They say it’s tough for a lone business to survive, however, at the same time, it is equally challenging to flourish in a scenario where there are options available in plenty. Bengaluru is one such city, which like any metro, is dotted with numerous hotels and resorts – both multi-national chains as well as singular hotels. In such a scenario, the only differentiator can be the services offered, feels Reuben Kataria, General Manager JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru. Here is a detailed note on his journey in the world of hospitality featured exclusively under BOTT GM Special Series.
Priyanka Saxena Ray
Born and brought up in the north part of the country, Reuben was raised in a middle-class home with middle class values, which is why perhaps hard work, integrity and honesty is part of his DNA. After schooling he got through hotel school before he could get through the engineering college. Those 10 days spent at the hotel school before the engineering result was announced were good enough to convince him that it is not maths and physics that he wants to study for the next few years but it was the hospitality industry that was his calling indeed.
“It was my decision. My dad wasn’t too happy as he wanted me to pursue engineering. It needed some convincing but eventually he let me do it, on one condition, that I will do my best. He has been happy and proud of my choice. I wanted to be a chef but couldn’t get through a kitchen management trainee program. I took up the job as a waiter at Hyatt Regency New Delhi because the money was too good. While my first salary back in 1995, was a mere Rs. 1700, the tips in a good month used to be more than Rs. 10,000. I was a very good waiter you see,” he shares with a smile.
Reuben firmly believes that perseverance and hard work are the two key words for those who are seeking success in life. For him, handling Food & Beverage was tough, but he survived and prospered because he did not give up and always tried to put his best foot forward. He also tried his hand at sales and marketing for four years before returning back to the core department – Food & Beverage.
“I started with Hyatt Regency New Delhi as a waiter, opened Trident Udaipur as a captain, followed by another pre-opening stint at Grand Hyatt Delhi, now called The Grand as an Assistant Manager. Here I was promoted to the position of Restaurant Manager. Just before Grand Hyatt Delhi got de-flagged, I moved to Mumbai for yet another pre-opening. I was the first restaurant manager for Glass House and Lounge at Hyatt Regency Mumbai. Post the successful opening of the restaurant, I moved into the sales team, where I joined as an Associate Director of Catering Sales. After four years in Sales, I moved back to Hyatt Regency New Delhi completing the wheel as Assistant F&B Manager, followed by another year at Grand Hyatt Mumbai. In 2008 I moved to The Oberoi New Delhi as F&B service Manager. I got successive promotions there, first as EAM F&B and then as EAM of the hotel. I was given the responsibility to head The Oberoi Sahl Hahsheesh as the General Manger in Egypt in 1995. I spent four tough years in Egypt and looked after the hotel and the two luxury Nile cruise ships. I moved to Bengaluru last year as General Manager of J W Marriott Bengaluru,” he shares, chalking out his professional graph for us.
Talking about his present position, Reuben labels his team at the hotel “wonderful” and feels that the focus of his young team is to curate experiences for the guests – a job they immensely enjoy doing.
“Every hotel is unique. The JW Marriott Bengaluru has such an iconic location with high end retail and some fantastic restaurants nearby. While it helps us with the demand for our rooms, the bustling F&B around the hotel pushes us to do more on our restaurants front. One of such challenges have been to position our Italian restaurant as top of the mind recall for our customers. We have successfully managed to turn that around and as of today Alba is synonymous with quality and authentic Italian food. We have also converted our Bar Uno and used it to show case Art. We have collaborated with Art House to bring life to the area. Outdoor caterings are big in Bengaluru and we are looking at investing in this space. We have hired a specialised resource and there are more investments planned in the near future. Sustainability is yet another hot topic. We are focussing on organic food in our menus and are in the process of phasing out plastic from our hotel,” elaborates Reuben, giving us an insight into the functioning of the hotel.
Another mantra for success of the hotel is that instead of introducing new initiatives, they push their teams to go “back to basics” ash he believes it is important to have a strong base and well-trained team. There are a lot of new hotels in the city and competent and qualified staff is the differentiator. They want and aim to be the known as the best in the spaces they operate.
Personally, Reuben loves traveling around the world. He has been to 18 countries over four continents and a visit to Kenya for the wild life and to Sweden for the Northern lights is right up on his bucket list! Happily married with two children, he enjoys photography, reading, cooking and spending time with friends. “I am big on experiences and mindfulness and enjoy the small and the big things in life. I firmly believe that magic happens every moment,” he concludes.
