Ms. Priya Paul

I heard about the Park hotels in 1997, when I was in the final year of my Hotel Management course at IHM Mumbai. I didn’t appear for the off campus selection as it was being held in Calcutta. Moreover, I had already decided that I’d join the Taj group; it didn’t make sense to travel that far. Fast forward to 2007, The Park Navi Mumbai opened in February and The Park Hotel School, Apeejay Institute of Hospitality was all set to mark its beginning under Mr. Bhuvan GM as its principal. I liked the concept so much that I applied to join as a faculty. I was asked to go for an interview to Chennai as the entire management team was going to be there. That very week I was booked on an early morning flight to Chennai. There was another person accompanying me, who was also shortlisted for the position of HOD, Food Production. The flight was on time, the hotel car picked us and we were led to The Park Chennai.  As we approached the hotel we saw steel doors instead of the regular glass ones that give a grand view of the hotel’s plush lobby. The moment the door opened it gave a glimpse of some cameras and lights; the reception counter was designed like a boat and the floor looked like the sea. I was amazed at the design of the hotel and also the staff uniforms. I didn’t know much about boutique hotels then, did have an idea though, having read in books; but not anymore, infact I have done a blog on boutique hotels.

We went to our respective rooms to freshen up and got ready for the interview. We were then asked to go to the business centre close to the hotel where the Financial Review Meet was in progress. All the General Managers of the hotels, Finance heads, MD, and Chairperson Ms. Priya Paul were there. Until this time I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to join the new organization that was so very different. Just to remind, I came from a very conventional hospitality college that had rules fit for an Army; equally strict with the norms as well asthe dos and don’ts was the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai where I had worked. We waited for the Managing Director Mr. Vijay Dewan and Mr. Lemuel Herbert, who was then the General Manager of The Park Bangalore with an additional responsibility of setting up the hotel school.  They interviewed us during their tea break.

That was the first time I saw Ms. Paul who was surrounded by the unit heads and she stood in the centre with immense grace, power and a magnetic sense of authority, she was charismatic and had a magical aura about her. I wanted to work with her and be a part of the organization; wanted to make sure that I did well in the interview. The interview was quick and I was selected as an Associate Professor and Head of Department for the Hotel school. I became a part of this esteemed organization on 5th April 2007, the day Apeejay Institute of Hospitality was inaugurated. I had the privilege of being the master of ceremonies for the event and also host the first program offered from the portals of AIH, the Supervisory Development Program.

I remember once while Ms. Paul was addressing The Park Management Trainees, one of them asked her why The Park Hotels didn’t have common SOPs and hierarchy across the chain, she replied saying that The Park wasn’t a chain it was a collection. Every hotel had it’s own identity and she wanted a 25 year old, like him to manage her hotels. She didn’t believe in that kind of standardisation and hierarchy. Her hotels are a reflection of her personality creatively inspiring, spontaneously joyous, daringly different and making things fun. The mantra that her teams follow are, ‘Work hard and party harder’.

She has a picture-perfect memory; she remembers every change one makes, be it a deviation in the recipe or an art work shifted from its original place. She also remembers her staff well and takes keen interest in their development and ensures empowerment at every level. Her hotel’s HR policies put its people first.

Mr. Lemuel Herbert was the General Manager of The Park Bangalore, that opened as the first boutique hotel of the collection; it could very well be called the first luxury boutique hotel in India. When I asked him what it was like; being a pioneer, he said, “With The Oberoi, The Leela and ITC Welcomgroup in the wake of my career, I was on Ms.Paul’s team as general manager of The Park Bangalore in July of 1999. The hotel was in the throes of a metamorphosis to emerge in it’s new avatar as a Boutique hotel that would blaze a trail in India. I had gone out personally to procure and display for Ms.Paul, crockery and cutlery samples for the new hotel”. She smiled patiently and said “Lemuel why don’t you go out again, and this time have fun choosing stuff”. I smiled awkwardly but her message hit home, break free of your earlier paradigms! The next display brought a smile on her face that said “Now we’re talking” Ever since I’ve told my colleagues, especially during induction, make your work fun, you’ll love it”.

The Lady with the Midas Touch

Ms.Priya Paul is the epitome of the empowered woman. The chairperson of the ApeejaySurrendra Park Hotels Ltd., Ms. Paul is a multifaceted lady, who wears numerous hats with élan. She is a successful entrepreneur, a devoted daughter, wife and a mother. Champion of women empowerment, she is also an active industry supporter. She has often been dubbed as the leading lady of the Indian Hospitality Industry, the lady who brought the concept of boutique hotels to India. Having a keen eye for design and detailing, she is extremely creative and social. These qualities not only make her popular in the industry but also loved by her staff. She is a great mentor anda leader par excellence. She turned her hotel into spaces where guests did not just stay confined to their rooms but indulged in an experience of luxury and comfort throughout the hotel. She is a lady well travelled and well read, drawing from her ownexperiences; she managed to create a collection of luxury boutique hotels with sophisticated interiors, decorative themes and immaculate service. An art collector, design aficionado and a creative powerhouse, no doubt she is the pioneer ofboutique hotels in India, that are architecturally unique.

Early Life

Ms.Priya Paul was born into a privileged business family in Kolkata on 30th April 1966. It was the year her father launched their first hotel, The Park Kolkata.She studied at the Loreto House Calcutta and graduated in Economics from Wellesley College, USA.She then joined the hospitality division of her family business, after completing her studies, at the age of 22. She started her career as the Marketing Manager of The Park New Delhi in 1988;initially worked under her father Mr. Surrendra Paul and just two years later, she became the Acting General Manager of The Park New Delhi.  She went on to become the Chairperson of the ApeejaySurrendra Park hotels in 1990, after her father’s untimely demise. The family went through some challenging times but as it is rightly said tough times don’t stay but tough people do; they kept together, consolidated what their father had built, garnered the strength to not only be each other’s support system but also to steer the ApeejaySurrendra group to great heights.That was the consequence of setting new standards, streamlining operating procedures and hiring the right professionals. As a family they took charge of the situation and emerged winners; and there has been no looking back!

Ms. Paul has redefined hospitality in India.She knew that her hotels had to stand out and be noticed; that lead to the boutique hotel concept shaping up in her mind with the vision of ‘Leadership Through Differentiation’. She’s self driven and constantly challenges herself to offer something innovative. With her eclectic sensibilities, keen eye for design and extremely fine aesthetic sense;she has been able to create great hotels, each very different from the other. When Ms. Paul took over the reins of the hospitality division of the ApeejaySurrendra Group in the 1990s, hotels in India were formal places. Her belief was to be AnythingBut Ordinary! She made her hotels hip with lounge bars, discos, innovative restaurants, sponsoring fashion and art shows; not something that many hotels did, back then!

Today, The Park Hotels is a name to reckon with in the hospitality industry with a nationwide presence. They have emerged as stylish, edgy, fun and warm; which is a true reflection of contemporary India;winning national and international recognition.Headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, The Park hotels are located in Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Navi Mumbai, and Hyderabad. They also have managed properties under the Park Collection and Zone by The Park.

Zone by The Park, envisioned as a Social-Catalyst brand, is much more than a hotel, designed to cater to the needs of ‘design conscious, price conscious’ customers. With relaxed, un-boxy spaces, a happening bar, restaurant and buzzing nightlife, it is a place where people can make new connections, refresh and recharge themselves. Drawing from The Park’s design spirit, the concept envisions an interactive series of lively spaces using the best of contemporary design, with creative and playful interiors, multi-functional spaces, great restaurants, bars and vibrant nightlife.Zone has its presence in Coimbatore, Jaipur, Chennai ORR, Raipur, Bengaluru, and Jodhpur with upcoming hotels in Igatpuri, Pondicherry and Goa.

Ms. Paul says, “When we started the concept of boutique hotels, nobody in India knew what was happening in the rest of the world, so we had to establish the concept. Today, you don’t have to look to the world at all; The Park Hotels are adequate in indicating the global buzz”.

Awards and Recognition

Ms. Priya Paul’s contributions to the industry and commerce, particularly in the field of Hospitality and Tourism have been repeatedly recognized and she has received several awards and citations.

She has been awarded India’s fourth highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri in 2012. She was conferred the prestigious Insignia of Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite (National Order of Merit) an Order of State, granted by the President of the French Republic in 2014 and has been inducted into the FHRAI Hall of Fame in 2010. To commemorate her contribution to the hotel industry for 25 years, ‘Hall of Fame 2011’ was bestowed to her by Hotelier India. She has also been honoured for her outstanding contribution to hospitality industry by AHEAD Asia 2018 hosted by Sleeper magazine.

She is a Trustee of the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA) and Board Member, National Council of Science Museums. She is an Executive Committee Member and Ex- President of Hotel Association of India (HAI), is a founder member as well as the Ex- Chairperson of World Travel &Tourism Council (WTTC) -India Initiative, Chairperson South Asia Women’s Fund, and a member of Harvard Business School’s India Advisory Board.

Ms. Paul has received the FHRAI (Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India) Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2000, was recognized by Forbes online as one of India’s 100 most powerful business women in 2006, and was conferred the Zee Astitva Award in the Business category in 2008. She has also been awarded the ‘Spa Personality of the Year’ for the year 2009-10 by Asia Spa India. India Today Woman in Business Award and PHD Chamber-Distinguished Women Entrepreneur Award for 2009-2010.

Known for her design acumen Ms. Paul was awarded ‘Excellence in Design Innovation 2011’ by Condé Nast Traveller India, She was awarded the Aatithya Ratna Award by the Hotel Investment Forum India, 2011. Since 2011, Fortune India has consistently listed Ms. Paul in the 50 powerful business women in India.

Published first on IWH in 2018

My 'Anything but Ordinary' moment.

My last post was on Women Empowerment and I am so glad that, when I  pen this one I feel like ONE ...ever more strongly today! 

Why do I feel so? Let me take you through my professional journey of almost 2 decades. In my personal life I am certainly empowered, all thanks to the family but when it comes to having a fine career the empowerment has to come not only from within but from the the organisation as well. 

The purpose of this post is to reach out to any person out there who faces doubts sometimes, just like I did a few months ago. I'll be glad if this can change even one such life. To make you understand my point and how I think, I would like you to check out my professional journey as well as the ideas and sentiments that I value. 

My Professional profile

Ms. Laxmi Todiwan, CHE,  Associate Professor & Head of the Department.

Apeejay Institute of Hospitality, an initiative of the Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Ltd.

An alumnus of the 1997 batch of Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology & Applied Nutrition Mumbai, Ms. Todiwan started her career with the Taj Group of hotels (Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai). After 4 years of working in the hotel operations, she joined her Alma mater as a faculty in the Rooms Division Management, where she worked for 6 years. Equipped with rich experience in hotel operations, teaching and training, she came on board the Apeejay Institute of Hospitality in April 2007 and is currently working with the Apeejay Surrendra Group. She is also an educational counselor and follows her passion of guiding young people in making good career choices. 

She is a Master trainer for the Certified Skill Trainer program of the Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC) under NSDC. She has conducted training programmes for many corporates, call centres, hotels, banks, CII and for the Additional Skill Acquisition Program (ASAP) of the Government of  Kerala, to name a few.

She has a passion for writing and expresses her thoughts on her blog, The Optimist Diary. She also writes columns in the local newspapers. She hosts official functions as Master of Ceremonies.  Education, training and development are very close to her heart and she champions the cause of the underprivileged and opportunities for women.

Her personal quote is: Be your own Cheerleader!

My concerns:

I am glad that I could build personal life, family and a career all with the strong support of my folks! Journey has had many twists and turns but the river flowed smoothly through the meandering path. When am almost 40! I felt a need to take a stock of my life. I wanted to be on my own doing things that I liked and making whatever difference I could in the lives of people around me. The youth who needed guidance and education or training that could make them employable. Helping the women from the lower socio-economic groups find suitable opportunities to earn means of living or support their families towards a better future. Having traveled extensively across the country, I have seen many such lives. I believe that making someone financially independent is the best form of empowerment. I had to do something on that front but the question was how would I manage it. I had a full time job, two energetic school going boys, in laws in their late 60s, master mariner husband who was out on work nearly 4-5 months at a time. My life was all smooth and me managing things fairly well. But the inner calling had to be answered too. Creating a balance in my personal life and being able to do something for the cherished dream. 

I decided I would've to quit my job.  Create a balance in my life and  have time for the family. That way I could also work on my dream project of setting up a place where I could train people and make them employable.

With these thoughts at the back of my mind, I was all set to put in my papers and leave the organisation that I was associated with for 9 years. If I had to leave, this was the time and I was preparing myself mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Came the  college Graduation Day! got to meet the chairperson of the company the ever inspiring Ms. Paul. When she asked what was up, I spoke to her all that was going on in my mind and her first reaction was, "We don't want to lose you" then she added, "can't we think of a sabbatical? something that can be of mutual good". These words came as a blessing for me, I had not thought about that possibility. I never knew organisations could actually consider such things. She is looked up to by all, as an inspiration, we all feel proud of her achievements. She commands enormous respect in the fraternity. At that moment nothing else mattered to me, her words of encouragement were like a trophy that I would cherish all my life. I was on a different high!

It may not mean much to most of you but I guess women who are in a life stage like mine will identify with it.

The next day was our appraisals with the MD of the company, who also was at the institute for the function. I shared my plans with him, his reaction echoed that of Ms. Paul's. He asked me to think over and that Corporate HR would get back after discussion and deliberations at their end. I was then totally on double minds.... may be in 100 different ones! I was so sure of quitting, then seeing the value that the organisation gave me, I had no heart to not consider. In fact it was an honour. AVP and Corporate Director HR, contacted me and understood my situation, the mind frame and also the emotional quotient. Ms. Guin was so understanding, that it surprised me as how could she even listen to what one of the 4000 people that she was responsible for. Probably she could and she did! Now I understand why Human Resources is called the Talent management. Finally, I get an email from her that solved almost all my concerns. She managed to work a plan for me that addressed balancing all aspects of my life. It was 'Anything But Ordinary' moment for me. At the Park Hotels, we make that the brand promise to each and every guest. I speak about it to every new employee during the induction, I get to experience that ABO moment myself! Also tells me why the company had won the Gallup best Work place award. At work places just don't manage balance sheets, we manage people, we manage resources, we manage talent!

This has been one of the biggest credits in my Emotional Bank Accounts.  

I carry the message to all women, in fact people in general, to create a value that is important to you, cherish dreams and work towards them.  Express what you sincerely wish to do and see how, not only the work places create favourable work platforms for you but also the entire universe conspires for the same!

Ps. Some pictures are taken from google, for representational purpose, with due credits