Originally, my internship was supposed to go through mid-December, but for various reasons, my last day was Friday, October 24th. Overall it was a great experience. The work was very interesting and I was able to witness, if not take part in, the crucial processes in running a 5-star super deluxe luxury hotel like the ITC Maurya.
I was lucky to have wonderful mentors in every department, but most especially in the Sales and Marketing Department. While I enjoyed each place, I have to say that I enjoyed Sales the most. It was the department I felt the most immersed in as it was also where I spent the most time. Stepping out each day to go on sales calls all over Delhi and the surrounding areas was great exposure to how the Sales department "does business". I am very grateful to everyone for the knowledge they imparted, the time they took to speak with me, and the way they made me feel a part of the team.
I learned a lot about the hospitality industry during my 16 weeks at the Maurya, but I also learned a lot about myself as a person, and about India. Some days were very hard and frustrating and some days were very exciting and satisfying. Sometimes I just wanted to scream, sometimes I just had to laugh, and sometimes I just never wanted to leave.
I read in a guide book before getting here that India gives you something that no other place can. This is very true. There are definitely things I will miss and definitely things that I won't. While I'm looking forward to coming home, I'm also dreading having to leave. But some day, I will need to come back to this breathtaking, infuriating, incredible and mind-boggling place; this place that can give you that feeling, that can put that smile on your face and make you shake your head in wonder like only India can.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Wow
Condoleeza Rice recently stayed at the Maurya during her trip to India. She was in town to work on the US-India nuclear deal. Wow.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Recent Events
As some of you may be aware, there has been some terrorist activity in Delhi over the last few weeks. There have been bombings on two separate occasions and a shoot-out between police and suspected terrorists on another occasion. While several of the bombs went off in places that I have been to before, none of them were near where I live. The city is on alert at this time as markets and shopping centers will become more crowded leading up to the major Hindu festival of Diwali on October 28th, but the other interns and I in the city are not overly concerned. We will just be cautious about going to places that are very crowded and continue to be aware of our surroundings.
It's been interesting to see how this recent activity has affected the hotel. I was expecting that we would see a large decrease in travel and many cancellations as people, especially foreigners, would not want to travel to Delhi for some time. But so far the bombings seem to have had little impact on the Maurya. Conferences are going along as planned with new queries regularly, and already much of October is at a high occupancy rate. There seem to be a couple of reasons for this. One, the Maurya is basically a corporate hotel catering to business travelers and embassy guests, although we do also have some leisure travelers. This seems to somewhat insulate us from the impact of the bombings as it's logical that leisure travelers would be more affected by and concerned with terrorism than would business travelers. And two, the Maurya has made safety and security a top priority. I won't get into specifics of awards, etc., as I don't want to misrepresent the hotel. As I mentioned, we get many travelers from embassies and are located right in the Diplomatic Enclave of New Delhi where most of the embassies and high commissions are located. As this would naturally put us in an advantageous position to receive high-profile and heads of state visits from all over the world, tight security in the hotel is a must. This reputation of being a safe and secure hotel has also cushioned us from any decline in business and has perhaps even increased it as people who are still traveling to Delhi would now prefer to stay in a hotel that is more secure.
I've also been witness to how India and the Maurya are approaching the recent financial crisis. In several of the morning meetings, the team would briefly discuss the many changes in ownership of major companies and how this could affect their accounts. The hotel does not seem to be struggling with it, though, as so far high-end travel is relatively unaffected, although I am hearing more about how companies are concerned about cost-cutting. However, this seems to be a lead-in to rate negotiations, not a reason to choose a lower-end hotel. I am sure the approach and attitude towards the crisis here is far different from the one at home, and I am interested to compare once I get back.
It's been interesting to see how this recent activity has affected the hotel. I was expecting that we would see a large decrease in travel and many cancellations as people, especially foreigners, would not want to travel to Delhi for some time. But so far the bombings seem to have had little impact on the Maurya. Conferences are going along as planned with new queries regularly, and already much of October is at a high occupancy rate. There seem to be a couple of reasons for this. One, the Maurya is basically a corporate hotel catering to business travelers and embassy guests, although we do also have some leisure travelers. This seems to somewhat insulate us from the impact of the bombings as it's logical that leisure travelers would be more affected by and concerned with terrorism than would business travelers. And two, the Maurya has made safety and security a top priority. I won't get into specifics of awards, etc., as I don't want to misrepresent the hotel. As I mentioned, we get many travelers from embassies and are located right in the Diplomatic Enclave of New Delhi where most of the embassies and high commissions are located. As this would naturally put us in an advantageous position to receive high-profile and heads of state visits from all over the world, tight security in the hotel is a must. This reputation of being a safe and secure hotel has also cushioned us from any decline in business and has perhaps even increased it as people who are still traveling to Delhi would now prefer to stay in a hotel that is more secure.
I've also been witness to how India and the Maurya are approaching the recent financial crisis. In several of the morning meetings, the team would briefly discuss the many changes in ownership of major companies and how this could affect their accounts. The hotel does not seem to be struggling with it, though, as so far high-end travel is relatively unaffected, although I am hearing more about how companies are concerned about cost-cutting. However, this seems to be a lead-in to rate negotiations, not a reason to choose a lower-end hotel. I am sure the approach and attitude towards the crisis here is far different from the one at home, and I am interested to compare once I get back.
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