Prakash Shankar GM-Country Inn & Suites By Radisson Goa Panjim

Mr. Prakash Shankar, an IHM, Mumbai alumnus, is a very dedicated, passionate person and a great team player. He is known as the master for quality, who has an experience of more than 18 years to his credit in pre-opening & operating hotels with leading brands like Taj Group of Hotels, Marriott International, Zuri Group of Hotels and Radisson Hotel Group in various functional roles. The secret to his success is being optimistic, pro active and delivering the best to the guests. He also believes that problem solving, creativity and decision making go a long way to accomplish his objectives.

Being an IHM graduate, from his experience, he feels that apart from the core areas of operations i.e. front office, housekeeping, food & beverage and production there should be equal emphasis given on sales, revenue, marketing to grow & establish in the industry. The curriculum should definitely focus on the practical aspect & industry inside exposure which gives a better perspective of various areas in the hotel industry and exposure to the real world of hospitality.

He is of the opinion that the hotel in itself is a big and complete industry. The hotel industry comprises of the four pillars or core areas namely, food production, food & beverage, front office, and housekeeping. In addition to this, there are other important areas like sales & marketing, finance, procurement, purchase and the like , which offer great job opportunities ,not only for the people from the hotel field but also for people who do not have the qualification in the hotel industry.
He enjoys the hotel industry and recommends the youngsters joining this industry to be patient and enjoy every bit of the work. He advises them to get through the management training programs organised by reputed hotels which have an edge over the normal training courses. He says you have to master your basics with experience to rise in higher levels of the hierarchy. By doing so, one can become more efficient and productive and excel in their areas.

He says that Goa as a tourist destination is already booming. It is known for the serenity, easy life, relaxation and contentment. He considers that the government should firstly take care of exorbitantly rated taxi services. Most importantly the taxi fares need to be rationalised which otherwise pinches the tourist’s pockets. He also suggests that the aviation pricing & standardisation of GST for all segments of hotel could be also considered by the government authorities.

He strongly feels that a guest who carries with him the good experience will definitely return back to the same place. These days the minimum standards for all the guests are taken care of by all the organisations. Reward programs like free stay, discounts or gifts in addition to the comfort standards which are tailor made will also help to retain the guests. Customisation helps to enhance the guest’s experience, for example gifting the guests with souvenirs, rewards keeping in mind the various categories of guests. At their hotel, they go with the tag line for the guest’s, which says, “Welcome Back”!