Cornell International Hospitality Summit India brings opportunities and challenges to light

On January 17, the 175 attendees of the first Cornell International Hospitality Summit India had the unique opportunity to hear from India's leading hospitality executives as they discussed the most important issues facing the country's travel and tourism industry. The summit was SHA's first major industry event in Asia and was co-presented by the Center for Hospitality Research (CHR). Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces was title sponsor of the summit, which was held at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai.

"Many of the issues facing the Indian hospitality industry are global issues: the introduction of new technologies, sustainability initiatives, and improving guest experiences. What makes India special is the tremendous growth that the country will see in the next decade," said Jon Denison, associate dean for external affairs, SHA. "The supply of rooms in India is expected to triple, or even quadruple, within the next several years. That's a staggering rate of growth, and our panelists' top concerns have to do with how to maintain brand relevance and success in the booming market."

Denison moderated the summit's first panel session, "Dean's Leadership Series: A CEO Panel," which featured top executives from four of the leading hotel companies in India: Raymond Bickson, managing director and CEO, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces; Patu Keswani, chairman and managing director, The Lemon Tree Hotels; Vivek Nair, vice chairman and managing director, The Leela Group; and Priya Paul, chairperson, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels, & Director, Apeejay Surrendra Group.

The panelists gave a macro view of the hospitality industry, highlighting the issues that are at the forefront of their minds, including the instability of the global economy; the increasing role that technology will play on all aspects of the hospitality industry, from revenue management to sustainability; the rising costs of capital; and strategic development in light of the expected growth of the market. The CEO panelists spoke with passion about the need to get travel and tourism on India's national agenda. In the panelists' view, the roadblocks that foreigners face when trying to get travel visas is negatively affecting the industry, and it is the industry's responsibility to show the Indian government that travel is an excellent employment generator.

"In SHA's 90th year and CHR's 20th year, I'm delighted that we were able to launch our first International Summit at the Taj Mahal Palace," said Rohit Verma, CHR executive director and professor of services operations management, SHA. "This event brought together several leaders from the hospitality industry from India and the Asia Pacific region. I am delighted that we were able to organize a forum that facilitated engaging discussion about relevant, significant, and contemporary issues related to the global hospitality industry."

During the second panel of the day, "Achieving Excellence via Operational and Human Capital Innovations," Verma led a discussion among Neeraj Chadha, regional general manager–India, Hilton Worldwide; Ajay Kaul, CEO, whole time director, Foodworks Limited; Vikram Oberoi, COO and joint managing director of Oberoi Hotels, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts; Srinath Sridharan, senior vice president and head, strategic alliances, Wadhawan Group; and K.S. Srinivasan, vice president, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces.

Oberoi gave examples of the important role front-line employees play in delivering service excellence, and Oberoi and Srinivasan shared stories about the selfless dedication that their employees showed during the November 2008 terrorist attacks at Taj and Oberoi hotels in Mumbai. The panelists also discussed recruitment, training, and retention strategies; how social media is changing hotel operations; and how they're responding to consumer demands for more environmentally sustainable restaurants and lodging.

The summit wrapped up with the "Revenue & Performance Enhancement in Emerging Hospitality Markets" panel, moderated by Chris Chan, dean of the Cornell-Nanyang Institute and professor of accounting. Panelists were Patrick Andres, vice president, Asia Pacific, Sabre Hospitality Solutions; Brian Ferguson '95, vice president, Expedia; Ravish Khanna '91, executive director, Novotel Juhu Beach Mumbai and Majorda Goa; K. Vijayaraghavan "Vijay", CEO, Sathguru Management Consultants; and Grahame Tate, managing director, Asia Pacific, IDeaS.

Speaking out the future of revenue management in the hospitality industry, the panelists unanimously agreed that revenue per available room, or RevPAR, would continue to be the preferred performance measurement even though other measurements, such as gross operating profit per available room, or GOPPAR, would be better tools for strategic planning.

CHR's Customer Value Roundtable was held in conjunction with the summit. At the roundtable, more than 30 industry practitioners and researchers addressed the rapidly changing dynamics of hotel distribution, with a particular focus on the influence of internet sites and social media.

Event sponsors included e-Cornell; Express Hospitality; FRANCE 24; HelmsBriscoe; Hilton Worldwide; Hospitality Design; HospitalityBizIndia.com; Hotel Association of India; Hotel Management; Hsyndicate; HVS; Hyatt; India Hospitality Review; InterContinental Hotels Group; International Tourism Partnership; Luxpresso, an imprint of the Times of India; Marriott; Oberoi Hotels & Resorts; Peppermint Hotels; PhoCusWright, Inc.; Questex Hospitality Group; Traveltechie.com; TTG India; the Cornell University MMH Program in Asia; and the School of Hotel Administration's Office of Executive Education.