Human Resources Asia Pacific Opinion Articles

October 23, 2023

Breaking the Glass Ceiling – Women in the Hospitality Industry

Efforts to promote gender equality have become a global priority, with organizations like the United Nations embedding this goal within their Sustainable Development Goals. Notably, an increasing number of women are pursuing higher education in countries like the US, the UK, and India, and are entering the workforce as the corporate sector is offering a more flexible work environment. As a result, women have made significant strides in multiple sectors, including the dynamic world of hospitality.Recent research conducted by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) reveals that women accounted for 54% of the total employment in the global travel and tourism (T&T) industry. With their inherently higher levels of emotional intelligence, the hospitality sector is a perfect ground for women to succeed.

By Dhwani Gupta, Dipti Mohan, and Mandeep Lamba

India

Opinion Article

June 19, 2023

HVS Monday Musings: Enabling the Differently Abled in the Hospitality Sector

Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) have now become a business priority for most organizations across industries, as multiple research studies have shown that it not only boosts creativity, innovation, and employee morale but also productivity and bottom line while helping the world to move towards a more equalized economy. Organizations are taking active steps to make their workplaces more diverse and inclusive by focusing on recruiting people of different genders, ethnicity, cultures, nationalities, sexual orientation, and identities. Empowering differently-abled people through employment opportunities has also become one of the top priorities for organizations, including those in the hospitality industry, where guests often perceive an inclusive hotel property or workspace as more accommodative, comfortable, warm, and welcoming.

By Dhwani Gupta, Dipti Mohan, and Mandeep Lamba

India

Opinion Article

November 14, 2022

Can Gig Workers Help the Indian Hotel Industry Fill its Talent Gap?

The “gig economy” is becoming increasingly popular in India, with industries ranging from retail, transportation, and healthcare to knowledge-intensive and creative services such as consulting, advertising and marketing, and now even IT, turning to gig workers to meet their staffing needs. According to a recent NITI Aayog report, India's gig economy is predicted to grow from 7.7 million workers in 2020-21 to 23.5 million workers by 2029-30, making up 6.7% of the non-agricultural workforce or 4.1% of all employment in the country by that time. So, is it finally time for the Indian hotel industry, which has long struggled with a manpower shortage, to test the gig economy’s viability beyond just food delivery?

By Dipti Mohan and Mandeep Lamba

India

Opinion Article

June 13, 2022

Multiskilled Workforce – A Necessity for the Indian Hotel Sector

As per a recent survey, strong growth in travel demand has resulted in a 352% year-on-year growth in hiring activity in the Indian travel and hospitality industry in May 2022. However, as additional supply enters the market, the industry's struggle with a skilled labor shortage is only expected to worsen. One reason for this is that several hospitality professionals who were displaced or lost their jobs in the last two years have found alternative employment in other allied industries, while others are hesitant to join the hospitality industry due to the current uncertain market conditions.

By Dipti Mohan and Mandeep Lamba

India

Opinion Article

February 28, 2022

HVS Monday Musings: Indian Hospitality Sector – Skill Shortage to Hinder Recovery and Growth

The Indian hospitality industry has grown rapidly in recent decades, employing 8.8% of the country’s workforce in 2019. However, the industry has long struggled with a shortage of trained workforce although several students emerge from hospitality colleges each year. The demand-supply equations are daunting even though the sector has tried to close the gap over the years. As per a Ministry of Tourism study, the manpower shortage in 2018 was 2.6 million, and the sector is staring at a deficit of 1.1 million in 2025, posing a significant threat to the sector's recovery post-COVID. Several factors have contributed to this, and the situation is expected to get worse post the pandemic.

By Dipti Mohan and Mandeep Lamba

India

Opinion Article

June 22, 2021

Taking Care Of The Key Assets, The Taj Way!

November 26, 2008 is etched as a black letter day in the history of hotels in India. It would not be wrong to say that before that date and largely after it too, most parts of India have been considered safe and essentially terror free. Still, that red mark in our recent history plays heavily on our minds and the ecosystem we live in.

By L. Aruna Dhir, Author of Bestselling Memoir - "Hotel Adventures with the Stars" and Columnist, YouTube Show Host of "High Priestess of Hedonism", L. Aruna Dhir

India

Opinion Article

June 8, 2021

India: Evolving the Service Playbook

As the hotel sector prepares for life after the second wave (W2), we must recognise that this was not the same as W1.

By Vijay Thacker, Managing Director Horwath HTL India, Horwath

India

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Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP)

Opinion Article

March 3, 2021

HVS Internship Study: Effectiveness of Internship in the Indian Hospitality Sector

The Indian hospitality sector has grown rapidly in the past couple of decades and is a key employment generator for the country. According to WTTC, travel & tourism sector contributed 6.8% and 8% to the country's total GDP and employment, respectively, in 2019. However, shortage of quality personnel has been a perennial problem for the sector even though several students graduate from specialized hospitality institutes in the country every year. It is high time that the hospitality sector introspects on this challenge, especially as several hospitality students prefer joining other sectors after their graduation.

By Shalloo Dhillon, Dipti Mohan, and Mandeep Lamba

India

Opinion Article

February 8, 2021

Building Economies: Stories from Singapore

Having recently celebrated its 55th year of independence, Singapore is a relatively young nation. Yet, the country has quickly risen to prominence on the international stage, becoming well-regarded as a regional and global business hub. Several key factors have contributed to this success, including great foresight, a conscious push for entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as a vision to help other countries strive towards similar success.

By Kimberly Yoong, Assistant Vice President, Hotel Financing, Aareal Bank AG

Singapore

Opinion Article

April 4, 2019

The Labour Challenge for Japan’s Casino Resorts

Integrated casino resorts are moving closer to becoming a reality in Japan. While the Integrated Resort (IR) Implementation Bill was passed by Japan's Diet last summer, it is anyone's guess as to when the actual licenses, expected to be granted in Osaka, Tokyo, and Yokohama, will be awarded. In addition to one or two local Japanese firms such as Sega Sammy and Konami, the likes of global casino players MGM, Las Vegas Sands, Wynn and Caesars, are all pitching and lobbying furiously to win one of the coveted sites. Forecast to become the second largest gaming market in the world after Macau, and at least twice as large as Singapore, Japan has tentatively edged over the last few years towards legalising casino resorts while at the same time seeking to impose certain limitations in order to appease a nation concerned with the dangers of gambling addiction. Industry and government are making a concerted effort to overturn a negative perception of gaming and to better educate the general public on what exactly an IR comprises. In other words, pitching them as large scale entertainment venues centred on a comparatively small casino - in fact only up to 3% of floor space will be devoted to gaming. The huge amounts of patience, money and resources required on the part of these hopeful casino groups to get this far in the bidding process gives some idea as to the size of the potential payoff that is on offer.

By Chris Mumford, Managing Director, AETHOS Consulting Group

Japan

Opinion Article

October 15, 2018

Make People your Priority

This article by Hotelivate Executive Search explores two key dilemmas at the forefront of every organization committed to success, growth, and a dynamic and supportive work environment. Predictably, both of these are to do with finding and keeping the right people.

By Shruti Mathur, Senior Associate, Hotelivate Private Limited

India

Opinion Article

January 23, 2018

Ways to Increase Productivity at Work

Everything office-related is oriented towards boosting productivity – from chairs, office desks and the choice of colors to rec rooms. Every passionate professional should aim at maxing out their productivity, and these valuable tips will help you achieve the ultimate goal of becoming a lean, mean success machine.

By Dan Miller, Payments officer, Bizzmarkblog.com

Australia

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Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP)

Opinion Article

January 5, 2015

Training and Development Needs in Hotel Companies in India: An Inconvenient Truth

This article aims to explore the widening skill gap in the Indian hospitality industry and examine if hotel companies are doing enough to ensure that they don't fall short of their most essential requirement – human capital.

By Manav Thadani, Chairman - HVS Asia Pacific, HVS

India

Opinion Article

March 31, 2014

The Indian HR Storyboard – Then and Now

The last decade witnessed some far-reaching and significant changes in the way business is conducted in the Indian Hospitality spectrum. Regardless of the recent year's contentious and challenging economic climate, the hospitality landscape continued to evolve, and new international hotel brands entered the Indian subcontinent. Needless to say, in its effort to stay one step ahead, the growing sector had to work twice as hard and revolutionise its business and human resource (HR) strategies. HVS Executive Search provides an outline of the key HR trends we believe have been the drivers of the hospitality sector in the last few years and will continue to play a dominant role going forward.

By Anupama Jaiswal

India

Opinion Article

March 10, 2014

Interviewing Successful Hotel Managers: Peter Hildebrand, General Manager, W Hong Kong

Peter Hildebrand is the General Manager of W Hong Kong. He is an ambitious and driven man, who would not settle for just an ordinary career path. He is from Australia and has spent most of his career in Asia. He has an indepth understanding of the Chinese culture and speaks the language. Perhaps, he understands the Chinese culture better than other Westerners who are living and working in Hong Kong or in the Chinese mainland. Peter likes nontraditional luxury hotels, which explains why he ended up leading the W Hong Kong.

By Dr. Lily Lin, Author of "Interviewing Successful Hotel Managers", Lin & Pavelson B.V.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR)

Opinion Article

May 7, 2013

The fourth edition of the India Hotel Compensation Study© includes salary data from 196 hotels across 54 cities in India, reporting on 70 positions across the entire hotel hierarchy. The India Hotel Unit Compensation Study ©, is designed to provide you with current and credible information concerning salary trends across all job roles in a hotel hierarchy. The survey findings will assist you in benchmarking salary, and accordingly structure compensation. Thus, enabling you to manage businesses better and allow companies to attract and retain talent through equitable compensation practices. The study which was conducted across all hotels in India includes data from 196 hotels across 54 cities in India, reporting on 70 positions across the entire hotel hierarchy.

By Anupama Jaiswal

India

Opinion Article

May 19, 2009

Indian Hospitality in Transition : Challenges for HR

Hospitality India is no stranger to this maxim and now finds itself in the midst of yet another change as the hands of time whirl on. As the sector transits from a period widely accepted as the ‘Golden Age of the Indian Hospitality Sector’ to one that could well be known as that of the ‘Golden Handshake’. The challenge for the Hotel Human Resource (HR) department in the year 2009 would, thus, be in keeping the employees motivated as well as informed about the fall out of the global meltdown, which could impinge on the work environment in terms of job security, reduced growth avenues, and compensation. It will not be easy for employees to rein in their needs and aspirations and changing their mindsets will be the next challenge for HR. The scenario requires precise and timely communication with employees apprising them of the situation.

HVS

India