5 Solutions I Discovered While on a Revolutionizing Project Guests want the experience the warmth of our hospitality, of being touched by our simple human gestures

"This is a mighty proposition to take on!

Words like 'solutions' and 'revolutionizing' are very heavy and weighty words. I am not too fond of such grandiose words that may be more airy than earthy.

Yes, I would certainly, willingly share some lessons that I may have learnt while working on different projects, primarily in the operations of our HRH Group of Hotels of which I am an Executive Director. These lessons did fill me with loads of confidence and that's why I would love to share them with your readers.

Hands-on Management: Nothing works better than being hands-on. However big or small the project, it always pays to be involved in the strategy and operations. I personally do not like being the manager with remote control. Given my training as a professional hotelier, if there is a hotel-kitchen which needs upgradation or renovation, I do spend my time seeing and understanding every aspect of it. Till you don't get your hands dirty, you never

Appropriate Technology: I firmly believe that technology works best if it is appropriate to the project and the manpower that would be using it. There is little point in going for very high-tech solutions when something simpler and easier would be tailormade for you. I discovered this when I was working on the renovations at our iconic palace-hotels in Udaipur: Fateh Prakash Palace and Jagmandir Island Palace.

Train and Re-Train the Teams: Not just in the hospitality domain, but in every industry, we need to train and retrain ourselves, our teams. It is a constantly changing world. We do not have to be threatened by change, but we can adapt ourselves to changing circumstances by training our teams. I find that training in foods & beverages, service standards go a long way in adding to the team's confidence and clarity about how to handle challenging situations. So, never be shy of ringing in new training programmes.

Sighting New Trends: Whether it is cuisine or housekeeping, trends in hospitality are changing faster than ever before! Who could have imagined that the finest of Chilean wines would be served in our palace-hotels in Udaipur? Today, well-travelled guests are expecting and demanding the finest and best products and services from us. We have to stay abreast of new trends and be smart enough to spot the new emerging ones. It takes considerable effort and time to accomplish it.

Getting the Smiles! Do what you may, invest what you will but till the time you don't earn the warmest smile from your guests you have not achieved anything! You have also not learnt anything. Because the bottom-line, and there are many as we know, is the satisfaction of the guest, of having surpassed the expectations of the guests.

This is the biggest and most important lesson I have learnt and shared. Guests want the experience the warmth of our hospitality, of being touched by our simple human gestures. And it creates a tremendous bond. We work towards building such bonds of smiles and satisfaction through our heritage hospitality. Let's say "Cheers' to that!"