The Informative Interaction with Mr. Allen Machado, CEO, Niraamaya Wellness Retreats : Over the years Mr. Allen has been a part of various verticals of the hospitality business ranging from high end luxury business hotels to Uber chic and ultra-luxurious resort brands. He has also worked with turnkey businesses like luxury boutique hotels, a premium budget brand of hotels, an exceptional chain of prime banqueting and fine dine restaurants as well as the finest chain of wellness retreats in the country. This spectrum of experience has given him the ability to deliver at the highest levels.
You may reach him on his LinkedIn and Get to know more about him. Let’s get inspired from his thoughts and his journey in the Hospitality Industry!
1. What are your thoughts on the Current Situation of the Hotel Industry, and What will be the modern Growth hacking strategies?
The hospitality industry is still reeling from the impact of Covid, and in its aftermath. But it will recover faster than expected this time. A similar trend was seen post the 2nd wave. People preferred to travel within India due to the prevailing Covid restrictions. International travel is almost negligible, and guests are exploring the unexplored places of India, appreciating the natural beauty of our country. People are finding virtue in the beauty of destinations like Goa, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Coorg, Chikmagalur and Kashmir that are predominantly popular among travelers and are seeing a huge demand.
Modern Growth hacking strategies include key distribution channels. Big brands, online travel agencies (OTAs), global distribution systems (GDS’s), and metasearch websites which are all vying for customer attention. Hotel distribution channels are the cornerstone of a hotel’s sales and revenue strategy. To drive revenue, hotels need to attract as many customers as possible and must not only understand the “who, what, where, and when” of your customers, but most importantly, the “why” – the behavioral data, that highlights the factors that guide our guests’ travel decisions. Guest channel preferences are also crucial in developing an optimal channel mix as guests now have an unprecedented number of options for shopping and booking their hotel rooms.
2. Please tell us more about your Experience of working into the Wellness Industry.
It is always very exciting to spearhead the country’s foremost and top wellness brand. Travelers from across the globe are now looking at Wellness and Ayurveda seriously. India is the country where Ayurveda originated, and Ayurveda is the bedrock of all alternate medicine practices. With humanity forced to look inwards towards health, relationship, self-consciousness, wellness tourism will see a renewed resurgence. Wellness will be the new leisure, and, in the post covid era, and it is going to be one of the most significant pivots for humanity.
3. As we know, you are a very passionate, enthusiastic and senior hospitality professional, so we would like to know what is your Success Mantra?
Believe in your team, show them their goals and encourage them to live their lives to the fullest and achieve what they have set out to do. I also truly believe in the saying ‘Live with no excuses and Travel with no Regrets’.
4. According to you, what are the most important Skill Sets, hoteliers must have in terms to grow in the Hospitality Industry.
In my Humble opinion below are few of the skills that will prove fruitful in achieving distinct standards in hospitality industry.
Clear communication is one of the prime skills for good customer service in this industry. Adopt warm and respectful conversation with your guests and natural and smooth encouraging conversation with your team. Be honest, respectful and appreciative with everyone. It really works!
Teamwork is a must in hospitality industry. With proper co-ordination between all the teams, the tasks can be completed in a perfect way and with precise timing. Effective teamwork is a must for high quality service to the guests.
Another important skill is Multitasking and flexibility. No two days are the same in hospitality industry. Work depends on the footfall of the guests. One must be able to perform multitude of tasks and work with flexibility. Holidays are the most profitable and busy days of this industry.
5. According to you, what is the importance of Learning or Education for Hoteliers?
Education is very important in Hospitality. A trained employee will perform better and will lead to high levels of customer satisfaction. A satisfied and appreciated employee will be more efficient in executing his job and will create better a work environment. Trained staff provides a steady return on the investment.
6. What kind of strategies, hotels or resorts can use to attract guests in the New Normal?
In the new normal, travelers and guests will make safety and hygiene measures a priority when choosing their accommodation, hence safety measures and hygiene and open spaces will be one of key aspects. Being flexible in terms of policy will give a degree of confidence to customers who are undoubtedly worried when booking accommodations due to the inherent insecurity of possible isolation situations, closing of borders, and flight cancellations. Technology has always played a very important role in the digital transformation of the industry, in order to meet the level of personalization which holds the key to attract news guests.
7. Tell us something about your journey in the Hospitality Industry.
I have been part of the hospitality profession for around 25 years. I have had the good fortune to be a part of various verticals of the hospitality business ranging from premium luxury business hotels to contemporary and extravagant resort brands like The Oberoi Group of Hotels, the Intercontinental Hotels Group and The One & Only Hotels & Resorts to name a few. This spectrum of experience has always given me the ability to deliver at the highest levels. My experience in the hospitality business has always driven me to accomplish my goals and deliver results at the most crucial junctures in the span of the last 2 decades.
Through the years, having been recognized and rewarded with awards for outstanding work ranging from Operations to Revenue Management as well as spearheading and launching turnkey hospitality businesses that have led to immense satisfaction of the stakeholders is something I cherish. I believe in a collaborative leadership approach. I encourage my team to achieve their goals and believe strongly in their ability and professionalism.
