TOP TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR HOTELIERS!

Commandments are those revered principles that guide us on to the right path, nudge us back into action and advise us on the universally respected do’s and don’ts.  Every time we hit a roadblock – the external ravages on our time or the internal gnawing that end up being so detrimental to our productivity, it makes sense to reflect on the professional commandments to be the guiding light in times of professional overcast-ness.

Here is a quick list of Top Ten Commandments to breathe new energy into your work lives and to help you revisit your work practices in order to make your professional ride less bumpy and more rewarding. One wise tip – this is a list that we should be sensible and astute enough to keep.

SMILE WHEN SPEAKING ON THE PHONE

We, as hoteliers, have been told the importance of the above innumerable times. And this does not just hold good for Guest Relations or Sales staff. It applies to all – whether you open doors, carry luggage, devise strategies, cook award winning meals, pour the glass of expensive wine or sit in the corner office managing the entire show.

It is a proven fact and a golden rule of training that people can ‘see’ you smile over a telephonic conversation. And smiling when speaking on the phone (and in these times on Skype, chats, Vimeo or what have you) is a surefire clincher for a deal and the super glue that has the propensity to seal your business relationship.

Whether you are a PR person, a journalist, a service provider, a client, a telecaller, a smile is the perfect bridge over which you should lug your professional wares; even when dishing out something that may not be too palatable.

REPLY / RESPOND / REVERT

No matter how busy you are and which chair you fill up, there is just no excuse for you not to reply to anything addressed to you. In fact, it is plain bad manners if you don’t.

I once had a boss who would respond to everybody on every message that he received – himself and not through his secretary – even as he ran one hell of a busy show at work. One great lesson I learned from him – as long as you respond, even with a word or a line you have covered a lot of ground.

And today, with all those smart phones, palm tops, voice-controlled software occupying our communication space, there is just no getting away from minding this facet of our professional p’s and q’s.

BE COURTEOUS

Actually, what triggered the thought process for this piece was a brief and hugely curt (impinging on rude) exchange with a career consultant. Yes, you heard me right! A consultant who earns his bread and butter from dealing with clients in an extremely people-centric job profile! The person on the other side had given out her name as the contact person to a job posted out; which means that she was willing to receive queries or had been put in this role by her superior – in both cases it was her job to handle such queries. Our conversation started with an abrupt verbal whack of a crude ‘Yes’ as the manner of addressing a phone call and stayed largely monosyllabic in content and monotonic in character. The result of this acerbic dialogue was, as expected, unpleasant – the lady with her un-lady like and unprofessional behaviour teased out the aggressive side of me, put herself in a spot where she could have been flagellated, set the unfriendly tone for the conversation which she would have difficulty in retracting, formed an image of her in my mind that told me that either she was not happy with her job or with what she was asked to do or simply that she was not a happy and pleasant person in the first place.

In the area of hospitality, we are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen; as the Ritz Carlton Hotel Company so beautifully describes. And this holds true for every service sector; actually to the non-service ones too. I am reminded of the patriarch of the Indian hotel industry, who I have had the pleasure and privilege to work with and who would always address me in his rich baritone as ‘Ms. Dhir’ – an employee on some rung on the executive ladder in one of his hotels. He set a fine example and chalked out a wonderful template to be emulated by all his employees, whichever of his hotels they worked in, in whatever country.

If you are taking the trouble to step out from the cozy comfort of your hearth and go out into the big bad and competitive world of work – to make a name or living or moolah or all – you owe it to the world and your professional persona to be courteous, always, even when your patience, intellect, wit and wisdom are sorely tried. There is just no other way, buddy.

BE GRATEFUL

In the professional cosmos, attitude enjoys the same pride of place as does aptitude. And your attitude will be defined to a large extent by this basic approach to life. You have a job, a good job that pays you well, recognizes your contribution and allows you to grow; then there is a lot going for you to be grateful for. In the cosmic sphere of work and in life itself, it pays to be karmic and somewhat spiritual about the station you are placed in and the destination you are driving towards.

What the heck, in today’s times of global recession and retrenchment, just having a job that pays is one hell of a reason to be grateful for.

A sense of gratitude will keep you grounded and help you not be a stuffed shirt that nobody ever likes. Besides, the attitude you throw into the Universe always comes back to haunt or enchant you, as the case may be.

BE A CORPORATE SOCIAL CITIZEN

With the shrunk global boundaries and innumerable bridges built on the information superhighway and business networks, you cannot just keep yourself isolated in your corner of the office in that part of the world.

With protests playing out on Twitter, causes finding windows of visibility on Facebook, issues being thrashed out in intellectually stimulated forums on LinkedIn, stay aloof at your own risk.

Now, much more than before, there is enough opportunity for us to align ourselves with causes that speak to us and in the process get our organizations involved. Being responsible and conscientious as an individual paves the way; and getting all that corporate muscle of your organization behind you provides a remarkable fillip to the causes espoused.

Warren Buffet, Bill and Melinda Gates, Azim Premji, Oprah Winfrey are known as much for their philanthropic pursuits as for their business acumen and for appearing on the lists of World’s most famous, most influential and rich. With such examples before us, why wouldn’t we want to join the league!

NO WATER COOLER MOMENTS OF ADDING TO THE GRAPEVINE

We have been told by our mothers first and then by our bosses, that what goes around comes around. If you dish the muck out, it is bound to splatter on you.

No matter how much relief, momentary pleasure or feeling of getting back to somebody this nasty habit brings, we should resist this sordid escape route from stress and look out for brighter, more positive and fruitful avenues to make it a win-win situation.

I cherish the reputation I have built on honesty, integrity, hard and clean work. I am not willing to compromise that and I am, certain, no well-bred professional worth his salt would wish to. 

When we have so many positive and exciting choices available to vent out our ire – social media for one; when there are discussion forums where we can share our feedback and learn from others’ experiences in a positively motivated manner away from the pettiness; then why would I want to be known as the person who cannot be trusted, who has a weak mouth and a weaker gut.

POLISH UP THE ABC OF MY BEHAVIOUR

My behavior is a reflection of my personality. My behavior is a wholesome whole of the subsets of my thoughts, prejudices and beliefs. With this monumental legacy straddling on my behavior, I cannot afford to shortchange it for something less exemplary. Besides, I can only control my actions guided by my behavior and cannot be held responsible for other’s reactions. Hence, I better learn to keep my yard clean first.

Here’s my crisp ABC -

Enthusiasm in my Attitude – as it helps me be more productive, is infectious, assists me in sailing through choppy seas at work and rise and shine even when it’s overcast.

Buddy Up with the team and bulldoze to tease out the best talent in all so that the common pool of excellence always strives to create, innovate and perform remarkably. 

Compassion in my Character – It is an age old Tao that I have no business to judge others unless and until I have walked their unique paths. Just as in life, in the sanitized sanctum of office too, we need to show compassion to our peers, our subordinates and yes to our bosses as well.

BE RESPONSIBLE

For my words, for my actions, for my portfolio, for my team and its actions. And never think of passing the buck. With responsibility come great rewards, greater recognition and a far bigger sense of accomplishment.

When we get into our careers, we always anticipate an upward growing graph which is the barometer of what we learn along the way and more importantly, how much and of what value we contribute back. It is being responsible that puts us in a happily receptive place for greater heights and hurrahs.

BE CLEAR IN MY COMMUNICATION

No adding to the confusion. No being verbose, needlessly. No increasing the information overload without the gravitas. No using unnecessary jargon.

Whatever be your line of expertise and choice of vocation, clarity in communication is one of your biggest assets. It helps you be unambiguous and be clearly understood. Plus all that headache and loss of time you save yourself from when something is said and something completely else is unwittingly grasped. What a nightmare of an office situation that is!

BE A SOLUTION SEEKER TO THE PROBLEM AND NOT BE THE PART OF THE PROBLEM

There are enough of us releasing hot air in meetings, raking up issues on email, taking to the equivalent of temper tantrums at work; instead of bringing calm to a turbulent situation, soothing out frayed nerves, bringing sense to the table, giving solace to team members and generally being the ‘sweep soul staff’ who could endeavour to keep the place clean, harmonious and balanced on an even keel.

There will always be problems at work – personnel-related, business-centric, performance (or the lack thereof) – led, market-induced, competition-created, economic, political, even ethnic or religiously motivated. What will make you stand out as a leader will be your accent on these situations, the ability to right the wrong, the perspicacity to influence others, to assist the management to steer to more stable waters and above-all to add to the bottomline as problems unhandled or mishandled are directly proportional to business adversely affected.

Have a wonderful journey on your careerway and continue to be the star, both as a person and a professional!

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Have You Tasted Your Own Pie!

For a family birthday recently, we decided to pick up a specialty cake from a well-known chain of Coffee shops. Gradually they are gaining currency for their fare and we decided to give them a try. We selected a sinful looking type with a heart of butter scotch and caramel, dark chocolate exterior that was topped with more dark chocolate lattices. With three of our favourite ingredients we couldn’t have gone wrong, yet we wanted affirmation from the Cafe staff about the perfectness of our choice. I asked the teller and then the Outlet Manager what they thought about it and they said it was a good pick. I then asked them if they had tried it. The teller drew a blank and the Manager tried to hide behind a non-committal nod leaving my query unanswered.

Then there have been servers working in establishments ranging from a seasoned American pizzeria franchise to the newbie French Patisserie & Boulangerie, who have failed to deliver the perfect order or provide correct information about the ingredients that have gone into making a particular dish. 

We were staying at a mountain resort a few months ago and asked the F&B Manager for his recommendation. While there were a couple of things he could suggest, the rest of the menu he was clueless about.  Yes, it was the F&B Manager and he had not had the chance or taken the trouble to test the entire menu out.  His lack of first-hand knowledge about the wares of his hotel led us to have one bad meal at the place, coercing us to give a mental black mark to the resort in an otherwise wonderful stay. 

The Joys of Knowing Your Own Product

This may or should not happen with larger chains with their big strategies and immaculate planning. I have been witness to elaborate menu tasting sessions where all related folk – from General Manager to the Kitchens and F&B Brigade – spend delirious and divine afternoons testing the restaurant menu changes tasting dish after dish in a state of gastronomic debauchery. Sometimes, our warriors in white have been generous enough to invite the Excom to combine work with pleasure in a benthamitic exercise, getting us to become wiser about what our restaurants offer on the whole, share our opinion and along the way become more informed brand ambassadors.

Yet, I’ve had mushrooms raise their heads in my risotto in spite of telling the order taker that they are anathema to me. I’ve been agreed with for a service in the suite and then have the Front Office Assistant sheepishly backtrack because he didn’t know better. Don’t you recall the times when you went ahead to expect a certain feature tom-tommed by the greeting Concierge only to have the Guest Relations Manager issue an apology on the non-occurrence of it! There have been times in all our hotel interfaces when the General Manager has had to give an explanation just because the ill-experienced PR Assistant had up-sold some facets which we had come to expect but were still a long way off from the Brand’s reach or plan. 

Price to Pay

From a Pizza Hut to a star hotel, there have been innumerable times when we have been served up the wrong fare only because the maître d’hôtel or the man of the moment was ill-advised and inexperienced. In fact, at a competition hotel once, an Editor friend’s husband was presented with a platter of the crucifying crustacean even after the hotel had been informed about the gentleman’s specific food allergy causing him to have a swollen tongue, choking bout and severe reaction. It cost the hotel its reputation and brought upon both, harsh backlash and a bad review. That was a small price to pay; because severe food allergies in some cases can also prove fatal.

It’s not just food. It goes over to the other products that your brand / hotel sells – for instance the incomparable range of beverages, that fantastic tea menu with those exotic names on the list, definitely the rooms & suites, of course the spa or specialty merchandise showcased in your boutique shop.

Ways to Ensure Staff Are Familiar with Offerings

When one of the hotels I used to work for was unveiling its world-class new rooms and suites with all the mod-cons and trappings that any top brand could offer – from French linen and bath amenities, Danish television sets, rich Indian weave throws, crystal vases, Lalique lights, original art on the walls and remarkably super-luxe routine of services covering turndown, in-room and entertainment – the astute VP & GM worked out a roster along with the Rooms Division Head for all the key Executive Committee members and Department Heads to try the rooms & suites out for a night with their respective spouses. We were supposed to try out ALL the services during our stay, the spouse lending the outside eye into the exercise and fill out an exhaustive feedback form on both the hard and soft aspects of facilities and service. I think that was a fantastic way to have staff learn about the new facets, internalize them and then stand on confident ground to sell, promote, up-sell or cross-sell the product, as the case may have been.

My soul child recounted a similar exposure at a Pizza chain she worked with during one of her summer holidays. For every up-sell or for exceeding the target, the trainee would get a free Sundae or Gourmet Pizza. This way, the management not only offered a neat, happy incentive but also ensured that the entire menu had been tried by the front-of-the-line sales staff.

Hotels are in the business of selling experience. Guests come and live in the rooms, eat at the restaurants, relax by the pool or in the Spa, shop in the arcades. These experiences are partaken of by all the five senses. Hotels have a much longer shelf life and recall value. Guests keep returning to places they have had a fantastic stay in. It is a people-centric business, created by people and plattered out to people. So, it really does make sense for the team to have experienced firsthand the product they are employed to serve up and showcase.

What Ignorance Looks Like

Staff who have not experienced their own product cut a sorry figure in front of guests – from close at home quarters or distant shores – who can come up with just about any query – what’s the best soup on the menu, what on earth is oolong tea and what does it taste like, which masseuse has the most magical hands at the health club, which aromatherapy oil works like a miraculous antidote to jet lag, how far is the next-door golf club really, is the award-winning entrée we read about on Tripadvisor still served at the Hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant and what does it really contain?

“Is it” is an easy question to answer. It can be learned from manuals or in training sessions and repeated ad verbatim. It is “how” that can cause all the trouble. Sample this - “Is the mattress good?” asks the guest. The Lobby Manager showing the room or the Executive Housekeeper welcoming the guest or the Chambermaid providing the turndown are all tutored to respond with a standard – “yes, it is one of the best. It is made with medium to firm innerspring coil or is exclusively of fine foam to ensure excellent support and a comfortable night’s sleep.” But wait till the guest hits you with the next barrage of questions – “How firm is it? Will it be easy on my back? Will I be able to get a good, uninterrupted shut-eye? I quite hate the ones I have used at Brand X. I hope yours are not the same?” A cookie-cutter ‘yes’ to all and a standard parrot-like response will quickly sift the chaff from the informed, experienced grain that knows his product like the back of his hand and can help the guest feel confident and comfortable with the product.

Turning A Staff Member into that Committed Brand Ambassador

It was the autumn of 2001 and I had just returned from a fellowship in the United States. While I was away, the chain I used to work for had fully launched its Vilas top-end properties that we had all been preparing for before my sabbatical. I used to head the Communications Department for the Chain’s property in India’s capital city but had the privilege to work very closely with the Corporate Office. I was in tandem with the Corporate Communications Office for all the international Press visits from our top source markets. Imagine my chagrin and embarrassment at the initial few FAMs when I was quizzed about the exquisite vilases by the visiting journalists and all I could recite was what I was reading in the brochures like them. I was upset at not knowing enough, at not having experienced the peerless properties myself; yet being treated by the unsuspecting foreign media as an expert Brand Ambassador.  For the media, all of us were on the same side of the fence. For them, it did not matter whether I was the Unit head and not from the sanctum sanctorum of the Corporate office. I was a Brand representative; they could have asked me anything expecting the perfect responses to all they wished to know.

Finding myself at a disadvantage I walked into my General Manager’s office, expressed my disappointment and shared how I felt it was embarrassing for the Company too. The bright boss did not wish to spend too much time discussing what was an obvious issue, agreed with the larger objective, got the due permissions from the President’s office and sent me packing on a three-city tour to stay in the three jewels that the Chain had just unveiled. I came back with information that was etched on my mind, reinforced by the superlative services in the ethereally designed edifices of awe-inspiring, spell-binding hospitality. Then on, I needn’t have consulted a brochure. My press releases and backgrounders on these jewels had that extra punch and my personal representation of these products to the media – well what can I say. They saw the Vilases through my eyes and experienced it first with me before setting foot themselves.

If you want to turn a staff member into that committed brand ambassador you must have them experience the product, enjoy its finer elements and identify with it closely for stronger brand affiliation and greater representation that cuts above training manuals and modules.

Don’t make the oft-repeated mistake of training a department or team in just its own area. You must plan out to give cross-training and cross-exposure. I’ve been asked about who does our flowers? Which brand of gold-rimmed show plates are used in the French Brasserie? How does the Hotel store its wine? Is the hotel equipped to handle special ability guests and how? A bellboy may be quizzed about the best temperature control in the rooms and a personal butler could be enlisted for advice on the most appropriate choice for supper to soothe the upset belly or a potion to tame a splitting headache. The permutations are endless. All you can do is rise to the occasion or shine out as a stellar example for housing the excellently trained, most well-informed team that knows its product because they have experienced it themselves!

Let the team have its pie and eat the cake too! 

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Note - Picture Courtesy - Google Images

SCENT OF A HOTEL - Part Two

The trend of adopting a signature scent is not as new as we may think. Perhaps because hotels have to be enticing enough to have guests really wish to visit them and choose them over another, there must be facets that are distinguishing. Also, hotels are really an experience-based industry; hence they must be able to ensnare all the five senses of the guest, smell being no less important.

Tycoon Steve Wynn set the tradition, as early as 1990, for casinos by using the vents at The Mirage to release a scent. Today, the Wynn Las Vegas boasts its very own olfactory logo in Asian Rain.

Hotel literature has it that, The Westin was the first major hotel brand to globally announce a signature scent for its hotels back in 2005.

Fragrance Experts Are the Secret

It is not uncommon to see hotels contract well-known fragrance experts, perfume inventers and perfumers to develop bespoke house fragrances. La Mamounia in Marrakech and Hotel Costes in Paris have employed celebrity noses to do a bit of sniffing for them. “Here at La Mamounia the unique fragrance has been developed by Olivia Giacobetti. It is an intriguing mix of dates, rose and cedar that rises up to define the essence of the legendary hotel almost seraphically,“ offers Pierre Jochem, the General Manager.

Le Meridian appointed Le Labo, a New York based boutique perfumer to develop an exclusive woody, leathery note for their hotels. Le Labo was also commissioned by the legendary hotelier, Ian Schrager, to develop a unique scent for New York located Gramercy Park Hotel.

Rare Scents and Quality Ecological Products

The more chic and tony the hotel, the more exclusive is the smell it will choose to adopt as its own. While Vanilla, citrus, fig and green tea notes are usually preferred, the more different and hard to find or place your scent, the more it becomes sought after and remembered.

“At J Brand, smell, the most evocative of the senses, is a vital part of the experience. We are commissioning one of Asia’s most famous and insightful “nez” to develop a customized scent crafted from 100% essential oils. With an exceptional range of purely natural products and highly developed room scenting technology, we are creating the optimal scent experience for our spaces. All of the essential oils will be generated using environmentally friendly plants and therefore meet the growing need of people for purity. The high quality ecological products also represent the highest levels of sustainability,” offers Timur Senturk, Managing Director, J Hotel Shanghai Tower underlining his Company’s ‘responsible hoteliering’ philosophy.

The olfactory onslaught, delivered through the hotel’s heating and cooling systems, pretty aroma lamps, tactfully placed atomizers or ingeniously built in lighting diffusers, is indeed a special touch that has a decisively lingering presence on the guest’s mind in the most subliminal way.

Simon Harrop, the CEO of UK based Brand Sense Agency, champions the relevance of signature scents in hotels. He gives a time-tested example from the sister travel business when he shares, “Singapore Airlines has a branded scent used in all of its planes, a light sweet scent like pure steam from fresh rice.”  He tells us that scent branding has been used in the travel industry since the mid-1970s. “If you’re booking a flight with SQ, you’ll find it that much harder to go with the competition because the Singapore scent builds the brand in the limbic system,” emphasizes Harrop.

Signature Scents for Sale

Some hotels are milking this already purposeful branding opportunity for larger gain and effect. Like The Plaza, there are others that are bottling up their signature scents and letting the guests buy the vials, sprayers or candles for later use.

Hotel Vermont in Burlington, Vt. enamours its guests with a heady mix of cedar wood and lavender in its lobby along with a signature linen mist – both of which have been developed in consultation with established aroma therapist Leyla Bringas of Lunaroma. As a first, Hotel Vermont also presents a unique aromatherapy menu for its guests to choose from, but more on that later.   

Patrick Hen, in his Study “Emotional Brand management using Scent: the Effect of Scent on the Perception and Rating of Brands”, noted that “a scent which is suitable for the product is seen as fostering trust.”

Remember while the physical experience will become a part of your memory, the smell will get into your subconscious and surface at all those unexpected moments taking you into an effervescent trip of time travel. Scent plays a major part in not only being an instant mood up-lifter but also being a great paired associate and memory mnemonic. 

                                                                    
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Learning Fitness from the Hotel Legends!

 

There is this picture that has appeared in the papers recently. It shows an elderly man standing next to a seated Rev. Desmond Tutu. What caught my eye is that the man is standing erect, in perfect posture and his entire bearing depicts that he is in great health; despite his advancing years. The man we are talking about is Capt. C P Krishnan Nair, the founder of Leela Hotels, Palaces and Resorts. It could have been the fact that being an ex Freedom Fighter and Army Man Capt. Nair followed a strict regimen all his life, ensuring that he stayed young in physical frame and mind even when he became a nonagenarian.

You want more Chicken Soup for your heart and soul then take a note of this! “This doyen of one of India’s top hospitality chains started his first hotel at the ripe age of 65; at a stage when most CEOs contemplate retiring from the frenetic pace of the corporate world and boardroom battles,” writes C.J. Punnathara in his interview of the path breaking Hotelier. “Even today, Nair’s indomitable spirit and enthusiasm have him working on elaborate expansion plans - for both The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, and India,” says the Company Website. At 91, that is truly an exemplary way to lead your life.

There is something about fit and sprightly men being at the reins of their successful mega empires; always in control, firmly ensconced in the pilot seat. Their life’s principles and philosophies percolate down to the least common denominator and ensure that the organisation as a whole stays healthy in mind, body and spirit. The very few exceptions being The Donald, Jay Leno and the irrepressible Oprah Winfrey; but Winfrey’s ongoing battle with the bulge is legendary and she has stressed upon the relevance of fitness enough times.

Conrad Hilton lived up to a fit and fine 91. The torch bearer of the hotel industry and founder of the standard-setting global business stayed active well-beyond the time he officially retired into the emeritus position of Chairman of the Board. Sol Kerzner, not only married for the fourth time at the age of 65 in Year 2000, but today at 78 he is busy dreaming up ways to add more sparkle to his already illustrious bouquet that comprises Atlantis hotels, One&Only resorts, Sun International and Southern Sun.

Once Richard Branson was asked by a group of his friends how he is so much more productive and manages to accomplish a zillion things more than the average person, while being the master puppeteer of a 400-company conglomerate that spans a wide range of industries from space travel to deep sea exploration, from music to cell phones. His two word answer was “Work out.” This astonishingly simple answer forms a pretty good base for Branson’s life ideology – healthy mind nurtured within a healthy body that works like hell to ensure a healthy business.

I remember a quick informal exchange within the confines of a strictly formal meeting with the legendary PRS ‘Biki’ Oberoi, with whose fantastic Company I have had the good fortune to work. For some odd reason, between discussions about PR budgets and strategies, Newsletter focus and style and Media management, the talk swung to my obsession with my weight. The grand man, who is as fit as a fiddle, advised me on following a certain dietary discipline and pattern – try to eat carbs before seven, never mix rice with lentils, pick up a piece of Indian bread instead, move around as much as you can...........basic stuff but something that we tend to ignore. Biki Oberoi is a sharp man – sharply suited with a razor sharp mind that he employs to best use in running a super fine hotel chain. To this day, in spite of Oberoi being 78, it is difficult to beat his alacrity, attention to detail, a roving eye that never misses a thing – from speck of dust to a wrongly titling rose bud in a vase, close equations with spreadsheets and numbers, hunger for being the best and a unique vision.

These men of will and wealth can eat gold if they wish to, off their silver platters. And forget about just drinking, they can bathe in the finest, expensive wines out there. Yet they believe in living a life of moderation, keeping aspects of health and fitness right on top and not succumbing to temptations as often as you and I would.

It is an urban myth to say that hoteliers don’t have the time to exercise; what with our busy schedules and long, long hours. I have been guilty of using this utterly feeble statement several times, only to my dismal loss.

The guy who uttered these immortal lines, “Where there is a will, there is a way!” sure knew just what the world wanted to latch on to at times of grave lows in motivation. The saying is a perfect tight slap in the face of all excuses – real or imagined.

When I really have wanted to be in shape, I have willingly huffed and puffed my way up three and a quarter flight of steps to the mezzanine floor corner office of the Top Dog. Done over a period of time, I have noticed my steps becoming lighter, the grimace giving way to a satisfied smile and the ‘huff & puff’ getting replaced by steadier breathing and stronger heart. All in a day’s work, really!

I have seen colleagues, with longer schedules (such as those in Front Office and Food & Beverage), finding novel ways to stay fit if they have set their minds to it. A Director – Food & Beverage would use his break time to go sweat it out in the Hotel Gym (in the non-guest hours, of course), take a quick shower and return to this desk as spruced up in his tie and suit as he was at the start of the day. I have been witness to the ‘shape & shine’ routine of the Director of Sales & Marketing who seldom called it a day before midnight. Every time he, exhilaratingly, talked about getting a new hole punched in his belt, he carved out a fresh motivational standard for us. Yes, it’s the same colleague who marked the ‘one glass every hour’ rule for me and ensured that I had my mandatory fill of water each time he stepped into my office for a business chat or a round of casual talk. Bless the guy! And I can’t thank him enough for setting me on this watery path of enlightenment.

Then there was this Executive Housekeeper colleague, whose role revolved more around walking through the hotel than sitting behind a bulky desk. Yet, in her zeal to keep her contours within a slim silhouette, she would rise up at five every morning and go for a longish round of brisk walk before getting into her day role that involved more walk.

So, what’s your excuse?
 

SCENT OF A HOTEL - Part I

Tell me frankly, what is the first thing that strikes you when you enter the precincts of a luscious hotel? Is it the imposing Baccarat Chandelier with ear drop crystals reflecting a desire and a promise for luxe living? Or is it the ever-smiling staff, starched in shape and fine tuned to deliver that impeccable service? Let me reveal a secret. Even before your eyes have set a target for appreciation or a trained hand has automatically extended to welcome you into the fold of the star hotel, it is the smell that fills you up with a superlatively nice, inviting, warm, nostalgic or breathtaking feeling, as the case may be. The signature scent of a hotel is such a subtle yet significant branding exercise in a hotel’s scheme of things that the management mandarins spend precious hours and pretty pennies in deciding what should define their property.

A luxury brand I used to work for advanced from Citronella and Mandarin essential oils to a fragrance from the house of Fragonard that came to be identified with the hotel and became a conversation starter with the local and international guests.

Religious rituals and incense have an age-old, time preserved marriage and several Indian regional hotels welcome Gods and guests with an overpowering gust of incense usually burned up in multiples. If you are visiting a traditional hotel in South India, the choice of the burning incense or the lack thereof will tell you from a distance what kind of establishment you are about to step into. Same holds true for closer-to-home-base hotels in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle-East, even the Caribbean that cling on to their region-intense aromas, almost as a trademark. However, if you move up the profile ladder, you will find more discerning brands choosing spiffier scents to establish their presence in the space they inhabit.

I remember getting my senses massaged by the bespoke smell that seemed to envelope the lobby of The Pierre in New York and travelled deep into the crevices of my suite. I also remember getting my head sent into a spin by the overwhelming smell of freshly baked Brioche that seemed to be the resident scent of Hotel Tivoli Etoile off the Arc de Triomphe in the heart of Paris.

Several top of the line hotel chains worldwide have developed a signature scent that spells out the uniqueness of their brand and as a Unique Impressionistic Proposition, helps them stand out from the competition. Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts welcome guests with a ginger-and-bergamot-infused room fragrance called Essence of Shangri-La that is held consistently across the chain. Starwood Hotels & Resorts have used signature smell as an intra-brand profiling strategy. Hence, if Bling tells your nose that you will be staying at their uber-luxury Brand ‘W’, then warmth-inducing cinnamon apple pie aroma at the Four Points assures you that you are in the cradle of comfort. Omni Hotels & Resorts have earmarked a space-wise smell for their hotels. So, if you are in the lobby then lemongrass greets you; their Coffee shops are redolent with the aroma of cookies, while the poolside is suffused with a refreshing coconut-ty trail. The famed Le Bristol Paris is ambrosially scented with, what else, its namesake fragrance that is reminiscent of the 85 year-old hotel's Parisian gardens with cut grass, freesia, lily of the valley and white rose.

The Park Hyatts have zeroed on a distinctive fragrance for their variously located properties as an individual signature – so, if it is sandalwood for Park Hyatt Paris then PH Washington has chosen patchouli, violet and rose. The swanky and stylish PH Milan has roped in the expertise of famous perfumer, Laura Tonatto, to develop a special scent which is a deft and delicate mix of amber, vanilla extract, orange blossom and musk.

The Indian behemoth, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts uses Jasmine for the overriding whiff that welcomes its guests from the time guests are offered hot and cold towels in the hotel limousine through the time they stay in the luxurious havens of the Group. Four Seasons’ George V in Paris uses "Ambre du Nepal." Raffles, Singapore, that grand leader of the pack on numerable counts, is clouded under the ethereal waft of Frangipani developed by Fragonard.

For the guests, it is a great reminiscing of a fantastic hotel stay or vacation; for the hotels it is one of the finest ways to stay on top-of-the-mind of their guests in the nicest and most non-intrusive way possible.

                                                               
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