Nepali Times: How did you land up in Nepal, was it something you wanted? Harinder Singh: South Asia is now a separate region for the Hyatt hotels worldwide, as we have more hotels coming up in the region. The idea is to have more local people running them. So when Martin's (Van Kan) term expired I was offered the position.
What did you expect to find here?
We were aware of what is happening here, and the challenges, so nothing was a surprise as far as the performance of the hotel is concerned.
So, what do you see?
It's a challenge. We need to improve what we are doing because, first, we stepped into the market when there was the unfortunate incident concerning the monarchy, and the escalation of the Maoist rebellion. These were followed by the anti-Indian incidents, followed again by 11 September. We've been unlucky. More than anything else, it was unfortunate that all this happened when we were just opening. I think we need to do better.
How do you plan to get there?
We need to get out into the market and tell people about this hotel. Tell other parts of the world that we exist here. We need to educate people on what this property is. We need to market it differently, we need to let people know what we offer-not just the hotel, but the country and the city. I knew where Nepal was, but I've had lots of pleasant surprises in the last seven days. There is so much to offer here-outdoor activities like paragliding, mountain flights, visits to China, and all the trekking areas that I was not aware of.
How can Hyatt's worldwide network help get more tourists to your hotel and to Nepal?
The local tourist office and government have to help promote a country. We can help, provided the package is something Hyatt and the government are doing together. It isn't possible, from a Hyatt point of view, to sell a country, as we have 200 hotels. You need much bigger infrastructure than we have in our region for that to happen. But all our hotels are interlinked and we all have regular data exchanges. The network has always been helpful.
In terms of averages, how has your performance been since opening?
The occupancy is not extremely high, but there have been certain dates when we've done very well. There are also days when we haven't. On average, we need to pull up.
Do you see any quick solutions to improving the tourism scenario?
There are a lot of things the government can do. Making visa on arrivals more efficient, other little things to make the tourists welcome, inviting people from other countries to come and see for themselves. I understand some travel agents went to China recently and the people there want to come. I think people are not coming only because of their perceptions of the security situation, otherwise everything else is positive. We need to build confidence in tourists that Nepal is a secure place. I don't see much insecurity here, honestly, as much as you hear about it as an outsider. We need to send out more positive feelers and that can only be done by inviting people over and sending people out to promote the country.
How has the monsoon tourist flow been?
We have special packages with a few travel agents because now is when schools in India are closed for the summer. That's got us some business. The hotel has been doing very well for the past two months. May was very good and June is picking up. Every day we cross the figures we had forecast.
How did you manage to get your recent large Australian group?
Our sales team had been working on that; they were actually supposed to have come last year. It was a group of older people who wanted to see Mt Everest. They were thrilled. I'm sure that the world is full of people who want to see Everest. We need to market harder to get them here.
Is that a sign of a general tourism revival?
I think so. Also, people come if you have packages; it just depends on how you market them. I've seen that the hotels here are full of holiday-makers, casinos full of people who are not locals. The restaurants here have been doing very well. But again there was much more before-but now it can only improve. I think we need to build relationships with people, locals, expatriates, whoever has business. There are certain things in business that carry on irrespective of bad economy and poor security. We need to look at that market because business has to go on.
What should the government do right away to help a turnaround?
I think there are a few restrictions on travel to Nepal, such as the embassy advisories, which should be lifted. The most important thing the government can do is tell other governments that these advisories should not be given without consultations or proper information on the situation. The advisories were discussed at a recent PATA conference where it was agreed that governments should talk with their counterparts to ensure that such advisories should not be issued just for the sake of being issued.
We also need to build confidence about the security there is in the country. It is not as insecure as it is perceived to be. Of course, once tourists come in the economy will boom and once the economy begins to recover, it will benefit all. I think the solution to any rebellion is a good economy.
How does this property rate with other Hyatts in the region?
This is a Hyatt Regency, but my first impression was that of a Grand Hyatt, which is more luxurious. This hotel was almost branded as a Grand Hyatt but due to regional reasons we had to make it a Hyatt Regency. If I look around Kathmandu there is no property comparable to this. I don't just say that, I've seen all the other hotels, and nothing compares to the facilities we have.
You're the second woman general manager we've met in Nepal. Is this a growing trend?
I wish it were. I'm the first woman general manager at a Hyatt International in South Asia. In Hyatt worldwide, I don't think there are more than five women general managers. You have to prove much more than your men colleagues. Your ability to do things may be tenfold, but you have to prove that all the time. But I never thought about myself as being a woman in a man's world, I've just done what I've had to.
