Many of them came as post-partition refugees to Ahmedabad, but the Sindhi community of this city has made success its mantra, especially in the hospitality industry. Ahmedabad has more than 20 Sindhi-owned hotels, most of them in the 3-5 Star category, with a strong presence in the upscale shopping districts.
“Till the 1980s, Sindhis were not known as hoteliers in Gujarat,” says Jaikrishna Jadhwani, CEO and an MD of Comfort Inn President. “Settling here after partition, Sindhis mostly started businesses as wholesellers and retailers of dry and fresh fruits, vegetables etc, part of the Sindhi comfort zone. Many entered textiles and garments. Retail and trading was another area of expertise, and the Radio Market (for electrical/electronic goods), Sindhi cloth markets, foodgrain markets and Revdi Bazaar (for hosiery and salwar-kameez) became important Sindhi strongholds. In the 1980s, the Rivera Hotel, now Sarovar Portico on Khanpur Road, was the only Sindhi-owned star-rated hotel here. It became extremely popular with the textile mills in the 1980s for hosting visitors to the city.”
The scene, says Jadhwani, began to change when the Hingorani family, who were close to the Lalwanis and Mulchandanis (promoters of Sarovar Portico), saw many textile factories and wealthy families in Gujarat needing more rooms to keep guests. “They used to request owners of the hotels on Khanpur Road to increase capacity. The Hingoranis decided to invest in a hotel in the Ellisbridge-Navrangpura area of Ahmedabad, a fast emerging area at that time. This was a good move—it has now become an upscale residential, shopping and business district. Thus came up Klassic Gold and Kanak in the mid-1980s, tapping the boom in office and retail space on CG Road.”
Despite these 3 Star hotels, Jadhwani’s family, who were in the garment business, found they often had problems getting rooms for business associates. “This inspired us to invest in the President Hotel on CG Road, which inspired other Sindhis, particularly after property prices slumped in the walled city after the 2002 communal riots. Hotels like the 5 Star-rated Inder Residency, Nalanda and Rock Regency were all set up by Sindhis who diversified from cloth and other businesses, and found their real calling. Family members became executive directors, reducing overheads, since most of us had prior administrative and customer service experience. Our families, used to the ‘dignity of labour’ due to the hardships we faced in the post partition years, had young family members ready to work in any position in the new hotels, making the hotels viable.”
Agrees Prakash Daulatani, joint MD, Metropole Hotel, “Entire Sindhi families are involved in this. Culturally too, Sindhis make good hoteliers—we’re flamboyant, enjoy good food and entertainment, and are brought up entertaining guests at home, making our hotels welcoming and comfortable.”
Another success story is the Somani family-owned Bhagwati Banquets and Hotels Ltd, which owns a 5 Star hotel and convention centre in Surat, and a 3 Starrer in Ahmedabad under The Grand Bhagwati (TGB) brand, a resort in Rajkot called TGB Seasons, and a number of banquet halls and restaurants in other cities. Says Narendra Somani, CMD, “We started a small eatery with a chaat-only catering service in 1989. Since then, we focused on our core competency—on-site catering, outdoor events and banquets. Earlier, weddings and conferences would be held outdoors, with mandaps put up on hotel lawns and food counters beside them, not a comfortable arrangement—what with Gujarat’s hot weather—and certainly lacking in the class expected at such occasions. There was need for a sophisticated option, with well-presented food prepared by top chefs, liveried waiters, attractive tableware, and live performances. We built a large production facility, with a kitchen for 10,000 meals, and a transport fleet with storage facilities to carry the food to the venue. This ensures quality control and consistency at every event, and has been a huge success. We’ve created a single-window solution for families, event managers and corporate houses,” explains Somani. Thus they created the Grand Bhagwati Hotel, with all facilities and human capital to tackle any event. “We’re often called upon for destination weddings in India and abroad,” says Somani, adding proudly, “Our Surat hotel is the largest in the city of diamonds and textiles, with one of the busiest convention centres in Gujarat.”
With the hospitality industry booming in Gujarat, Somani says Sindhi hoteliers are upbeat about the future. “The Sindhi promoters of the five-star Fortune Landmark are starting more hotels, like Ferns, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. Hotels of leading brands like Courtyard by Marriott and Radisson also have Sindhi investors. I see a good future for Sindhis in Gujarat’s hospitality industry.”