"HOSPITALITY IS ABOUT CARING!"

Veteran hotelier K Mohanchandran, Senior Vice-President, Operations, IHCL, shares his hospitality and success mantras...

- VINODINI RAO

K Mohanchandran embarked on his journey with IHCL/ the Taj Group in 1989 as a Management Trainee and has been an integral part of the Taj legacy ever since. An alumnus of the Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi, the distinguished hotelier worked across hotel functions and in multiple locations with the Taj Group. He was the Area Director, Udaipur & Jodhpur, and General Manager of the renowned Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, Taj Wellington Mews in Mumbai, Blue - A Taj Hotel in Sydney, Taj Bengal, Kolkata, and Director, Operations, Taj GVK Hotels.

Now Senior Vice President, Operations, IHCL, Mohanchandran's strength lies in his thorough knowledge of the industry and his people-handling skills. In a candid chat with Hotelier India, he spills the beans on his success secrets, and what keeps him going...

Did you always want to be an hotelier? What triggered your interest in the hospitality industry?

I don't think I had a very clear career path in mind during my school years. A few chance visits to the Ashoka Hotel and the Taj Mahal New Delhi back in the 1980s, got me considering hotels as an opted to join Catering option and I College. The sense of 'perfection and style' I noticed then in the restaurants and lobby, the crisp uniforms of the serving staff - all combined to create a 'pull' to become part of this industry!

You embarked on your hospitality career with the Taj, and have been part of the Taj legacy ever since a dream career for most hoteliers. What has it been like for you? What kept you going?