Behind the success of a hotel, there is always a leader who drives his team to achieve new heights, a leader who turns small moments into best memories and experiences for its guests. Kumar Sobhan, outgoing general manager of Hyatt Regency Kolkata, is one such person who has touched everyone who has walked in through the doors of the star hotel with his warmth for five-and-a-half years. From saying he doesn’t have too many relatives/connections in the city to “I will miss Calcutta”, the change has been gradual and organic. t2 caught up with Sobhan on his fulfilling stint as the GM of the star hotel on Bypass. Excerpts.

Goodbyes are difficult, we are going to miss you Shobhan. Tell us where you are headed.

I am going to Chennai... Park Hyatt Chennai as the general manager. I have worked there for three years as I was a part of the opening team but the hotel is 12 years old now. The plans are to bring that hotel to a creation height. The previous GM has been great, I just have to elevate and enhance the offerings, work on guest and colleague experience and establish certain food and beverages.

What are your biggest accomplishments during your time at Hyatt Regency Kolkata?

Let me take you a little back. When you leave a city and you come to a new city you have to start from scratch... building new friends. What happens is when it passes on from a general manager to a general manager, everyone has their own guest list and their own group of people and then you come in and you take over and build up on that. It was a typical task to understand the market scenario and how the hotel was perceived in the market. And when I joined here I had received a Bahubali welcome from my team!

Then later, Covid-19 hit the world and it was a difficult time for us but luckily there were no tragedies here and I am so grateful to God. The connection between the team was so strong and we were like a family. Then we went into the renovation and refurbishment plan of the hotel and that was the first time as a professional I got exposed to major project work. We utilised the time, invested a lot of money in refurbishing multiple areas to ensure we come to the level of what the city wanted.

You opened Incog...

Yes, that was a place where I always wanted to do something. Many people had said that there was a bar by the name Incognito in another hotel but it was many years ago and it was shut. We called this place Incog because you enter into a small space that opens up into a big beautiful space. That was one place that gave us so many parties, events like birthdays and sundowners and so on. I am very proud of that. Then we had other spaces too. So yes, new venues and avenues to generate revenues and keep the team engaged.

Are there moments that made you feel proud as a general manager?

I cannot count, it’s endless! The first time we did the revenues in 2022-2023 was the best ever and this year too we will break all the records. We came up with different rooms, setups, our customer service course went to 75 per cent satisfaction from 60 per cent. The working order, cleanliness, food quality... everything. Our Holi celebrations, Malhar, was another event and our lobby is huge so we keep doing something here. And of course we are known for the weddings too and we become family members of those clients. For example, when a bride walks in we give a small Ganesha and we say you are coming to your home. Oonch neech hota rahega and that’s when they also understand that we are not perfect but we put our best. And we take every feedback seriously. I would say I am blessed to have a team like this, life gets easier when you have a team like this.

Which decision of yours do you feel had the most significant impact on the company?

The hotel needed renovation and we had to convince a lot of people. A lot of efforts were put from our company, corporate and everyone because a lot of funds are needed and I was happy that I could convince them. I am very happy that our owners are very supportive, Hyatt is supportive and I have lived my life in Hyatt you know... 25 years of my career and I have been with them for 22 years. The other (decision) would be to get my team right. I interview every person coming in and going out. Sometimes they say I micromanage but I love that. It's my job to meet people. And Calcutta is a market that runs on relationships.

What advice have you shared with new GM Animesh Barat?

I have told him that he has to build relationships here. It takes little time to break the ice with people here but when you are done, you can just pick up the phone and talk to them. He is a very experienced person and I am very happy that he was chosen, because he understands.... We were colleagues earlier, he was in Westin in Chennai and I was in Park Hyatt Regency in Chennai. We were competition hotels but when you reach a certain level it's not about competition... like Calcutta GMs are very close. We have WhatsApp groups....

Who would you say you are closest with in the industry here?

Pramode (Bhandari) he is very dear. Gaurav (Soneja), Arjun (Kaggallu) they are very dear friends... Sunil (Kumar) was so sweet, he came over to meet me.

What are some of the lessons you are taking with you to your next role?

To build up a team who will push you to do your best. To build long-term relationships, to not be transactional at all with whoever you are dealing with because this will help everyone. Hyatt has a purpose that says we care for people so they can be their best.

Looking back, is there anything you would have loved to do differently, maybe? Or are you a man with no regrets?

I’m definitely a man with no regrets but with everything which we do there is always an opportunity to improve. We keep saying get better every time, so if you have reached a certain height, do something better, challenge yourself, be your own benchmark rather than having somebody else as a manager.

Talking about opportunity, what do you think is the company’s biggest opportunity for the future?

Invest in people. We believe in acquiring new talent. Covid-19 taught us a lot, to reflect on your own self so I would say take care of yourself as a human being. If you go back to the pictures of me when I had joined, I was huge but I have worked on myself. I take an hour of orientation of storytelling where I tell my story how I was a trainee, then I became a waiter and then I grew up the ranks. My motto is to be humble and grounded and to learn the basics yourself to teach anyone.

What will you miss the most about Calcutta, people aside?

Food but I am not too fond of Calcutta biryani because I come from Lucknow (laughs). I will miss the egg rolls! I prefer being at home, my wife is more social, she has so many friends. And of course I am going to miss Durga Puja! The city is something else, my wife is Bengali as you know... the adda, karaoke, meeting friends at their home... will miss the clothes, the different kinds of kurtas, the types of fish... katla, koi, pabda, hilsa, golda chingri... I am going to miss my family because they will stay here, I will miss the weekend adda.

Lastly, your message for your team...

You don’t need to fake it. Be transparent, everyone does mistakes but don’t repeat them. I keep telling them that one day if you don’t feel like coming to work, pick up the phone and tell me why. It’s been 25 years in the industry and not one day have I thought why am I going to work? That enthusiasm has to be there and the way to keep it is to keep innovating yourself.