Meet Ritu Chawla, a hospitality professional whose journey began with a passion for design, nurtured by visionary parents in India's emerging hospitality scene. Trained at the Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad, affiliated with Taj, Ritu quickly rose through the ranks at Taj Mahal Palace & Towers, Mumbai, becoming one of Taj's youngest General Managers at Fisherman’s Cove, Chennai. With over 15 years in luxury hotels, she transitioned to international brands like Marriott before founding Prognosis Global Consulting, offering expertise in planning, construction, and operations.

What inspired you to pursue a career in the hospitality industry, and how has your journey unfolded over the years?

It all started ‘by-design’! I’m a second generation hotelier! Both my parents were veterans in the industry, when the hospitality landscape was still nascent in India. Having lived as a child in hotels, I would eat, sleep and breathe hotels; and thus it was the most obvious career choice for me. Inspite of the perceived inherent challenges of the industry, I was only encouraged by my parents and there was no looking back!

I was the first batch of the coveted Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad (run by Taj), which provided me a respectable education and an imposing launch pad as a Management Trainee with the Taj Group of Hotels at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace & Towers, Mumbai. There started my career as a hard core operations professional. I took the Accommodations route, played head of department early on in my career as I moved every two to three years into new roles at various hotels; to become one of the youngest General Manager in the Group (within 10 years of graduating) at the Taj Fisherman’s Cove in Chennai. With over 15+ years of exposure in Luxury Hotels and Resorts with the Taj Group, I decided it was time for a change and to explore the world of International brands and joined the Marriott as a pre-opening General Manager in Pune. It was post almost two decades, of a fulfilling Hotel Operations career that I decided to explore the world of Consulting and set off on my entrepreneurial journey.

Today, as the Managing Partner at Prognosis Global Consulting - a boutique turn-key hospitality consulting firm, from running hotels, I now advise Ownership on planning, building them and advising on operations! Through this 25+ years journey in Hospitality I feel I have had a coveted 360 view to the spectrum of skills, roles, hotels that the hotel industry has to offer, and the journey has been extremely enjoyable and satisfying to say the least. 

How does your hotel operations and management background inform your work at Prognosis Global Consulting, specifically in offering consulting, asset management, and advisory services to hospitality industry clients?

As a complex, capital-intensive business, hospitality asset classes have always required thorough domain expertise of industry professionals and specialists. India and South Asia has been an incredibly exciting and immensely attractive markets, but it is also a challenging environment in which you do business.

Thus, the role of a consultant is multifaceted, as it often requires educating the investors on the ‘nature of the beast’ i.e. Hotels, which usually comes with extensive experience. While it is important to have all the theoretical business knowledge needed to expertly advise any hospitality business – things like finance, marketing, consumer insights, business management etc., it is equally imperative to have the real-world practical know-how in hotel operations to be able to put the theory into practice.

It is here we step in as invaluable partners, especially in a dynamic and competitive landscape of the hospitality industry, guiding individual owners / establishments towards strategic decision-making, running optimal efficient hotel operations, advising on best practices and unparalleled guest experiences.

We have been successful in providing strategic Business Advisory services to many upcoming home-grown hospitality brands, while helping them draw out their long-term vision and strategic road maps and growth strategies in various markets for their Hospitality businesses.  We also provide Operations Advisory to set up system & processes across all aspects of Hotel operations (Revenue Management, Sales & Marketing, Customer Experience Management, Balanced Scorecard Roll-outs, Standrad Operating Procedures etc) especially for independent Hotel owners, as well as branded Hotel chains, thus helping them raise the ante.

Getting a hotel consultant on-board changes the dynamic in your favour, as by offering their expertise and up-to-date industry knowledge they help hotels thrive in a constantly evolving business environment, by staying ahead of the game, driving better revenues for hotel assets, and in the larger scheme of things, achieving higher Return on your Investments.

Can you walk us through some recent consulting projects you've been involved in and how your expertise has contributed to their success?

As a team, in our combined wisdom, we have worked on 300+ Feasibility Studies, for many of the hotels that you see running in India, today. Our one single aim is to assist hotel owners to develop assets that are efficiently built and are a business proposition, giving the anticipated return on investments (and not pure-play ego assets). Some of our success stories involve hand-holding clients right from the stage of a Feasibility Study, through Management Contract negotiations with Hotel  brands, pre-project activities of getting the right set of consultants on board, coordinating with all stakeholders during the building stage of the hotel and finally, as owner representatives, contributing along with the hotel brand team to deliver the desired positioning, product and experiences on the launch of the hotel asset. 

As one of the youngest General Managers in the Taj Group of Hotels, what were some of the challenges you faced, and how did you overcome them?

In the initial years, as a young leader, one of the daunting challenges you can face is to be just taken seriously at work, garner the respect and faith of a diverse team of people – people of all age groups, experiences, backgrounds, education levels, temperaments, motivations etc to come around your shared vision and goal to excel.

Woman empowerment lies in honouring and respecting yourself. When you respect yourself, others see it and will respect you too. As Eleanor Roosevelt (Former First Lady of USA), once said, “No one can put you down without your permission.”

I think my approach was simple. I embraced my inherent leadership qualities as a woman. My agenda was to grow myself, while helping others grow along the way. I knew what it’s like to be the underdog and work hard not to disappoint oneself and others.  Looking for respect through inclusivity, fair and transparent dealings, teamwork more than mere recognition; I was not seeking to become the star of the show -- but an enabler for others to create a great show!

In other words,  being in the spotlight was not what drove me – but rather it’s the ability to influence positive outcomes with maximum impact together with my team, that held me in good stead.

In your opinion, what are some key factors that have contributed to your success in the hospitality industry, particularly as a woman in a leadership role?

With my first employer, I moved every 2-3 years to new geographies, new hotels and new roles. In my younger years I grabbed the opportunity to explore these new assignments to just experience the adrenaline rush of meeting new people – guests and colleagues, alike.

I was extremely lucky and blessed (humbled and grateful to my mentors) to get my first executive position, as an acting HOD (FOM) in the ripe age of 26 years, leading a team of 30; At 32 years of age, I was one of the youngest GM of my times at the Taj Fisherman’s Cove, Chennai; an assignment viewed as very challenging by many, owing to its aggressive labour union.

I was also selected for the first batch of a sponsored Executive MBA at the SP Jain Institute, Mumbai while working almost 14-16 hours a day as the EAM of a Luxury city-hotel; leaving me to burn the midnight oil while working a demanding full-time job, sacrifice a lot of my personal life to upskill myself and complete the program, at any cost.

The point I’m trying to make is that there were many firsts and I volunteered for them all! At every turn I embraced the opportunities that came my way – I raised my hands and let people know I was up for a challenge! 

As a woman, I embraced my natural leadership style, bringing these intrinsic strengths to the teams and businesses. We are more collaborative, inclusive, encourage participation, happy to share power and information, emphasize on teamwork, creative problem solving, leading by example, sharing appreciation and credit, fair and transparent in dealings.

In my world, my integrity is more important than my likability. Once all is said and done, people will respect those who acted on what they believe in, than believed what others want them to act on. I did not rely on favours; I truly believed I can influence my own advancement by serving others, and earn respect.  As a consummate team player, I sought to prove my value and self-worth by exceeding performance expectations.

How do you approach leadership and team management in your role, and what strategies do you employ to motivate and empower your team members?

LEAD BY EXAMPLE: Go down the trenches and dirty your hands. Know how to take a check-in, make the bed, drop bags to the rooms when required, or serve a Cappuccino at the Restaurant! You build teams, when they see you at the epi-centre of the action with them. When the team does well you do well. You take a collective responsibility.

COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE: In my world, there is nothing like too much communication. It’s important to share with the team all updates, appreciation, critical feedback and failures from time to time. As we communicate effectively, as leaders, I believe we are admired, trusted, and followed.

BE GENUINE, FAIR & TRANSPARENT: “Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” - Albert Einstein. This has always been my mantra. Share the story with your team in as much detail as possible and carry your team along. It’s never about a personal gain but a collective win.

RESPECT & DIGNITY FOR ALL: As Maya Angelou rightly said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This is true for customers, but more so for our employees. Treat people with respect and believe that they are intelligent to manage difficult goals. A team that feels empowered commits itself to the larger goals.

CELEBRATE THE SMALL ACHIEVEMENTS & WINS: As people we must learn to appreciate people, not things I’ve always been surrounded by leaders who “worked hard, but played harder.” We would celebrate the smallest wins – a samosa party in office, or a team lunch, or post-event team bash. It helps diffuse the stress and tension.

Gender equality and diversity are important topics in today's workplace. How do you believe we can foster a more inclusive environment in the hospitality industry?

While we women have all that it takes to make good leaders in the Hospitality and related Services industries, from the time I joined the industry, and quarter of a century later, we continue to be under represented, especially at senior levels.

There is enough research to support, that having women leaders in our teams, yields unparalleled opportunities and competitive advantages.  And as smart leaders of tomorrow, to have winning gender-balanced teams – we must be aware of these advantages and support it!

I strongly believe, it is time to shift the discussion away from a lingering women’s problem or an issue of equality or glass-ceilings, and instead focus on this as a massive business opportunity. Diversity must not just remain a feminine agenda but become a business agenda!

Individually, we're one drop but together we're an ocean. Until then, as women, we must commit to a "gender parity mindset" via progressive action. We must all collaborate (men and women alike) to accelerate gender parity, so our collective action, powers equality worldwide. 
•    Let’s maintain a ‘gender-parity mindset’ (nominate more women for opportunities), 
•    Challenge Stereo-types and biases that our industry is plagued with (let’s work with HR/our teams to remove barriers for women’s progress, question assumptions about women)
•    Forge positive visibility for women (Identify ways to make women more visible)
•    Influence other people’s beliefs and actions (lead by example via inclusive actions, be a role model)
•    Celebrate Women’s achievements (believe achievement comes in various forms)

What are some trends or developments in the hospitality sector that you find particularly exciting or challenging, and how do you think they will shape the industry in the future?

Exciting changes are being seen in the Hospitality industry, especially post Covid-19. One of the trends that I would specifically like to highlight is as follows:

The traveler of the future yearns for ‘access over acquisition’, and this will mean ‘experiences over consumption’ that will be a key driver of future demand. Customers are becoming more and more demanding for personalized, exclusive and emotionally transformational experiences. Hotels brands will need to continue to invest in building and delivering on these emotive needs to ensure patronage from the evolved future traveler. Experiential and authentic travel will be the buzzwords for the future.

Globally there is a major shift towards exploration of newer experiences and discovery of new destinations in niche markets. Hotels will have to re-imagine, re-invent and re-define constantly to satiate the need of ‘experience one-upmanship’! Hotels will have to effectively pivot to capitalize and deliver on the travelers' primary desire to make deep, local connections. Needs such as ‘curated’, ‘artisanal’, and ‘authentic’ will dominate future travel itineraries and brands will have to fulfil the highly emotional customer need for ‘minimalism & simplicity’. True luxury will be in slowing down. Increasingly, less will mean more for the discerning traveler.

It is certain that going forward, rapid innovations in technology, entertainment and energy sciences will completely transform hotel experiences of travelers. In my opinion, in many ways, automation will allow hotels to return to their roots as a people-first industry. Instead of performing rote behind-the-scenes tasks, staff can work frontline to maximize their impact on the customer experience, driving up quality and consistency. Successful hotels will be where highly trained staff will offer guests unique custom-made experiences i.e. offer guests personalized services based on their desires, moods and energy levels, inviting guests to eat in whichever location at whatever time they feel hungry and tailoring extraordinary experiences and adventures like never done before.

As we face the VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) world and are in the times of chaos, volatility and ambiguity, as leaders we need to be constantly in touch with evolving trends, help outline more agile strategies to meet these novel needs, develop new business models, offer creative problem solving and understand our intensifying competition and stakeholder expectations, alike. 

As we celebrate Women's Day, what message or advice would you like to share with young women who aspire to pursue careers in leadership roles, especially in male-dominated industries like hospitality?

In the 21st Century there is a combination of new generation of employees, new technologies, new business realities and such a wave calls for a new style of leadership, one that replaces control and command with more transparency and inclusion, collaborative team-work, higher emotional intelligence in dealings.

This increasingly highlights the value of a feminine style of approach to leadership. Any leader can do that, but we women leaders can do it more naturally!! Message No 1 - Be confident and enthusiastically embrace your leadership style and what you bring onto the table.

As a leader, to succeed in this industry you must be passionate to a fault and ‘give it your ALL’!! Work hard, take initiatives, be fearless, not just lean forward – plunge in, embrace the opportunities that come your way, raise your hands, be flexible and mobile and let people know you are up for challenging roles! Be strong-willed and purpose-driven.

In our industry we need to be ‘jack of all trades and master of none’. Unlike what the version of this saying would have us believe, having multiple interests and cross-functional skills (S&M, F&B, Rooms etc) actually can prove advantageous in our business.

I am of the opinion that every woman, if she makes the choice for a long-haul career, can succeed. You have the grit, commitment, dream and you will. We have what it takes, the game is to work hard, be persistent, be resilient and focussed. 

This Interview is Published Exclusively in HospitalityNews.in.