Thought for food

PRIYA PAUL, CHAIRPERSON, APEEJAY SURRENDRA PARK HOTELS, ON HOW SHE HAS REVOLUTIONISED AND REIMAGINED HOTEL FOOD BY INTRODUCING INNOVATIVE F&B CONCEPT

- SHAFQUAT ALI

ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY

SA For someone who took over the mantle of heading Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels at a very early age and, against all odds, went on to change the face of THE Park Hotels by marrying design and hospitality, bringing in the concept of boutique hotels and revolutionizing the way metropolitan India eats out, you have done it all. How did it all come together?

PP As you know, I started working in 1988, as the marketing manager at THE Park New Delhi. My father died in 1990. That’s when I took over the three hotels; I was 22. I set about to “Rebuild, Renovate and Reposition” the three hotels and created the niche of luxury boutique hotels then. The restaurant landscape in India at that time was extremely limited.

From the Nineties onwards when hotel restaurants were dull and there were hardly any concept-based restaurants, we introduced restaurants that were not just innovative but were contemporary and had great design. For example, our restaurant Zen at THE Park Kolkata opened in 1993 with a Pan-Asian menu far ahead of its times. Zen has evolved over the years with multiple changes but continues to be recognised for its outstanding Pan-Asian menu.

Creating bars and nightlife in our hotels is a significant area by which we have created a very strong differentiating factor.

SA Those were difficult times when you started in 1988 as there was absolutely no business in the market…

PP My father offered various innovative deals to get people to come and try the hotel but it took a lot of effort. Eating out at five-star hotels was not common. It took the liberalisation in 1991 to change this.

SA I remember he told you then that your biggest strength was the fact that you were starting when the business was down. Has that really been the case?