Tanushka R Lall of HM Suites & Studios, a name that has brought smiles on many faces
The origins of the Hospitality industry itself dates back to ancient Greek times and even before that. Over time, it further developed in Medieval times, Renaissance, the opening of large Hotel chains in the post-Industrial Revolution period and modern 21st century. Today, the hospitality is the multi-trillion-dollar industry, estimated about $ 1.6 trillion. India's rising middle class and increasing disposable incomes have helped the domestic and the outbound market to reach $ 251.64 billion with CAGR of 7.11% and expected to touch $ 492.21 billion by 2028, according to a report by IBEF.ORG.
In the service industry, the role of individuals is of much pertinence as most of the times they deal with prospective individual clients. Such an individual is Tanushka Lall, Head Hospitality of HM HOSPITALITY I HM GROUP located in Bangalore. She started her professional journey in the Hotel Industry despite being a diploma holder in fashion Technology. She gradually she grew so passionate that she found herself inseparable from the industry and continued as a Front Office Assistant and grew over the years to a scale of Head Hospitality – handling Hotels and Facilities.
Our editorial team caught up with Tanushka R Lall to know more about her. Edited excerpts.
Reputation and Success
I easily connect with people from any walk of life. I genuinely love my people without any disparity.
I believe it's not possible to measure success. It is better to keep the momentum of our careers which would eventually define our success. Emphasis on improving the caliber of the team and less on brand gets cascaded across all levels in the system. Merely making a congruent model of a great brand doesn't serve the purpose, it is the quality and experience delivered through motivated employees, delivering a great service delivery, motivated staff, and good quality product that ends with "guest delight" is the secret ingredient of success.
I always try to create a niche in the hotel market by continuously delivering quality service, quality product, and value for money. There are two kinds of Hotels, one with a great inventory and a common service to all, another one with a small inventory and an overwhelming service personalized to each guest's needs. I belong to the lat er. In the end, the profitability helps you realize that you have created a great brand, and that's where I kept my momentum to keep going which defines success for me.
Risk and Leadership
I take risk but at times, after understanding the situation, if I have a gut feeling that I would find it right in the risk that I'm taking, I go for it. I listen to my inner mind, and it's never gone wrong.
I try to take Structural and Participative leadership hand in hand to create a fantastic space for the team members to perform. I find immense satisfaction when people stop working for themselves and starts working for me, whether it could be my gardener who works in my landscape or the Managers who work across properties.
I find motivation in successfully creating a brand in the competitive market, and my ability to change the lives of people working for or around me. I put on efforts to burst the Myth of Sisyphus by trying to make every day the best day positively. I always suggest them to self-reflect and assess them from the previous year's performance so that they are in a better position to handle details and other aspects in their day to day life. I suggest them never to lose an opportunity to learn, and always keep a tab in the current trends happening in the hospitality business. If every year should be better, its then important to make every day better and better, at that point in time I start looking at finer details and start correcting them. So, the results are excellent, and they become better Executives with refined thoughts and actions.
Not everything is hunky dory in this domain. Sometimes, while making unpopular decisions I have to explain, why is the decision made and the pros of it to make it happen. At times, I am helpless in certain situations, and still, I have to show the strength of positivity at that point in time, and it is the most difficult part as a leader.
Significant changes brought to the organization
I try to make things simple, remain organic, and present genuine care for others, it is automatically infused or felt when even a guest walks into a restaurant or stays a night at the hotel or maybe just a conversation with an employee can depict the changes brought to the organization. The guest would genuinely feel the warmth of the hospitality, and that's being transmitted across all levels and medium in the division.
A day in the professional life
I get up early in the morning, and after completing my daily chores, I get ready for my office to work with a whole bunch of fabulous people. I talk to my Managers and spend the day at the hotel or at other facilitating properties. I run the division, so I work with an incredible team of people and ensure everything is taken care to ensure smooth operations.
Strength and favorites
My strength is my family and my team. I would name my autobiography, The Pursuit of Happiness & Positivity.
I don't have any such treasured reading material. I randomly read from different sites on classical dance & Travel. My favorite places on the globe are beautiful and colorful India and the magical and mysterious Bali. I am very interested in classical dance, and I love spending time practicing Kathak and baking.
A piece of advice for those who are assuming a leadership position for the first time
My advice would be to stay focused on your aim, probably making every day your best day may not lie in your hands, but looking every day with a positive note lies within yourself. Learn from difficult situations and understand where you went wrong, it makes you tough to handle situation's in life and makes you a better leader. Secondly, take care of your employees, and in turn, they will take care of your organization.
