Emotional quotient is the need of hour, says Teaching Associate Abhinay Sharma

The soul maxim of hotel industry “Atithi devo bhava” is a citation from the Taittiriya Upnishad which states that “guest as God”. This stands true to the test of time as it forms the base for the hospitality industry. The endless social events around us - from marriages to informal parties, conferences to seminars – are possible due to this industry. Being in the utopia of modernization, we have hotels with state-of-the-art architecture, embedded with top notch luxuries along with a touch of latest technological advancements. These further uplifts the needs and expectations of the guests, but raises a red light over the increasing expectations of guests due to changing times. Such situations bring with themselves a huge responsibility on the part of the hoteliers, especially the frontline associates of their respective core areas who face the heat consequences of any adverse situation.

Upon taking a close look, we see that these associates are none other than the freshly graduated students who have till now imagined the industry and its work process through the pages of their text books. They have a serene imagination of the industry and all they are aware about is about the sheen and shine of the soft floors but are seldom aware about the close-knit working process behind the doors. During the graduation years, the institutions teach about various services and culinary skills like doing wine service to the guest in a fine dine restaurant or completing the check-in or check-out formalities of guest but somehow the most important skill development of emotional quotient gets ignored throughout the journey. It becomes necessary to highlight the workload, tiring shifts and tedious situations in the day to day working process which are bound to take a toll on the emotional health.

During the graduation years, the institutions teach about various services and culinary skills like doing wine service to the guest in a fine dine restaurant or completing the check-in or check-out formalities of guest but somehow the most important skill development of emotional quotient gets ignored throughout the journey.

In these budding years of these upcoming hoteliers, they should be not only be made well-polished in terms of knowledge but also should be given a fair knowledge of tricks and tact to survive in this industry. As “the guest is always right”, it becomes very important for the managers and supervisors to groom up their team and strength up their armors so as to keep their cool in high time and deal with any of the uneven situations. There are many instances where the guests know their mistakes but hesitate to accept. Hence, it is in these times the emotional quotient of the staff is tested to the core where the associate is expected to carry a well-balanced demeanor with a courteous apology to the guest. With taking the obstacles posed by the covid times in the growth of hotel industry into consideration, we have to ensure that the upcoming generation of hoteliers are physically, mentally and emotionally able to tackle any adverse situation. 

About the author

Abhinay Sharma is a Teaching Associate at FHRAI - Institute of Hospitality Management.

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha