We have to create moments of trust: Zubin Songadwala

Zubin Songadwala, Area Manager South & GM, ITC Grand Chola, Chennai underlines the importance of ‘Namaste’ in the new normal and creating moments of trust to get back in the game at the ninth BW HOTELIER Breaking The Pandemic WebBlast: ‘Going Touchless’.

The whole world is trying to bargain with the unanticipated arrival of COVID-19. While its consequences have rattled business across the verticals, hospitality industry is amongst the worst-hit sectors. Zubin Songadwala, Area Manager South & GM, ITC Grand Chola, Chennai talks about the leading Indian hospitality chain ITC and how it is adhering to its credo of ‘Responsible Luxury’ to navigate the waters not only of a post-COVID world but also life in general as the industry fervently hopes for a silver lining in the dark clouds.

As we are still trying to make a deal with wearing masks, Songadwala shadows upon ‘Namaste’ and how it cannot be masked by ticking at the entire world that has switched to the iconic logo of ITC which carries the warmth of Indian hospitality and directly ‘beats from the heart’. He was speaking at the ninth BW HOTELIER Breaking The Pandemic WebBlast: ‘Going Touchless’.

In an endeavour to preserve customer’s trust and preparing to act promptly to address health and safety concerns, ITC Hotels will be the first in the hospitality industry to be accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) – the nation’s leading standards organisation for hygiene, safety and infection control practices.

Gearing towards assuring the health and safety of their guests as well as their employees Songadwala informed, “ITC Hotels have made an investment to house the associates throughout the lockdown, to ensure that they are insulated and barricaded from the outside world. While dealing with guests or interacting with each other, the belief that is set forth is not based on just the social but safe distancing and that’s how we’ll look forward to business.”

As we walk with light in our eyes and hope in our hearts towards the revival, he elaborates on how investing at the right time, for the right reasons will assure right returns, “It is critical that we invest in the PPEs, kind of recruitment we need for the sanitisation and disinfection, and right kind of staff to ensure that they stay with us when it’s time to get our operations going, when it’s time for revival and for thriving,” he said.

With all kinds of industries battling to keep up with a ‘new normal’ that seems to change every day, the GM of ITC Grand Chola believes that hotels are doing a stellar job across the country in accommodating COVID positive patients, healthcare workers, doctors, passengers coming from abroad and different cities for quarantine facilities.

Furthermore emphasising on adopting the right strategy for the reboot, whilst aiming towards the next normal, Songadwala gladly puts forth the opportunity in working from the hotel. “Homes does not always offer the luxury of safe environment without disturbances,” he mentioned. 

In the due course of time, as the chapters of blurry days unfold, travelling will hit the trail with full brunt and by pouring light on the same, the motorcycle enthusiast Songadwala asserted, “People are itching to get out. Revenge holidays will step in. Motoring destinations will get popular. Staycations will happen. They are the future.” He further said that ITC offers safe and certified cars for the guests who do not wish to drive.

The industry spinoff is more challenging now than ever before, shedding light on the matter while promoting local destinations and places that have been ignored for long, Songadwala reaffirmed, “Hotels have to convert into cleanliness theatre. It has to become the theatre of trust. Today, as we are trying to recover, looking at the ‘crystal ball' and figuring out as to how the business will flow, we’ve realised that the only way we’ll get our business back is by creating moments of trust.”

The crisis is unparalleled and moving rapidly, yet still deeply uncertain. “Next few months are going to be about COVID economy, this is the morbid reality but we have to learn to co-exist with this rigid disease,” Songadwala said. Talking about business and running along the rails with technology, he opined, “There’s an opportunity to leverage social media for business.”

Ending on a positive note, he concluded, “We have to keep the spark alive. We have to be available for our guests.”



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