KATHMANDU: The chief executive officer (CEO) of Hotel Annapurna, Upaul Majumdar, considers his previous experiences to have aided in his ability to handle his current position with ease. Prior to acquiring an MBA from Institute of Management Technology of Ghaziabad in 1993, he had joined the Oberoi Hotel as a management trainee after completing his bachelor’s degree from Delhi University in 1987.

His progress path moved him up from management trainee, assistant manager, manager to beverage manager in the Oberoi Hotel. From there, he switched to Jet Airways as an area manager for North India in 1993. Though it was completely different field, it helped him understand the overall workings of the airlines industry. After working there for three years, he then set up his own consulting company called Upgrade Management Service in Delhi in 1996. He worked there till the end of 2011 and was then appointed as the CEO at Hotel Annapurna in January 2012.

Explaining about his duties and responsibility, he says, “I have three major roles to play. Firstly, to see where to upgrade in the hotel operations, by improving the product or the service quality. Secondly, to develop and upgrade Hotel Annapurna to the next level and have it categorised as the best five-star hotel in the country, which is my dream. Thirdly, to work closely with the chairman and board of

directors of the company to complete various projects with other partners like designers, construction team, et cetera.”

According to Majumdar, his experience of more than two decades in different sectors has also enabled him to gain wider perspectives about service delivery. Sharing his management style, he says, “I respect and appreciate people who communicate openly. But for that, I also have to be patient, a good listener and take decisions based on facts.” In terms of enhancing the skills of the employees, he

informs that Hotel Annapurna delivers in-house training of two to three days. Other trainings include international exposure in different hotels to the department heads.

“The trainings not only facilitate personal and professional growth of the employees, but also help in ensuring that they all strive to achieve and are knowledgeable about the organ-isational goals,” Majumdar says. Asserting that the human

resources and customers are the most important assets for a hospitality sector, he clarifies, “This is because even though I am the CEO, it is the staffs of Hotel Annapurna that represent me.”

While Majumdar meets with the department heads once a week to set the goals, he makes it a point of going around the

hotel for informal chat with the employees and building network. “I have made conscious effort on my part to put a system in place,” he claims. Laying emphasis on motivating employees, Majumdar says, “Every employee needs to be acknowledged for their

effort, no matter how small, because these small efforts wind up making a big difference.”

Speaking on the challenges, he says, “It’s all about building consensus, adding pride and getting to understand the culture.” He also points at the hurdles facing the business environment due to political instability. “Nepal is a small country with a huge international appeal. But much needs to be done in terms of all concerned coming together to promote tourism and making it an ideal destination for tourists.”