The quaint, quiet property, situated close to the bustling centre of the capital and yet placed at a safe distance to not be stuck in the mad rush – The Metropolitan Hotel and Spa (or The Met as it is more commonly referred to) is a plush independent five-star hotel, which has been holding its forte strongly for long amidst the “branded’ competition. The main reason that it has been able to do so is that most of its HoDs have been associated with the hotel for close to two decades, including Mr. Sanzeev Bhatia, VP and General Manager, The Metropolitan Hotel and Spa. Here’s a look at his journey and what special touch he adds to the property, featured exclusively under BOTT GM Special Series.
Priyanka Saxena Ray
A science graduate from Meerut University, Sanzeev is the youngest of six siblings, which is why perhaps he liked things comfortable in life, so much so that when he was selected for the Railway Police Force and started undergoing training, he left it all in lookout for something else, not knowing at that time that hospitality industry was his real calling. “A friend of mine was doing some training at ITDC and I liked the glamour of the industry. I did my formal education in Hotel Management and soon enough got my first job with The Claridges New Delhi wherein I worked at the front office for almost three years,” recalls the GM.
Over the next few years he wore many hats of various profiles in different hotels – whether it was the Hotel Manager at Hotel Alka where he was the man behind designing and introducing the Saqi Bar, or being the Front Office Manager at Hotel Connaught or managing and successfully running Vega Restaurant, which was the only pure vegetarian restaurant in those times where people would que-up to eat. Each profile came with its own set of challenges and each difficulty or situation, Sanzeev mastered beautifully, moving up and up in the hospitality ladder.
“I worked at The Vikram hotel for 18 years and those were the golden years of my life. I was involved in almost all aspects of the hotel but I successfully and single-handedly managed the sales and rooms division. I was part of team when the group opened two new hotels and it was an exciting time of my tenure. I have always been an emotional person who gives more weightage to relationships than money and at Vikram, it was like family. Big multi-national chains with their hefty packages never attracted me. For me, the profile and the people I work for were always more significant. In 2005 there was an opening for the Operations Head at The Met, which was The Nikko at that time and I joined them in December that year, never looking back,” reminisces Sanzeev.
While his initial profile comprised handling rooms and sales, he gradually, with his consistency and performance, added more portfolios within the property under his belt and became the General Manager of the property in 2012. “Our owners are non-interfering and gives us enough scope to take our own operational decisions. We enjoy the competition that we are surrounded with. It keeps us on our toes and motivates us to perform better. Also, unlike other travel businesses, Online Travel Agents are very vital to our business growth – 65% of our business comes from them. We also enjoy good business relations with offline agents, not just in the capital but also with agents in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Punjab. A lot of our clients are repeat visitors and we are perhaps the only hotel that has an exclusive “repeat customer package”, which can be booked only by our regular customers on the hotels’ website,” he elaborates, the look of pride already written all over his face as not many can claim of “loyalty customers” in the present times of stiff competition.
Sanzeev Bhatia, is one of the few GMs who does not believe in sitting tucked in his chambers (even though his office is his favourite corner in the hotel). He can often be seen interacting with his guests and staff at his various random visits through the day. He is the first Indian GM to have worked with this particular hotel and the fact that he has survived 15 years and grown up remarkable in his ranks is testimonial of his splendid ways of working and his passion of keeping his team motivated and together. Recipient of many awards, both individually and on behalf of the hotel, Sanzeev prides in stating that there has never been a security breach in his tenure and that theirs is perhaps one of the few luxury hotels that enjoys not just stay-guests but also plenty of walk-ins for lunch as well as dinner, which speaks volumes about the f&b offerings at The Metropolitan Hotel and Spa.
