The final part of the Success Formula urges you to
peer into your personal and corporational soul, chalk out the ‘right’ way of
doing things and outline an ethical business practice.
1.
In Step with the Universe
In today’s maniacal times of global warming and the
havoc it is unleashing on our lives, every individual and organization is
carrying a cross stemming from all the bad things we have done collectively to
our environment and the good things we did not have good sense or better
planning to bring into effect so as to undo the bad. As people or companies, we
can be easily put in the dock for incessantly leaving warning levels of huge
carbon footprints on the Universe whose sole purpose is to nourish and nurture
us. And for that, we just have to pay the price, as we already are beginning
to.
Each step we take towards reducing our carbon
emissions counts. When I was working with the local Hyatt in India’s Capital
City back in the mid 90s, we formed an ‘Environment Brigade’ and as cause
espousing crusaders went about strategizing to save different forms of energy
and resources wherever we could, without short-changing guest comfort. We also
looked outside and started participating in larger societal issues. There have
been other chains who take on matters that deal with tree plantation,
management of green islands around, water effluent systems, harvesting of solar
energy or the rainwater. The possibilities are countless.
I was impressed with the heated towel rack at Rokeby
Manor and had no qualms about hanging the wet, used towel over it, knowing well
that by the time I returned to the room it would be nicely warm and dry. The
resort has moved over from heavy duty heaters to air conditioners as the latter
consume less energy. Also by providing small heaters in bathrooms they increase
the option of greater control over energy consumption. Rokeby is also geared
towards low wastage in most other areas too – they proudly run their own laundry
which helps them keep a check on cleanliness and dithering of resources. The
kitchens too are tuned into churning out homemade preserves and breads.
Lesson - As companies
that deal essentially with people – both on the inside and outside, hotels have
a huge role to play in striving to curb the menace and wind the clock back on
the damages done. No wonder, big hotel chains are attempting to be in unison
with the Universe by going green and trying to increasingly be more
environment-friendly.
2.
Sense of humour
Having a sense of humour helps in several ways! It
saves your skin on a bad hair day, gives your brand personality an edge,
becomes a conversation starter with the guests and leaves a nice after-feeling
with them.
Rob Palleschi, global head, Hilton Hotels &
Resorts, not only oversees Hilton Worldwide's flagship brand and leads a
portfolio of more than 550 hotels and resorts across six continents, he is also
a master strategist. In a case study done by Bulldog Reporter, Palleschi shared
how his Group employed humour to change mindset and grow the client base from
business travelers to include leisure. The idea was also to grow sales as a
leisure travel destination. “We used humour to create a campaign around
‘vacationitis.’ We worked with our internal and external partners to create a
funny campaign that featured the tongue-in-cheek interactive microsite, ‘Hilton
Urgent Vacation Care Center.’ The site featured a vacation diagnostic test that
determined how "sick" visitors were and gave them custom
prescriptions that involved stays at Hilton Hotels & Resorts properties
around the globe,” reveals Rob Palleschi.
Rokeby Manor is replete with this positive attribute
– in a thoughtful wall art placed at the Business Centre, a quirky lamp on the
restaurant terrace, mugs with messages on the front porch and most of all the
Guest Services handbook that tells you three is company when offering you an
extra bed, promises to keep you warm and toasty with the heaters, defines
‘happiness as a nice hot cuppa with a slice of cake in The Tea Garden.’
Rokeby Manor’s sister establishment – Tabor Cottage
- is dotted with hilarious signages picked up from curio shops in London – from
urging Hippies to use the backdoor to giving a philosophical advice on marriage
or life to telling the guest not to sing, dance or swear as it was a
Respectable house they were stepping into – the abundantly displayed humour
keeps the guests cheerful and in a good mood regardless of the seriousness of
the business they have come to conduct.
Lesson - When you do
things with a zing, you manage to suffix extra to the otherwise ordinary and
carve a little niche for your brand. The humour helps alleviate many a
hairy-hoary situation, leaving guests feeling more forgiving should you have
erred or relaxed should the heat – circumstantial or climatic – be on a high.
And like in the Hilton example it helps in creating more business too!
3.
Being Socially Responsible
At one of the international chains I worked with, we
committed ‘X’ number of volunteering hours to be spent with inhabitants of a
Blind Relief Society. At another place, we kicked off a cleanliness drive on
World Environment Day and carried the ardour through the year not only to clean
up the neighbourhood but also prominent riversides and beaches in designated
cities.
In a 2009 Study on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility
in the Hospitality Industry,’ Professor Christine Lynn, Ph.D. states that
“Disaster management, such as needed after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, found
several takers from prominent global chains. Best Western, Hilton group, Accor,
Intercontinental, and Six Senses committed over $2.5 million, and other chains
also provided aid.”
Brands that do good also do well – a Study in 2003 HSMAI Marketing Review gives an example of
social inclusiveness. “Marriott’s “Pathways
to Independence” program puts welfare recipients through
rigorous training to enable
them to move into employment positions with Marriott,” the Study cites. “Charity
is
good, but integrated pro-poor activities such as these enable people to help themselves out of
poverty
while at the same time benefitting the benefactor,” reasserts Lynn.
Sanjay Narang, the young entrepreneur-owner of
Rokeby Manor has ambitious plans. He believes in ‘incorporated development’ and
wishes to move ahead with an ‘inclusive approach.’ Narang avers that since
Independence India has not built a hill town and he plans to build a hill
township in the Uttarakhand hills and a college town akin to what may be found
in the Swiss Alps. He plans to create world-class colleges, tie up with some of
the Ivy League universities and ensure that at least 25% of the students are
taken from the deserving children of the lower strata.
In March, every
year, Rokeby organizes a big ticketed event with a major Rock Music festival
with bands from all over the world plus the local Woodstock band; so as to
promote music and give a sound platform to the local talent – a platform which
acts like a springboard for the young musicians.
Already, Narang’s Company works with many schools
and assists in rebuilding and upgrading them. In Mumbai, they work in slums to
rehabilitate battered women. Narang believes in doing a lot of charity work
directly and not just in donating funds. His big goal is to be able to “give
100% of his profits and plough it back into the society resourcefully.”
In a Paper titled ‘Corporate social responsibility: What are
top hotel companies reporting?’ that appeared in the 2007 edition of the International
Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, J. L. Holcomb, R.S. Upchurch
and F. Okumus write that “Eight out of the ten top hotel companies (80%), as
designated by Hotels magazine (official publication of the International Hotel
and Restaurant Association), reported giving charitable donations, 60% reported
having diversity policies, and 40% mentioned social responsibility as part of their
company mission statements. The top ten hotel companies’ web sites and annual
reports were analyzed and the information found was categorized into community,
environment, marketplace, vision and values, and workforce. Hilton Corporation
was found to have the most comprehensive CSR reporting. Marriot came in as
second most comprehensive and the Accor hotel group was third.”
Lesson - There are
several benefits at so many different levels to being socially responsible. If
you are a conscientious, socially responsible corporate then you are viewed as
a wholesome leader of the pack, are respected by customers on both ends of the
fence – the employees look up to you and the guests hold you in high esteem,
your brand recall value is far greater than when you put in large percentage of
your earnings into hugely expensive media plans. What’s more, being socially
responsible not only makes you look good, it makes you feel better.
There is no better approach to imprint your positive
image on the collective mindscape of your target audience and to leave,
inarguably, an indelible footprint on the global hospitality stratosphere.
4.
Challenge Yourself
In the continuously evolving world of hospitality,
change is the only constant. The guest profile is changing, they are becoming
more discerning, the co-players are devising new methods to play the business
game, the infrastructure and technology are always in the shake, rattle,
refresh and renew mode. With so much going on, the solution lies in challenging
yourself and upping your antenna for upward growth.
Sitting atop a hill in a mountain town, away from
the route of direct access, Rokeby Manor – the rustic home in the mountains -
has been setting its own rules and playing well by them. From getting all kinds
of stuff required to run a modern hotel including raw material to shaping the
mindset of the locally hired staff (that needs constant training, regular
follow-up and a lot of patience), Rokeby has been meeting it’s unique set of
challenges with measured success. “Putting ourselves in the place of the guest
and seeing everything from the guest’s perspective makes things easy,” shares
Sanjay Narang.
“Being located in the ‘no new construction zone’
sometimes we have to find an unusual route for say an exhaust pipe through old
thick walls to give it a vent out. It is a challenge but the end result is
hugely satisfying,” explains Narang proud of what he has created.
When I moved on from an established brand to an old
hotel that had been languishing in a decrepit condition for long, we had a huge
mandate on hand. As part of the Change Agent Team, the big challenge staring
back at us was to turn around the Brand completely and restructure, reposition,
redevelop and thereby rebrand it. The task was monumental for each of us and as
integral cogs in the wheel we all had to be well-oiled to deliver beyond briefs
and expectations. From redoing the look with new construction, new upholstery,
uniforms, linen, flatware we took a comb through the way things were done and
brought in up-to-date policies and procedures, wrote new manuals and put in
place benchmarked new best practices. Having done all that, a bigger challenge
lay ahead of us. We had to reshape mindsets and change our guest profile – from
the earlier mix of old, retired Government officials who dropped in for tea or
dining and East European backpackers who kept the tariff down to telling the
world that we were now there to be spoken of in the same breath as the world’s
finest and were ready to host the luxury business and leisure traveller from
any corner of the globe.
The end result – each of us who worked on this
majorly challenging assignment has shaped into a consummate hotelier, been
privileged to handle such a wonderful, path breaking professional assignment
and is proud to have left a rich legacy that is talked about with respect in
the hoteliering circles.
Lesson – Whether It is
launching a new hotel or relaunching an old one (the latter being a more
difficult task), exploring new markets, reinforcing presence in the markets we
have existed in, retraining team on new practices and insights, relooking at
new ways to conduct business, increasing the bandwidth of our guest profile and
wishing to establish our toehold in heretofore untouched segments, introducing
new concepts and newer technology, the world of hotels is always poised to
present unlimited challenges to us. And it is in our interest to bite the
bullet, not only be prepared to turn all the professional handicaps into aces
that underline the success but to upset our apple cart, step away from our
comfort zone and go out looking for challenging frontiers to put our personal
flags on.
That is the only way forward!
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Picture courtesy - Google Images
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