Benita Sharma, Area Manager, Luxury Collections Hotels (North) & General Manager, ITC Maurya says the hotel’s tenet of responsible luxury has become even more enhanced during these troubled times.

I consider it an honour to be General Manager, ITC Maurya and Area Manager, Luxury Collection Hotels (North). Responsible Luxury is a strategic priority at ITC, so essential for good governance, administrative transparency and green accountability. The widespread benefits of this pillar are magnified during these troubled Covid-19 times! That only makes us even more proud and humbled by the hotel brand’s vision and foresight, and makes us appreciate the need to continue adding to this journey.

Of course, we cannot accomplish our objective by merely convincing each other: We need to reach out and enter other communities and networks.  We need to influence all our guests (internal and external) towards contemporary thinking and to take proper account of the value and benefits of the ever-evolving tenets of “Responsible Luxury”.

I am lucky to be supported in this quest by a competent team which is strongly committed to creating a better tomorrow with this culture, each day. The endeavour is to deliver to our loyal guests an innumerable set of “wows in each moment of truth”. The team integrates with inter-related activities that differentiates us to provide a superior, competitive performance.

MANAGEMENT STYLE

My Management Style is simply about leading by example. I practice integrity and competence then expect the same from my team members. Responsible Luxury differentiation comes from intangibles like having an inspired group of committed people working together for a common cause. Both team-work as well as individual excellence is required for working together in collaboration, not competition.

I also encourage each team-player to make their work lifestyle such that they enjoy their work, making it fun and worthwhile, thereby ruling out any worries about not having a “Work-Life Balance”.

Our emphasis has been on encouraging the Team and contributing towards enhancement of Responsible Luxury; People Management – identifying and magnifying the strengths of the “Best Fit” for a job;  and of course, New Markets.

Our primary objective, of course, is to deliver results. Everything we do is about enhancing perceived value and contributing, especially as we are the market leader, highly respected by customers and loved by stakeholders.

I also consider it my fortune to work for an organisation where diversity is a cornerstone of work culture, and men as well as women are encouraged and supported to excel. I love being a Hotelier and have multiple idols, being appreciative of their unique strengths that are worth emulating.

FUTURE OUTLOOK

The current times predict that Hotel services will need to undergo a transformation. Covid-19 has changed the rules of the game – safer, cleaner and virus-free environments entail a new process of no or low contact service, social distancing with systems that continue to make a guest feel cared for, personal protection equipment for the team and the guests, new technology, more enhanced sanitizing products and processes. 

The most important objective would be for guests and associates to perceive and experience safety and no health threats. That is going to mean overcoming old habits, processes and intellectual barriers and opinions, and adopting new technology.

WOMEN CAN INSPIRE

My only message to aspiring women hoteliers is to be a She for “He and She”

This article was published in BW hotelier issue dated '' with cover story titled 'BW HOTELIER THE WOMEN SPECIAL ISSUE VOL 6, ISSUE 2'