Hyatt Hotels recently opened Park Hyatt Hyderabad, a part of the globally renowned Hyatt Hotels and the first Park Hyatt hotel in India. Located in Banjara Hills, it offers business travellers and local guests customised luxury, catering to individual customer needs and tastes. It has 209 luxury rooms and 42 fully serviced luxury apartments named The Residence, with five-star facilities and amenities. It is just 15 minutes away from the technology hub of Hi-Tech City and the business district, and 45 minutes from Hyderabad’s international airport.

In the pre-launch period, we recruited more than 400 people. There is lot of talent available, and all of them are keen to gain experience. It has been very interesting.

Germany’s Sven Hoffmeyer, general manager, shares with us his experiences at Park Hyatt, and about the country in general, and what it means to be a part of the vibrant and dynamic hospitality industry in India.

Typical day
My mornings begin with office work. By 11 am, I meet all my executives for a briefing. We discuss the previous days’ results and plan for the day. Lunch by noon and sometimes it includes meetings too. Afternoons are dedicated to day-to-day operations and evenings are for meeting guests who arrive. Evenings also get busy in ensuring all events being conducted at the hotel are running smoothly.

Working in India
I have worked in Kolkata before moving to Hyderabad. It has been good overall, a very positive one. People are very easy to connect and the bonding is good. The hotel employees form a large group and there is a lot of keenness to learn. They are very interested in personal development. In the pre-launch period, we recruited more than 400 people. There is lot of talent available, and all of them are keen to gain experience. It has been very interesting.

For me, starting a property has been a challenging and a learning experience. There are expectations, and meeting those expectations successfully is a joy. When you love what you do, work becomes a pleasure.

Establishing the brand
The Park Hyatt – an internationally renowned brand – promises personalised luxury. Public relations activities, customer loyalty programs and localised marketing have been the key to establishing the brand reputation in the country. High quality of service and its restaurants have made it popular among the local population as well. The location is also an advantage to the hotel as it is close to the business district and the international airport.

Training and preparedness
One of the key elements to establishing the brand reputation is the people. As the Park Hyatt is all about personalising the experience of luxury, training is important to sensitise staff to understand individual requirements and respond accordingly. Hence, in addition to broad-based training, individualised training for specific functional areas is also given to the staff for sensitising them.

Another important component is listening to the customer’s voice. Customer survey and feedback are taken seriously, and a centralised system across Hyatt properties helps analyse the feedback and respond appropriately.

Challenges
While eager talent is a positive the country has to offer, the industry is also on the move and there is a lot of people movement. Therefore, retaining talent is a big challenge. India has excellent hospitality management schools, but getting the right employee at the right time is critical.

The macro scenario
The Indian hospitality industry is very vibrant and dynamic, just like in China. It is the right time to be here. Tourism is growing, and there is a great demand for good hotels. This segment is generating much employment. Youth have many opportunities today. It is interesting to be here at this time.

What I enjoy most
Attention to detail. I believe in empowering my team, as I can’t do everything, and also encouraging them to be attentive to even the most minor details. Right from the manager to the bellboy, if each does his or her job effectively then things fall in place automatically.