Jean Philippe Beghin

A hotelier for about three decades, Jean Philippe Beghin has worked across continents with leading international hotel chains like the Hilton Hotels, Ramada Hotels International, Holiday Inn Worldwide, Inter-Continental Hotels and the Mandarian Oriental Hotel Group. Now he is the General Manager of one the leading hotels of Delhi. The Oberoi, with his innovative plans, will definitely be the leading horse in the race.

The more said about his achievements the lesser it is. A master of Business Administration from Monash University, Australia and with a sound foundation in Food and Beverage, Jean is a polyglot of sorts with, not only a good command over French, English, Dutch and Indonesian but also a basic understanding of Thai and German.

INTERVIEW:

Having been in the hospitality industry for about 3 decades, what do you feel about the hospitality industry?Like any other industry, hospitality industry too has gone through a lot of changes because of technology, globalization, expanding of markets so on and so forth. However, the fundamental tenets are still the same. It is about making people feel comfortable, giving them a great culinary experience and attending to their every need and make travel to their chosen destinations easy and enjoyable.

It is still about good service and friendly staff. That is the bottom-line and it has not changed. The processes have evolved but the philosophy remains the same. From horse-drawn carriages and the country side Inns to limousines with liveried chauffeur, music, mineral water, telephones etc. It is all about giving the latest service comparable with the changed notion of comfort.

This is perhaps your first posting in India. Are you excited about it or is it a compulsive posting for you?
I wanted to come to India four years ago. I grabbed the moment the opportunity came my way. The Oberoi, New Delhi is not only the flagship of the group but also one of the finest properties in the country.

I always had the feeling that I would surely come to India. I always felt that it had to happen - call it 'Karma'. My aspiration is to maintain and enhance the reputation of the Oberoi, New Delhi as the best hotel in the city. At this juncture of my career, I'll be able to integrate a lot of my past experience.

India, because of its diversity and complexity, will be a great ground for integrating that experience. It is one of the great cultures of the world. It has an extremely diversified society and a strong and distinct culture.

A score of new experience awaits me- a surely new experience for a world traveler like me and a closer exposure to India's submerging lines between religion and culture. I'd like to delve into the richness of spiritualism. India has been the seat of Buddhism and Hinduism. I've always found the effect of religion on culture and lifestyles of people very intriguing. During my stay in this exotic country, I'll try to understand the religious significance on the Indian culture - historical magnificence, interesting beliefs and practices of the people.

Coming back to Oberoi, I'd like to focus on more attention to service, which is the core competence of the company.

What are your expectations from the Indian market?
India is opening - it is still in the transient period, a sort of gradual opening of India. The transition phase may take longer because of it being an enormous country. Because of the globalization and emergence of new companies, hotels etc. you'll see new set of guests coming in -whether corporates or tourists. Since the potential of tourism and business is enormous, it is a significant emerging market. The expansion of hospitality sector is contingent to political stability, pace of the economic reforms and security among other pertinent issues. People look for a risk-free environment.

How important is the role of 'IT' for the hospitality industry?
The role of information technology is to free up the staff of tedious task and give them more time with the guests. It lends itself to greater productivity and efficiency. It enables people to talk more to the guests in order to track the likes and dislikes of a guest and to offer the same level of technological environment that they would normally have in their own offices.

E-commerce and online processes not only offer more opinions but also correct-to-the-minute choices to the discerning traveller at the touch of a button, respecting the high premium on his time, for instance increased usage online bookings, Interactive TV etc. Interactive television allows guests to view their bills and checkout from their rooms. The guest does not need to go to the business centre to check his embalm etc. he can do it from the comfort of his room.

Are you doing something towards the face-lifting of the restaurants?
Yes, we are about to finish work in the Palms, at the end of which the Coffee Shop will look enticingly refreshing. Very shortly we are going to embark on the extension and a complete change of look for the Pastry Shop. Due to the increase in the popularity of The Pastry Shop and demand of our products, this has become an important project to be undertaken as soon as possible.

Efforts are already being implemented to show results. For instance we have over 21 varieties of dimsums being served at the Taipan - the largest spread in the city; La Rochelle & Wine Bar is the only fine dining restaurant that serves an all-vegetarian continental menu; The Kandahar, serving Indian cuisine, is fast becoming popular for it's low calorie, health conscious thrust on Indian cuisine.

Does the local clientele form an important part of your guest portfolio?
Most certainly for the Food and Beverage. Our philosophy for the restart is that if your local customer likes your outlets so will the in-house guests. Compared to other counties, the Indian guests are not taking advantage of the weekend rates during special weekend offers. It is definitely an opportunity for both the customer and the industry to develop this market.

Won't having a nightclub add to the local clientele?
Oberoi is a hotel for corporate people. They don't necessarily want to go to the disco. They want to sit and do business conversation and they cannot do it when there is loud music. We have a high quality restaurant which gives the comfort to relax with good music.

What is the profile of guests that comes to your hotel?
The Oberoi reputation for premium quality of service provided in an internationally benchmarked infrastructure attracts the top end of the market in all segments such as the corporate, foreign collaborators, PSUs, Diplomatic guests, heads of state, top businessmen. This has always been the cornerstone of our success.

The percentage of business guests at our hotel is 92%. Remaining 8% being the leisure travellers. But the latter is soon climbing into 10% mark of the renewed thrust on the Northern region circuit. We are being flexible where tourism business is concerned and it is being supported by Summer offers. Talking about the Northern circuit, due to excellent positioning of the Oberoi Group within the culturally rich precincts, we are witnessing an increased interest in our hotels for high end FIT travelers.

You have worked with various leading international hotel chains, how is your experience with each of them? Could you highlight some outstanding feature?
I have spent almost nine years with the Oberoi Group as general Manager at The Windsor, Australia - undoubtedly one of the most prestigious hotels in Australia. I have worked with other Hospitality heavyweights such as the Intercontinental (Paris) and the ( Jakarta). When I was with Intercontinental it was considered the best hotel in Europe. Intercontinental has the most prestigious Banquet in Paris. It was considered a trend setting in life style and symbolized the flair of the world's fashion capital.

I was again at the peak of Mandarin's reputation in Asia. It was considered a very happening hotel, with an excellent location - right in the centre of Jakarta with great restaurants and the international standard entertainment. We introduced famous musical artist like George Benson, The Door etc. to the city connoisseurs.

As you may be aware that the Oberoi group is being recognized internationally. At the Windsor, my major assignment was renovation of the Hotel and its repositioning. We were responsible for putting the hotel back on the top where it belonged through upgradation, reconnecting with the traditional customer base and giving service of the highest order.The Windsor has received accolades internationally, won several awards and is considered one of the finest hotels in the world today.

At Intercontinental they teach you professionalism in running high-class hotels, pioneering concepts & policies, quality standards, ethics etc. Mandarian oriental Hotel group is known for quality, dealing , flair and creating an aspirational value in lifestyle.

The Oberoi groupstands for impeccable service, very well appointed rooms & restaurants and a very strong quality image in Asia and The Middle East. It has also pledged total commitment to education and training - a proof of this fact is that the Oberoi Center for Learning and Development has been instrumental in nurturing quality professionals who are sought after by other well-known hotel brands.

How do you find India and its people?
Everybody is very nice in Delhi. There is a lot of social activity. I did not expect to find Delhi so green. There are a lot of parks in Delhi and also lot of monuments. In Indian food I like the kababs, dal and specially the Indian bread.

- Avni Sood