With over two decades in the industry, this Delhiite began his hospitality career with The Meridian Delhi in the front office and finally became a 'Marriott man' a decade back. "I always say it is my actual hospitality industry began when I joined Marriott 10 years ago," says Jatin Khanna, GM, JW Marriott Pune, with a smile. He has been at the helm of the property from before and through its transition, in 2013, as it got rebranded from Marriott to JW Marriott.

With JW being one of the most recognised of Marriott offerings in India, what is it that appeals most to the guests? Khanna feels that JW at Juhu Beach in Mumbai helped in brand positioning - upscale affordable luxury. "In my opinion, it is all about a brand promise, the quality which is coming along with the brand and the standardisation," he says. With seven operating JWs in the country, there is a uniformity of operations that helps guests travelling from Mussoorie to Pune to know what to expect from this growing upscale luxury brand. With so many brands entering the comp-set, Khanna feels that all the stakeholders, more importantly the associates, need to make sure that JW keeps its position advantage over the others.

Marriott has very robust procedures and processes when opening a property. Citing the example of his own property, he reveals how they had a clear strategy of promoting it not just in Pune but pan-India. "We had a complete strategy behind it to make sure that every area gets ticked and we make a big noise that we are now a JW and how are we different from a Marriott." Khanna also points out how brand immersion is also an important and expansive process.