PRIDE PLAZA HOTEL VICE PRESIDENT PANKAJ MATHUR

Artistic in spirit and contemporary in presentation, Pride Plaza serves as an aesthetic hub that provides a culturally stimulating experience for guests. Led by a hotelier with three decades experience — having worked with JHM Interstate, Starwood, Hyatt, Marriott, Welcomgroup, Taj and Oberoi — Pankaj Mathur, Vice President, The Pride Plaza Hotel is instrumental in driving the luxury business hotel's growth trajectory.

 

Delivering results is vital in a fast-developing market and a great hotelier is so much more than just making the bottom line. It is about embracing change and being creative, shaping people and teams and the environment they work in. This can only be achieved if he listens, shares knowledge and collaborates, is informed, motivating and humble. And that's one of the reasons I admire Pankaj; an experienced leader, he puts people first. ''I believe in emotional intelligence'', he muses. ''In a team where feelings are valued and there is a culture of empathy and understanding, it allows employees to connect, understand each other and live a more authentic, healthy and happy work life.Not only does this make for a better guest experience, it also has a positive impact on employees' long-term retention.'' Now I'm intuitive and our talk gave me the feel 'You’re not a great leader until you have developed another great leader who has developed yet another great leader' underlies his values. I was right. ''My decisions are centred on motivating my team to achieve goals, with no interference in their department. People can do so much when you allow them to take ownership of their roles and provide them with a positive environment. This philosophy is a part of me and the DNA of Pride Plaza.''

 

Pankaj Mathur must be credited with transforming the hotel to the hottest property in Aerocity. His proven skill in pre-opening and set up, optimising guest satisfaction, human resources, marketing, creative revenue generator, operational excellence, strategy development, commercial and relationship management will no doubt make the hotel flourish. ''I can't just sit behind a desk. I like interacting with the team'' he explains. ''They want to come in to work each day and focus on building a longterm career. I ensure that I am present during training sessions. Knowledge sharing is integral during these sessions and team work is important towards our overall growth. I encourage all of them to communicate openly so that together we can resolve anything that needs to be addressed.''

 

I couldn't help asking him about nuts and bolts. ''We have a well-established business and the food- and- beverage segment is doing well. Imperfecto- a renowned nightclub- is opening in our premises. And guest satisfaction continues to grow which is the main positive.'' He pauses and then adds, ''We strive for personalised services even though we are a 385-room hotel. For example, our front office ensure that they are always available to assist guests and ensure their stay goes smoothly. The concierge team is up-to-date with the newest events in town to advise guests. And we continually revitalise our food- and -beverage to ensure there is something new and exciting on offer. We increase our deliverables to demonstrate our commitment to guest satisfaction…'' Given the core of the hotel is a renowned brand in a prime location on The Walk- Aerocity — a prime retail and F&B space — the team is aiming high and stretching themselves to reach new heights; judging by the positive vibes I experienced during my stay at Pride Plaza, I'm confident they will continue to soar.
 

6-FEBRUARY-2019