I literally live in the hotel, in a house in the third floor overlooking a garden. While I do feel blessed to be able to enjoy the greenery and the beautiful property, with no help around, it’s also backbreaking work. Due to the lockdown, the hotel is closed and we just had about 30 guests including a couple of pilots who got stranded due to lack of national and international flights or any other means to travel. But luckily, we all bonded well, with social distancing norms in place of course.
On a regular day, it’s my wife Neetu, my daughters Kaira and Yana, aged 15 and 13, and my beagle Hugo at home. Just two days before the lockdown, my parents-in-law had visited us and due to the lockdown had no means of going back. So they are with us and that’s nice as we got to cook amazing food, play indoor games, go for long walks in the hotel premises. Just as I was getting worried about the huge vegetable garden called ‘The Patch’, our guests volunteered to help me with the upkeep of the garden. We divided the area into smaller zones and told that each guest was responsible for that bit.
Soon, I saw how competitive they got and started watering the plants, ensuring the weeds are gone and tending to the young saplings with extra care etc. It was almost like a reality gardening show! Our guests were proud owners of lush produce of gongura and spinach. They were so thrilled they even shared the videos and photos on social media tagging the hotel. Oh, we also had volleyball tournaments on the ground. I personally got a lot of time for myself which I used to make Do-It-Yourself lampshades using old liquor bottles, a hobby I left a few years ago.
I also managed to take a few early mornings ride on my Harley Davidson bike on the airport road. It has been a while since I got time to do it and therefore, it felt great. While the thoughts of how to keep my staff busy and motivated was always there on my mind, I also had to strategise on how we can get back our foothold after such a long gap. We are answerable to our hotel owners and have to drive revenues. We have a big task ahead. I regularly attended meetings with my leadership teams and trying out different plans to work out the post-lockdown phase better, for now, I am enjoying leisurely lunches, post-dinner Uno games and walks with my wife and dog. Seize the moment is the mantra for the day.
Rubin Cherian, General Manager Novotel Hyderabad Airport Hotel, Shamshabad