"I LEARNED MORE FROM MY TEAM THAN THEY DID FROM ME; THEY WERE THE CATALYSTS FOR MY SUCCESS!"

A revered hotelier, an outstanding coach, an exceptional consultant and now an amazing author. Rattan Keswani tells us all about his new avatar as a writer of his autobiography 'Check In Never Check Out'.

- VINODINI RAO

Rattan Keswani stepped away from his position as Deputy Managing Director, Lemon Tree Hotels Ltd and Director, Carnation Hotels, last year, after a tenure of a decade there. Prior to that, he was President, Trident Hotels (Part of EIH Ltd - Oberoi Group); he worked with Oberoi Hotels and Resorts for over three decades in many roles, in India and abroad.

Now an independent consultant and coach, what has remained steadfast in this legendary hotelier's 40-year-old career is his passion for the industry, his humility and a never-say-never attitude to learn - from situations, locations, people.... He attributes his success entirely to the people and teams he has worked with. And therein lies his greatness.

The book 'Check In, Never Out', a captivating chronicle about his extraordinary life, gives readers an intimate window into the inner workings of an hotelier's existence.

In an exclusive interview with us, Keswani shares delightful anecdotes from his journey as an author.

What triggered you to write your own biography?

The seed of thought had been planted many years ago, nearly 15 years, if I recall right. It started off with the typical "complaining" cocktail conversation with colleagues. We thought we should pen a "tell-all" kind of story, listing our woes and suggestions.