Mercure as a brand, known for its regional connect speaks for its authentic experiences and local culture. Mercure Chennai Sriperumbudur embraces all these features, which are reflected in the design and the cuisine at the property, believes its dynamic GM, Rahul Nama, who has been associated with the property since its pre-opening stage and is proud of the way things have turned up at the hotel in last two years under his tenure. BOTT is happy to feature his journey in the hospitality industry under our exclusive GM Special Series.
Priyanka Saxena Ray
Please share with us a brief introduction about your background? How did you get into the field of hospitality education? Was it a conscious choice or an accidental entry?
I was born and brought in Kanpur (U.P) also called as Manchester of Northern India & famous for its Textile & Leather Industries. I did my schooling from one of the oldest schools of the district known as Shieling House School, established in 1958 followed by three year Diploma in Hotel Management from IHM Lucknow. My Father is an academician and retired as Professor, Textile Technology while my Mother is a Homemaker.
My entry into the field of hospitality was a conscious decision. The seeds were sown in early childhood while travelling with my parents to some well-known destinations in India, discovering new cultures, food and history, which indeed left a mark on my mind.
What was your first Job (in which hotel and at what profile)?
My first job was with The LaLit, New Delhi (formerly The Hilton, New Delhi 1997) as the Club Lounge Host on the Executive Floors – host to VVIP guests staying at the hotel.
How did you climb up the ladder? How many hotels have you worked with and in what capacities?
In 1999, I got an exciting offer to join a restaurant chain in Israel and handled their several restaurants as a Restaurant Manager around the country – namely Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Eilat for 2 years. During this period, I learned quite a bit about Jewish Culture, people and diversity in the Middle East.
The real turning point in my career came when I joined a home grown hotel chain in Indonesia called as Sunlake Group of Hotels in 2002 where I headed 2 properties as Resident EAM – The Sunlake Hotel in North Jakarta and The Manhattan in South Jakarta Indonesia – both 4 Star and 5 Star upscale properties respectively. This was a great experience for 5 years for me to understand the S.E. Asian Market and hone my management skills in a senior management role. At that time I was only 26 years old and one of the youngest EAM in the city.
The bug to come back to my motherland bit me and brought me back to India after 7 years abroad. For me, it was a dream come true when I was offered to open a hotel as GM with Sarovar Hotels in Mumbai. This was followed by 7 years stint as GM with ITC Fortune Hotels in various locations and now with Accor as GM for Mercure Chennai Sriperumbudur for the last 2 years where I spearheaded the opening and have now successfully established the property in the micro market of Sriperumbudur.
Could you share with us details of some of the challenges you faced along the way?
The challenges were quite diverse in each of these assignments as I worked in different countries and locations wherein right from my reporting line to stakeholders, brand to our internal and external customers all were varied and diverse, different linguistics and culture but all came together with one goal of serving our guests and creating memories whether it was casino resort in Philippines or Business Hotel in Chennai India. The key for my success was adaptability and respect for local culture, work closely with the team, be approachable, celebrate with my squad to motivate and drive them towards creating a delightful experience for our guests.
How long have you been attached with Mercure Chennai Sriperumbudur? How has your experience with the property been?
I have been associated with Mercure Chennai Sriperumbudur since the last 2 years. It has been an engaging experience as I have been involved right from evolution of the property during the project stage when it was all brick and mortar and I was the first employee to join. The next 8 months were quite hectic and reached the climax on March 1, 2018 when the property had a Grand launch followed by a Press Meet. The property is now successfully positioned as the leading international brand of choice in micro market and patronised by the all the major corporates of the micro market for accommodation, dining and banqueting needs.
What Special changes / touches have you added to the property? How have you ensured that your Hotel stays ahead of the competition?
Mercure as a brand, known for its regional connect speaks for its authentic experiences and local culture. Mercure Chennai Sriperumbudur embraces all these features, which are reflected in the design and the cuisine at the property.Our success mantra since last one year has been an amazing team which delivers hospitality from the heart and makes it a home away from home for each of our guests. The key has been to train and empower my team members and provide special touches to our guests’ comfort and taste buds with a warm and friendly personalisation.
Do you have any new plans or policies or initiatives in the pipeline that you would be introducing in the near future?
A plethora of enticing food and beverage offers like Corporate Weekends, ‘Buy 1 Get 1 Free’ at the pastry shop and more are ongoing to. An all-inclusive room package has also been announced launched for travellers, offering guided tours to Mahabalipuram and Kanchipuram. We have also planned to celebrate more and more national days of respective countries from where the guests stay with us and the expats which are visiting us from industries around such as we recently celebrated Bastille Day, which is the National day of France on July 14 with a theme “Chennai to Paris”.
How do you handle the increasing attrition rate facing the hospitality industry in India?
The hotel boasts a 94 per cent employee engagement score and attrition of 20 per cent for the year 2018, which is much lower than industry average and truly reflects the Accor Hotels culture where the employees feel valued and thrive.
