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various cultures that determine people’s behaviour in
different states, the distinct customer bases in Tier 1 and
Tier 2 cities, and the many differentiators that exist in our
country. I travelled to cities and states that I never
thought I would reach, and this experience broadened
my horizons significantly
The key custodians and customers in a management
company are the owners. They are the ones who take a
huge financial risk running into tens if not hundreds of
crores to develop the asset. They then entrust the brand
with the responsibility of creating value for the asset
and lasting legacy in the city. Their motivations,
requirements, mentalities, and levels of aggression vary.
Their learnings from travels abroad and from stays in
luxury hotels are subjective and at most levels
inadequate – yet one has to stroke their ego.
Their need is to get social respect and recognition in
their local environment, as a result some design
discussions and recommendations get subjugated to
satisfy their egos. Families and partners get involved
with these discussions and later in operations and
marketing. On occasion their needs and actions are
questionable, yet it is essential to manage them. They
are as crucial as shareholders, employees, and peer
the new brand. It was a mutually beneficial and fulfilling groups, for they provide an asset and take the
experience. significant financial risks and select the brand for value,
In addition to my primary responsibilities, I was local reputation and personal gratification.
fortunate enough to take on some additional functions Their unique expectations and needs have to be met,
within the owning company, including marketing and and the brand needs to strive to exceed them. This is
brand management. I was also tasked with upgrading critical for building trust and maintaining a positive
the HR structure, and given the freedom to pursue working relationship with the owners, which, in turn,
opportunities to learn and add value. All these contributes to the growth and success of the brand.
opportunities were generously provided to me by the I found that each person I came into contact with was
Chairman and my colleagues, for which I am deeply entirely different from the others. Throughout my tenure,
grateful. I worked with 66 owners, each with their own unique
In my journey, I had the privilege of being involved in personality and attitude. Approximately 40 per cent
pioneering co-branding with international companies, spoke different languages, and their socio-cultural
and then creating Trident when the partnership ended. norms, food habits, and travel preferences varied. My
At Lemon Tree Hotels I was entrusted with the challenge was to ensure that I brought all of these
responsibility of leading the team to create their luxury differences together while still maintaining the brand
hotel brand Aurika Hotels and Resorts. Just before essence and the local community’s culture to the fore. It
Covid, the company had acquired another entity called was a daunting task, but today I am incredibly proud of
Keys Hotels, which had three existing brands of its own. the outcome.
As part of the cross-cultural assimilation process, I was
tasked with bringing brand clarity and creating a
distinction between the verticals of Lemon Tree and The author’s share of the
Keys, while also creating the brand guidelines for all proceeds from the sale of the
seven brands. The aim was to ensure that each brand book will go to Muskaan
had unique identities, synergized into the umbrella of PAEPID, an NGO that trains and
the conglomerate’s yet were values, HR culture and places differently-abled
sustainability consciousness. persons.
This entire journey spanned over a decade and would
not have been possible without the support of everyone Publisher: StoryMirror
involved. It provided me with valuable insights and Distributed on: Amazon and
learnings, as I gained a greater understanding of the Flipkart

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