can conquer the world. Life is never complicated, we make it. Same is for the Indian cuisine. Like any other cuisine, Indian cuisine too is a fine representation of science and art and we have to master that.

Currently, what are the food trends you are witnessing globally? Are you influenced by these trends?Today, this evolving world, with its changes in traditions and taste sensations, it is an awakening to the increased diversity of cultures that have sort of amalgamated into the melting pot. Chefs are experimenting with a variety of ingredients, techniques and presentations to create new dishes that never fail to enthral. Its not just the food, the kitchens are also becoming modern day-by-day and gadgets which were aspirational in the recent past have started becoming affordable and on top of it they are available everywhere.

Even our mithais have undergone a drastic change when it comes to presentation and plating. The restaurants these days are known by the chef’s name and not just the restaurant’s name alone and chefs today are no longer just the kitchen guys. They are the ones who are in focus, indulging in everything right from cooking to menu planning and all other things.

I was, am and will always live my dream of making Indian cuisine the number one in the world, and I am not going to rest until I fulfil that dream. But with the changing times as fusion is becoming a very important part in the culinary world, I am doing my bit to modify my style as well.

For me, taste has always been paramount. So when it comes to fusion, I always try and subtly infuse western techniques into my way of cooking anything Indian. I am absolutely open to these trends, and can say influenced as well and am always willing to try and learn new things.

What advice would you give to Indian chefs who want to aspire to the same future as you?All my fellow chefs are brilliant and bright. My humble advice to each one of them would be to understand their strengths and work on it to maximise the returns and bring laurels to India and Indian cuisine. We need to document our food heritage and I would request them all to come forward and help the authorities who are intellectually inclined to do this.

Which dishes from the Indian cuisine can an optimistic entrepreneur hope to popularise globally?If I have my way, I would say all Indian dishes have this potential. But that list would be huge, so we need to zero down to a few that would work and this would vary from market to market and the target that you are addressing. The staple Indian food is roti, sabzi, dal, chawal. Indian chefs have to play around with four things to come with innovative dishes catering to global needs.

What did you think of the recently concluded ‘Culinary Art India 2014’ at Aahar exhibition?It was heartening to see 250 chefs vying for 15 honours in Culinary Art India 2014. It shows the success and credibility of the platform and gives opportunity to professionals, including entrepreneurs, to be recognised amongst the veterans. It’s very healthy and each one must encourage such activity and I look forward to even fiercer competition and results that wow in 2015.

What is your idea of the perfect meal? What adds lure factor to it?My idea of a perfect meal is what I can get hot and tasty on a plate. I have no particular preferences but anything cooked at home is always welcomed. I am still fond of the kadhi chawal or rajma chawal made by my mother or wife and I always relish them.

RECIPE >> PUNJABI RAJMA

IngrEdIEnTs » 1½ cups red kidney beans (rajma),

soaked overnight» 3 tablespoon oil» 2 bay leaves» 2 medium onions, chopped » 1 inch piece ginger, chopped » 6-8 garlic cloves, chopped » 2 teaspoons red chilli powder» 1 tablespoon coriander powder» ½ teaspoon turmeric powder» 1 teaspoon cumin powder » 3 medium tomatoes, chopped» Salt to taste » 1 teaspoon garam masala powder » 1 tablespoon chopped fresh

coriander leaves

mETHod Cook rajma with five cups of water in a pressure cooker till five whistles or totally cooked and soft.Heat oil in a deep non-stick pan. Add bay leaves and onions and sauté till golden. Add ginger and garlic and continue to sauté for a minute.Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and stir. Add tomatoes and salt and cook till tomatoes are cooked and the oil leaves the masala.Add rajma along with the cooking liquour and mix. Cook on low heat for fifteen minute stirring in between. Adjust salt and add garam masala powder. Cook for five minutes.Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice.

supplier talk

Cooking with 100% pure steam

The German company, RATIONAL, introduced its products in India just two years ago and has shown a phenomenal, triple-digit growth. FHRAI Magazine got in touch with Pinaki Banerjee, Chief Representative - India, RATIONAL to find out more.

The RATIONAL group is the world market and technology leader in the field of hot food preparation for professional kitchens. The

company established in 1973, has more than 1,300 employees of which more than 800 in Germany. Since its IPO in 2000, RATIONAL has been listed in the Prime Standard on the German Stock Exchange and today appears in the MDAX.

The primary objective of the company is to offer its customers maximum benefits. RATIONAL is committed to the concept of sustainability, as expressed by its principles for environmental protection, management and social responsibility. Year after year, numerous international awards reflect the high-quality work carried out by RATIONAL.

Telling us about their success story in India, Banerjee said, “The best part

of our success story is that 50 per cent of our customers are from repeat sales. Customers who have used these machines have liked them and decided that they can use it again. Last year, we grew exactly by 140 per cent - it was a triple digit growth.”

Telling us about the USP of the product, he said, “The self cooking centre is absolutely designed for the Indian market. It can cook almost 90 per cent of the Indian food. We have introduced a boiler technology. This technology gives you 100 per cent of pure steam. This is the only unit that can generate 100 per cent of pure steam. In the traditional tandoor, it is more about convection, so the food gets dry and the chicken gets dry. However, when you are using a self-cooking centre, it has both heat as well as steam, which combine together to give you the best kind of an output.”


Today, RATIONAL cooking systems have got a phenomenal success in each and every segment of the market. They are in hotels, restaurants, catering and the bakery segment. They are even used in the large farm houses. Banerjee says, “If you normally cook more than thirty or more meals at a time, it is the best product to use.”

Talking about his business strategy, he said, “We are a very focussed company. We take a particular region because this is about selling a total concept. The product is fantastic and the service is fabulous. But you need to explain and demonstrate the product to the customers. So, we have created over 50 demonstration sites all across the country. Initially, we focussed on the metro cities as that is where we have the highest potential. We have also seen that cities like Lucknow, Bhubaneswar and Pune are doing extremely well. We have started going into these markets in terms of a strategy with local dealers who understand the market well. We have also put demonstration centres. The most important thing for this

product is the demonstration. We do not sell the product without giving demonstrations. That is the most important thing for us in terms of selling the product. We started in the

North and our biggest market here is in the North. Last year, we also started in the West. Now we are very strongly entrenched in the West and this year our focus will be on the South and we have simultaneously started in the East. So we have a pan-India presence.”

Talking about the service they offer, he said, “What makes it a different experience for our customers are the little extras that we offer. We are the only ones giving 24/7 helpline in service, 365 days a year. We are a very successful company because once we get associated with a customer, we continue to grow and develop with the customer. Wherever there is a hotel management school,

we generally put a unit there. We try to support the new chefs who are coming. This is the technology for the future, wherever you go in the western world, you will find this technology. We do our demonstrations at such educational institutes and train upcoming chefs.”

Talking about how well Indian food gets cooked in these ovens, he said, “The samosas made in these ovens are all completely oil-free and have the same flavour as oiled samosas. In India, one of our major problems with food is the high level of cholesterol, so this is the answer to that problem. Food outlet chains such as Bittoo tikkiwala and Haldiram

have started to use our equipment. Our equipment is also being used at the Akshardham temple. We are the only company that gives two years of warranty in both labour as well as the parts. There is not a single one in the kitchen industry giving two years warranty. After two years, we conduct a PMC. We have 120 service technicians across India. We have one RATIONAL unit in the Osho ashram which has been running for 18 years now. The average life of these units is more than fifteen years - which is great for a mechanical unit that you are using day-in and day-out.”

Telling us about the challenges he is facing, he said, “My biggest constrain, my biggest limitation is that I cannot change the Indian mindset. Changing the mindset is the biggest challenge.”

He concludes, “We are an example of what even the German companies can do, when everybody says the economy is completely going down in India. For us, its been the contrary and this will continue to happen. We have aggressive plans and are investing a lot in the Indian market. We had a dream run in India and so RATIONAL will not leave.”

supplier talk

Pinaki banerjeeChief Representative - India, RATIONAL

The best part of our success story is that 50 per cent of our customers are from repeat sales. Customers have liked our products and decided to use them again

Nestled in the heart of South Delhi, is the newly-launched Ssence restaurant, in The Suryaa Hotel in New Friends Colony. The

all-day dining outlet is in close proximity to Noida as well as Central Delhi.

The feel of the restaurant is very chic, ur-ban and classy. As one walks in, a spread of delectable buffet dishes greet them at the door. The highlight of the restaurant is the buffet spread across the live-oven in the centre, where one can see the live action behind-the-counters. The multi-cuisine restaurant has 140 covers with two private dining rooms facing the pool and covers an area of 6,500 sq ft. Keeping in sync with the theme of a culinary show-case - Ssence has five live show kitchens.

Led by Chef Sanjay Bahl, Director of Food and Beverage, The Suryaa, the idea behind Ssence was to feature classical dishes from around the world – Indian, Oriental, European and Arabian. It pres-ents a culinary showcase where connois-seurs can satiate their love for all kinds of cuisine. There is something for all kinds of food-lovers – from the very traditional and ‘nawabi’ Indian kebabs from the streets of Lucknow to savoury Italian dishes. “One will find a varied choice ranging from Britain’s favourite Bacon Butty sandwiches

restaurant review

Feast your taste buds@SsenceLamb Tagine


to the evergreen Indian classic Kesar

Parantha Rolls,” explains Pankaj Mathur, General Manager, The Suryaa.

The live-oven offers freshly-baked crois-sants and focaccias. A must try dish at the restaurant is the appetising Galauti Kebabs with Kesar Parantha Rolls. Italian cuisine lovers should not miss out on the delicious Feta Cheese Cigar Rolls in starters! Other scrumptious offerings include Decon-structed Nicoise Salad, Valrhona Chocolate mousse and Amber Duck Consomme from France, Lamb Tagine from Morocco, and Kakori Kebab from Lucknow.

A special brunch menu is on offer on Sundays – to cater to the weekend crowd.There is something for even the young patrons at the restaurant, making it an in-teresting place for family outings. The Kids Corner offers a selection of pizzas, waffles, pancakes, smileys, popcorn and candy floss.

Fine food and superior service are the mantras of the restaurant, as it aims to cater to the youth of the capital, who enjoy fine cuisine. Mathur added, “We have designed the restaurant keeping in the mind the youth of the city. The entire concept is fresh and innovative and will surely appeal to the young crowd. The basic concept behind the restaurant is not just to serve the finest quality of classics but also coupling taste-enhancing drinks with meals to the superiority of service.”

Experimenting with different food cuisines from all across the world, the concept behind the restaurant is to be the next big thing in international cuisine in the capital. “This international restaurant will be a benchmark for other restaurants to follow in terms of the food, design, tech-

nology and service - and have a significant impact on the city’s hospitality scene. We are looking to give Delhi a great new des-

tination for the best of global cuisine,” Mathur said.

Social media is the new word of mouth. So to reach out to the tech-savvy youth, social media marketing is the focus for the restaurant besides using traditional media. Mathur elaborates, “We have clubbed the restaurant with our hotel Facebook page –

The Suryaa New Delhi to reach out to our loyal customers along with the new clientele. Ssence brings out the best in fine food and cuisines and one can indulge in all their favourite dishes from around the world. For, as George Bernard Shaw says, ‘There is no sincerer love than the love of food.’

restaurant review

Feast your taste buds@SsenceSsence is the latest all-day dining outlet which opened

in the capital at The Suryaa. The multi-cuisine restaurant showcases a wide range of culinary delights, where food lovers can satiate their love for all kinds of cuisine.

Shubhi Tandon

Pankaj Mathur GM The Suryaa

Lamb Galouti Kebab with Kesar Parantha Rolls

Nicoise Salad

products & services

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Kurlon has launched a new specialised product - New SpineKare therapeutic mattresses. The New

SpineKare is a specialised product that is specifically manufactured to tend to the users’ spine. Made of memory foam, rubberised coir and bonded foam, the mattress is meticulously designed and developed using ZPP i.e. Zero Pressure Point Technology to provide the right support to the back and the spine.

The mattress is the first of its kind mattress which is made of memory foam with therapeutic and healing benefits. Memory Foam Layer in the mattress readily adapts to body & creates a mould to support the spine and relaxes body while sleeping. The mattress is ideal for professionals who undergo long strenuous & exhausting work hours or people suffering from invariable back and neck discomfort.

Comfort for your spine – Kurlon SpineKare

The SuiGeneris, a privately owned sustainable

development enterprise, recently launched its unique CC Tea in the capital. Prepared exclusively from the leaves of Cymbopogon Citratus, CC tea is naturally caffeine-free and contains no pesticides, fertilisers, added flavours or other additives. It has a soothing aroma and brews into a lustrous green tisane with zesty, clean and tangy flavours. Away from processed teas and artificial flavours, nature’s bounty brings a soothing taste that is truly therapeutic. Cymbopogan Citratus gives a high and rare yield in the tropical land of jewels and its cultivation

is generating gainful employment for thousands of underprivileged women in one of the least developed states of India. Studies indicate that Cymbopogon citratus is an excellent treatment for nervous and gastrointestinal disorders. It packs numerous health benefits and includes a healthy dose of minerals, flavonoids and vitamins.

Caffeine-free and 100% Organic Lemon Grass Tea


products & services

Puratos introduced two new products at Aahar 2014 - the Tegral Puravita

Whole Wheat Bread and the Carat Coverdark Compound. The Puratos India’s Tegral Puravita Whole Wheat Mix offers convenience as it is easy to use. It is a guaranteed constant quality of pure whole wheat and India’s first 100 per cent whole wheat bread mix. The product has a lot of intrinsic health benefits as they contain fibres and numerous other beneficial nutrients which make a perfect contribution to a healthy balanced diet. Consumers are

now much more aware that their staple carbohydrate products, made from highly-refined wheat, had much of their nutritional value stripped out. The Carat Coverdark Compound is a compound chocolate for truffle and enrobing soft products with outstanding quality, made perfectly simple. Puratos has created Carat, a high quality range of compounds for the professional market. Puratos proven know-how in chocolate processing guarantees superior products with excellent taste, texture, shine and viscosities.

Customised furniture for hotels and restaurant

Nutritious and Easy-to-Use Wheat Mix for Chefs

Metal Avenues is a premier company since last fourteen years specialising in furniture for restaurants, cafeteria, banquets, hotel rooms, gardens and pool side,

widely used by hospitality industry & various institutions. The furniture can be made or imported completely to clients’ specifications. They work with all kinds of materials – wood, stainless steel, wrought iron, glass or a combination thereof. The furniture is also imported from six different countries that includes Italy, Malaysia, China & Hong Kong.

Stylish backpacks for students and professionals

Skybags has introduced new range of backpacks. The Brand

has come up with 46 new trendy backpacks which include non-laptop and laptop models in interesting colours and style catering to everyday travel requirement of young students and professionals. Skybags has also introduced a special edition of Polycarbonate Hybrid backpack, taking style to the next level. With the launch of the new backpacks range, Skybags has set a benchmark in backpack industry. The new collection comes in six different series, namely; Neon, Pulse, Surf, Speed, Beetle and Octane.

appointments

JAGMoHAN MISrACountry HeadUnique Global Hotels Alliance

iUnique Global Hotels Alliance announced the appointment

of Jagmohan Misra as the Country Head. Misra has over 33 years of combined experience in the development, project management, operations and launch of some of the leading hotels brands in India. Misra started his career with the Oberoi Hotels in 1978. He was one of the pioneer members in the Hotel Leela Venture and played a crucial role in the signing-up of a MOU with the Four Seasons. Subsequently, he joined the Grand Group to launch the prestigious Goa Intercontinental Resort. He also took-up the role of Vice President and Senior Vice President for The Grand Hotels in Goa, Bangalore and Delhi.

PArAG SAwHNeyGeneral ManagerHilton Chennai

i Hilton Chennai has announced the appointment of Parag

Sawhney as General Manager. Sawhney brings with him 14 years of diverse experience in hotel operations, including food and beverage management, front office management and guest relations among others. Previously, he has worked with brands such as Hotel Kundan Palace, Holiday Inn, Grand Maratha Sheraton in Mumbai, Renaissance Hotel in Dubai and Hilton St. Anne’s Manor and Hilton London Green Park in UK. In his former role as the Director of Operations at Hilton Chennai, he spearheaded the hotel’s focus on consistent quality assurance, implemented customer focussed initiatives and rationalised cost through streamlining of operations.

iInterContinental Hotels Group announced the appointment of Jayne

O’Brien to the position of Senior Vice President of Global Brands. She will be responsible for overseeing the brand vision and strategy across IHG’s global portfolio of nine brands. O’Brien has a rich background in the travel industry. During her 18-year career at British Airways, she served in a number of senior brand marketing and commercial roles. Prior to joining IHG, Jayne served as Chief Marketing Officer for Dubai Properties Group. Previously, she has also worked with the Regus Group as the Chief Marketing Officer. O’Brien graduated from London University and also studied at Zagreb University, Croatia studying Croatian, as well as attending Ashridge Management College and Harvard Business School.

JAyNe o’BrIeNSenior Vice President of Global BrandsIHG

vIkAS SHArMA General Manager Hilton Bangalore Residences

i Hilton Bangalore Residences announced the appointment of Vikas Sharma as General Manager. Sharma, appointed as pre-opening general manager for Hilton Bangalore Residences in December

2012, brings more than two decades of experience in the hospitality industry. In his former role at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Sharma was the general manager for Aloft, Bangalore. Prior to joining Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, he was the general manager for The Chancery Pavilion, Bangalore. Previously, Sharma held several positions in Food and Beverage operations with Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces in Mumbai and Bentota, Sri Lanka. He also served as the Director, Food & Beverage, for InterContinental, New Delhi, and was part of the pre-opening team at the Radisson Hotel, New Delhi.

appointmentsCHANgINgfACES


appointments

PooJA vASwANeyPublic Relations ManagerSofitel Mumbai BKC

INDrAJIt SAHA Executive ChefSofitel Mumbai BKC

iSofitel Luxury Hotels has announced that Pooja Vaswaney has been

appointed as the Public Relations Manager of Sofitel Mumbai, BKC. Vaswaney brings to Sofitel eight years of experience in the hospitality industry, and will be responsible for overseeing the external communications of the hotel, as well as contributing to the growth of the Sales and Marketing functions of the brand. Vaswaney started her career at the Four Seasons Hotel London and moved on to the Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai. She then served as a part of The Westin Mumbai Garden City marketing team as the E-Commerce Manager before moving to her new role at Sofitel.

iSofitel Luxury Hotels has announced that Indrajit Saha has

been appointed as the Executive Chef of Sofitel Mumbai BKC. Responsible for overseeing the gastronomic vertical of the hotel, Chef Saha joins Sofitel Mumbai BKC with over 16 years of experience in the hospitality sector. Joining Sofitel Mumbai BKC with his international knowledge of cultures from the Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf and Spa Resort Hotel, Thailand, Chef Saha will prove as an asset when it comes to enhancing the offerings of the hotel. Previously, he has worked with international hospitality brands in Maldives, Thailand, Djibouti, and Seychelles.

iKumar Sambhav has been appointed as Director Food &

Beverage at The Grand New Delhi. He has over a decade of international and domestic experience in the hospitality industry. Prior to The Grand New Delhi, Sambhav has been associated with Crown Plaza Kochi, The Leela Kempinski Goa, Le Meridien Jaipur, Disney Cruise line, USA. In his current role, he will be responsible for organisational and administrative functions, achieving revenue targets, financial planning and management of the F&B budget and the overseeing conference and events division.

kUMAr SAMBHAvDirector Food & BeverageThe Grand New Delhi

GAGAN DeeP SINGHGeneral Manager Courtyard by Marriott Pune City Centre

i Gagan Deep Singh has been appointed as the General

Manager of Courtyard by Marriott Pune City Centre. Prior to this, he worked as the Director of Operations at JW Marriott Mumbai. He comes with about 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He will be responsible for the smooth functioning of the property. Previously, he has worked with Pune Marriott Convention Centre Hotel. He started his career with the Marriott in 1999. Over the following couple of years, he worked in various F&B roles in JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai, Renaissance Mumbai Hotel and Convention Centre and Lake Side Chalet, Marriott Executive Apartments, Mumbai.

rAJ kAkArlAGeneral ManagerNovotel Kolkata Hotel and Residences

i Raj Kakarla has been appointed as the General Manager at the

Novotel Kolkata Hotel and Residences. He comes with a comprehensive experience of 23 years in the hospitality industry. Before assuming the current responsibilities, Kakarla worked as a General Manager in Oakwood Premier Prestige Bangalore and Oakwood Residence Whitefield Bangalore. Previously, he has also worked with hotels across the world at Stamford Hotels & Resorts, Australia; Stamford Grand Adelaide, South Australia; Stamford Plaza Adelaide, South Australia; Heritage Hotel & Towers, Auckland, New Zealand; Skycity Auckland, New Zealand and Shangri-La Kathmandu.

rAJNeeSH MAlHotrAGeneral ManagerRadisson Blu Plaza Hyderabad

i Radisson Blu Plaza Hyderabad appoints Rajneesh Malhotra as the

General Manager. Prior to this posting, Malhotra led the opening teams and managed operations of Radisson Blu Suites Gurgaon, Radisson Blu Indore, Radisson Blu Nagpur and Park Plaza Noida as the Executive Director of Bestech Hospitalities. He has over 23 years of experience working with hotels and restaurants in India and United States of America. He holds a Master’s in Business Administration and has a proven track record of driving revenue and GOP targets. He will oversee the operations of the hotel with focus on highest level of guest satisfaction.

events

Celebrating Polo in style at The Taj Mahal Hotel

To celebrate the Spring Season Polo 2014 and International Polo Day, The Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi, along

with the Indian Polo Association, hosted a spectacular cocktail reception at the hotel. The gala evening witnessed the presence of guests from the polo fraternity that included Siddhant Sharma, Gaurav Sahgal, Simran Shergill, Shaffik Bin Mustaffa, Ben Yen Ling, Husaini Bin Yunus from the Indian and Malaysian International Polo Teams making it a memorable celebration. The crème de la crème of the city were seen having a great time. World renowned singer Nio Renee captivated the audience with her

mesmerising performance. Canadian harpist Annalisa Underhay created magic with her harp and enchanted the guests adding to the charm of the evening. Speaking on the occasion, Satyajeet Krishnan, General Manager, The Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi said, “We are delighted to host this spectacular evening for our guests. It has been a privilege to be associated with the Indian Polo Association since the past many seasons. Our endeavour has been to aid awareness of this fine sport and bring to the people of Delhi the highest level of Polo in the country including international participation.”

Accolades received at Aahar 2014

p (L-R) Harpreet Singh Sethi, Owner, Feather Touch Ceramics; Malay Shrivastava, Executive Director, ITPO; Rita Menon, CMD, ITPO; Dalel Singh, GM, ITPO; and Pradeep Singh, Feather Touch Ceramics

Feather Touch Ceramics won the Bronze in the

Hospitality Segment for Domestic Participants at Aahar 2014. Harpreet Singh Sethi and Pradeep Singh, Feather Touch Ceramics received the award.

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The sixth edition of Lavasa Women’s Drive (LWD), India’s largest women’s car rally, saw

2000 women drive to Lavasa from Mumbai and Pune. In Mumbai, the flag-off event was a star-studded affair with Bollywood celebrities like Kunal Kapoor, Manish Paul, Ashmit Patel and Elli Avram flagging the cars and boosting the morale of the spirited women. Anuradha Paraskar, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales,

Lavasa Corporation Limited said, “Lavasa Women’s Drive has grown bigger, setting new milestones with each passing year. This year the participants collectively polled a record 32 lakh votes to get themselves selected for the drive. The drive has emerged as a platform for the modern Indian women to show their indomitable spirit by taking up new challenges and boldly display their concerns on issues affecting women.

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts crowned the ultimate winners of its Dressed to Rest design contest at finale events which took place in India, Japan, Singapore

and the UAE, coinciding with World Sleep Day on March 14, 2014. Nikita Taneja, from Pearl Academy, claimed the title of the grand winner in India. Her design was comfortable, elegant, and stylish which signifies the real corporate women of today. The India finale was held at Crowne Plaza Today Gurgaon and saw 10 aspiring design students from Pearl Academy bring to life their shortlisted sketches by creating the sleepwear mock-ups. Theresa Pragasam-Sidhu, Director Brand Management, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, said, “At Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, it’s important our guests get a great night’s sleep so they’re rejuvenated and ready for a hard day’s work. Being able to create that comfort factor, yet look stylish at the same time was the major challenge of this competition and the grand winners have really delivered. I’ve been extremely impressed by the level of talent and creativity in all the designs.”

Crowne Plaza announces design contest winners

Lavasa Women’s Drive records 32 lakh votes

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technology

The event witnessed an interactive panel discussion with industry stalwarts expressing their concerns on the distribution model and

sharing best practices. Mike Kistner, Chief Executive Officer, RezNext was the moderator for the panel discussion.

Adopting digital platformsAcross the three cities, panelists were of the same opinion that online distribution is very important to their business and that in the coming years, the contribution from this channel to their business would be very significant. According to Sharad Bhargava, Associate Director Business Development, Golden Tulip Hotels, Gurgaon, “We are in now a brave new online world of mobile action, emerging OTAs, meta searches, travel reviews, social media and analytics. Failure to adopt digital platforms in marketing strategy may be suicidal for hotels.”

Rate strategyRate strategy was also discussed in length and according to Rakhi Purohit, Regional Director of Revenue & Distribution India & Middle East, Absolute Hotel Services India, “Using opaque channels is a good strategy for hotels to drive in business as it would not dilute their rate in the market. Identifying

individual segments which drive business to standalone or group of hotels is also of utmost important.”

Integrated revenue management systemThe leaders also were in agreement that the hospitality industry could take cues from the distribution strategies adopted by the airline industry to arrive at an efficient distribution model for hotels. Don Wilson, Senior Vice President, Revenue Management, Maxim RMS, spoke about how airlines hike their price last minute while hotels on the other hand were used to slashing rates to deal with the competition. “Hotels are pressurised to normally sell their rooms at a lower price closer to arrival because of competitive pressures. Without a scientific rate strategy

in place, most often hotels give into the pressure and sell at lower rates. However if hotels relied on an advanced integrated revenue management solution, they would then be equipped with the intelligence to deal with last minute scenarios,” he added.

Mike Kistner, Chief Executive Officer, RezNext spoke about the real-time distribution model and its advantages. He said, “The real-time distribution model allows hotels to display their rates and inventory real-time on the electronic distribution channels. All bookings, modifications and cancellations also happen at real-time and are automatically updated into the hotel property management system. This automates the booking process saving several hours spent on updating bookings and cancellations

received otherwise via email and then entered manually in the property management solution. It also avoids any manual processing errors that result in missing a booking, wrong guest information or wrong rates, which can leads to an unhappy guests and the risk of a bad review. RezNext provides a real-time distribution solution for the industry allowing hoteliers to be in complete control of their room distribution business. “

Hotel Distribution Services:Best Practices

The hospitality industry empowerment summit organised by RezNext and IDS Next saw hospitality leaders come together to address important issues in the hotel distribution business in India. The summit was held across three cities Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.


RNI No. DELENG/2000/1230Posting Date 15-21 (Every Month)

Postal Reg. No. DL-(C)-01/1294/2012-2014 at MBC-1Date of Publication 12-4-2014

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