JW Marriott Kolkata has a new general manager - Sunil Kumar. Having worked at JW Marriott Juhu, St. Regis Mumbai, Four Seasons, The Westin Mumbai, Grand Hyatt, The Oberoi Group and The Westin Goa, Sunil has come armed with plans for the star property. t2 caught up with him at JW Lounge to discuss the same.
Congratulations and welcome to Calcutta. Tell us about yourself.
My DNA is from Hyderabad but most of my life has been spent in Bombay. I have been in this industry for 23 years now. I was born in Bangalore and went to college there too and started my career in Bangalore at The Oberoi’s and moved to Jaipur and worked withRajvilas and Trident, and moved to Bombay to start my career with JW Marriott Juhu and worked with other properties. My first stint as the general manager has been at The Westin Goa from where I have come here.
So, from Goa to Calcutta. How different are the environments?
With us you know it’s not a said rule but consciously we all know in three years or so you will get an opportunity to move out. I love Goa. My mom is still there with my pets. Goa is nice when you are on vacation but when you are doing your work, you don’t feel you are in Goa, but of course it’s fresh air.
A few months ago we had a GM’s conference in JW Marriott Kolkata with 150 general managers and I was a part of it and I have to tell you, among all the JW Marriott (properties), this is the most beautiful one. I’m not saying this because I am in Calcutta. The rooms, the artwork, it’s so simple yet elegant. So, during that conference, I had no idea that I am going to join this hotel!
And, a lot of partying. Are you the party type or the quieter one?
No, I am not the quiet type. I know everybody in Goa, it’s become an extended family. Not only hotels but restaurants also play a major role and they all work united there. They support each other.
Did you do your homework before coming here?
Honestly no, I don’t like doing that. I have worked for so many brands but have never done the homework for any. I always feel if this has come to me, it has come for a reason.As a hotelier, we always talk about the top line. Bigger the number, bigger the hotel, bigger the challenges and you can do so much, right?I also feel when you do homework, you walk into the hotel with a certain block in your mind, because you only believe in what is being told. The day I walk into a hotel, there are many things you want to understand, like the segments, who your competition is, and the local culture.... So yeah the dynamics of the city which works for our business, it can be catering, restaurants and bars etc…
Is your family joining you here?
My mother is joining me from Goa and I have four pets—- two dogs and two cats. My mom always said you never buy a pet, you adopt one. One of them is called Muffin and the other one is Doughnut! When I was in JW during Covid times, we were taking care of some kittens till they were fine. Out of the lot, one survived and later we adopted another cat from a friend who was a breeder. The Persian cat had a short tail and so no one was taking him. We are now set to get all of them down here in Calcutta.
Tell us what you have planned for the hotel.
I want to position this hotel at Number One and especially with the F&B there is a buzz here but we want more.
Is there any expansion plan in terms of F&B outlets?
Talks are going on but it is too early to talk about it, but if anything comes up, it would be the end of the year or in the first quarter of the next year. It could be a banquet or a restaurant. Nothing is final yet. With respect to F&B, I want to make JW Lounge like BBC (Bombay Baking Company) that’s a vision. To get ladies to indulge in afternoon tea…. Of course, our pastry chef is a celebrity in his own right. I think we can leverage that more. We want to do a pastry workshop of sorts with him for guests.In Vintage Asia we plan to have an expat chef soon. The food at Vintage Asia is excellent but we want to amp it up. The next focus is in-room dining. We want to make the experience nothing short of a restaurant experience. As for brunch, we want to have different themes. We recently did a sundowner and the response was very good.
Entertainment has been strong post-pandemic with innumerable techno events and other artists performing here at JW Marriott Kolkata...
I am a music lover and I want to continue the legacy that JW Marriott Kolkata already has. If not the same but we will do more, we want every non-resident to come to the hotel. Then, we are also working on Gold.
What are your post-pandemic strategies?
I come from a leisure hotel. Goa was buzzing post-pandemic. We all thought the craze would be the same but you would be surprised to know it’s not doing that well this month (June) especially. Because the rush has gone back to outside India with people going for international holidays. Of course, things will recover but that craze is not there. So we are taking learnings from there. If those months we didn’t achieve what we wanted, overall we have to and we are working on it.
What are your observations in terms of post-pandemic trends?
Previously many people used to feel five-star dining would be very expensive but post-pandemic everyone started exploring and people started visiting restaurants or having a buffet in hotels. And who knew five-star hotels will be on Zomato and Swiggy? Previously doing a home delivery meant you are not doing well but today from a luxury to a premier to select services, everyone is doing that! It’s bringing luxury close to the patrons.
That won’t take away the charm of dining out, right?
Definitely not, you just target a different audience now. We have realised that there are more people in the market who are ready to spend and we were not reaching out. Pandemic has taught us so much!
As a general manager, how strict are you?
I am very anal about everything to be perfect. I think if I am, my team will also be so. I also believe very strongly in walk the talk.We are in an industry business which is all about how you put yourself up there. If I’m positioning myself that I am better than the other, there should be some difference, right?
Which is your favourite corner in the hotel?
It’s is the JW Lounge and it’s such a cosy place. I have never seen a lounge so big. And look at the rose-gold finish, it is so luxurious. And I want people to talk about this place, about the best coffees and so many things.
Lastly, have you had the time to explore the city?
I worked at The Park about 17 years ago for 10 months, but the city has changed so much now. It’s a big shift. Ever since I have come I have explored very few places but I have definitely made a list of places to visit I have been recommended like Arun Tea Stall, Balwant tea shop, Sharma’s Dhaba and Miss Ginko.
What’s your message?
We want people to not only experience the food here but also as a luxury experience, which is what JW Marriott is all about. We want them to feel that they have walked into a luxury property. We are going to uplift everything in terms of service and food. There will be importance to minor details. We want to be more innovative in what we do.