Breaking barriers - A hotel/hospitality conundrum

After a very successful engagement with Career Counsellors from top Schools Pan India and the Middle East, over 2 days of a Counsellors’ Retreat at the Indian School of Hospitality, it set me thinking…. All the enlightening conversations, transparent exchange of views and honest posing of questions by the fraternity, set the wheels moving. It dawned upon me the increasing need for periodic engagements so that all stake holders have a clear idea of the other’s space.

We had delved deep into breaking the myth of Hospitality being perceived as just #Hotels and the wide range of reactions, this subject evoked was spell bounding – suffice to say, they ranged from surprise to doubt to awe and finally vehement agreement from all quarters. Counsellors of today, are progressive, yet deeply rooted to get the best for their students – they take no decision lightly or make no suggestion in vain…. Every piece of advice given to their students is one that has been thought through, researched in its entirety and then curated to suit the student’s needs. Hence it was imperative to get across to these key influencers and present our stance candidly and hence the Retreat – in hindsight, we all walked away with more learning when we put the event together and ISH now stands proud with its doors open to this community forever.

To come back to breaking the myth of Hotels being the sole entity of Hospitality - Well if truth be told, over a period the word Hotels has become synonymous with Hospitality and rightfully so…. Hotels have been and continue to project Hospitality in the most tangible manner and perhaps that’s why, the terms are always taken in the same context. So how is it any different now?

In recent times, the industry has gone through many changes…. many newer segments, many different channels and products to reach out to the customer…. The whole digitalization era has changed the face of customer interaction, making it simpler, more enticing and certainly more reachable. With this ever-expanding trend, we are what I can call, at the tipping point of customer interface and this for me is the moment of truth for Hospitality! This is exactly where we move beyond the traditional realms of Hotels into multiple sectors, across various products and experiences and connect with customers of different genres and expectations….. the grassroot of it being Hospitality! Any kind of customer interface has an inherent element of Hospitality built into it and this, is now well beyond specific platforms or industries, hence I say Hospitality is a concept…. a bigger umbrella of skills that help the individual permeate layers of communication and have a positive customer engagement. While Hotels definitely project Hospitality at every point of interaction and they will continue to be leaders in the segment, as they have a product advantage which is beautifully interwoven into their service elements and together it makes for a holistic Hospitality experience. However, other sectors like Finance and Banking or real estate have few limitations, wherein the product and service design are slightly detached elements, thereby making it a challenge to offer a wholesome experience – at least this was the case a few years ago.

Now the scenario has changed – customer continues to be the king and has increased and improved his demands and every sector has to rise up to this demand and offer what he wants. Time is right to bridge those gaps between products and service, regardless of the sector or industry and everyone must strive to connect with the customer in a manner that reflects our perceived value of him and subsequently help us make a productive engagement every single time. Hence, I say Hospitality is beyond Hotels! To make every engagement memorable and successful towards the desired objective, the resource must display Hospitality skills and thus taking us from Hotels to a myriad of industries..

Hence our stake on Hospitality being an over arching philosophy rather than a Hotel centric learning. We see our students making remarkable entries and subsequent break throughs across Luxury retail, Finance and banking, Real Estate, Beauty and Wellness, Events, Media, Culinary Spaces and most certainly QSRs and Five Star Hotel chains – our fundamental learning facilitation remains pivoted around life long skills which will create and nurture the Entrepreneur and Leader in each one of them. The Counsellors’ Retreat has further reinstated our vision towards breaking this myth and reimagining the Hospitality Education landscape – Career counsellors of today are as much progressive and committed towards making the students future proofed. Institutes like us must engage with this community and together, we shall be able to make significant progress in the career pursuits and education choices of the Gen Z.

Happy to hear your thoughts – Do read and share. And if there are any counsellors out there reading this post, I welcome your opinions!

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