“BE TRUE TO
YOURSELF"
Time is past midnight... The foreigner guest from Germany
was visibly upset. The handle of his bag has been broken; the zip of the bag
has also gone bad beyond any repair…he has to catch the Lufthansa flight to his
country in the next three hours...that is the time M Rajendran chipped in...He met the guest...listened to him with
empathy... and told him: "sir, I do have two big suitcases in good
condition with me in the baggage room; I shall bring both the bags right now,
you may select the bag you like...and it is your bag from now.."
Undoubtedly the guest was dazzled and delighted. This
happened ten years back in The Oberoi,
Bengaluru.
This is just one story to narrate the orientation of
Rajendran towards the guests. No prizes for guessing how he lapped up the Best employee of the year Awards three times in a row. A rare hat
trick; incredible achievement indeed.
"Time flew in Oberoi; God alone knows how the
eighteen years have gone smoothly, like the snap of a finger" quips M
Rajendran, who is presently working as a Guest
Service Associate in My Fortune
Bengaluru Which has been functional since May 2014. During 91-95, he has
served the guests in Saudi Oberoi in Dammam. In 1994, he has been the best
employee of the year in Saudi Arabian property of Oberoi.
"Be true to yourself. Be honest to the core while
serving the guests" is the message he wants to impart to the younger
generation in the industry.
"There were just six five star hotels in Bengaluru
in the early 1990s, now there are 30 plus five star hotels, in Bengaluru city,
and in and around M G Road, as many as ten are located", he was mentioning
on the fierce competition in the market, while reminding the younger generation
that they should serve from the heart.
"Going forward, service will be the prime criteria
for the guests, not the product" says Rajendran.
He is married to Chithra,
a homemaker and is blessed with two sons-Eswaran
and Rajesh. Eswaran is a first year
B Com student, while, Rajesh is studying in Tenth standard. Rajendran's mother
also lives with him, in Bengaluru.
"Pretending in front of the superiors that you are
working very hard; carrying tales, quoting in place and out of place, reading
in between the lines are some things which one should avoid, if he/she wants to
be successful in this industry. Just focus on
your work; be guest centric always; give your best shot, go full steam;
you will be rewarded" says Rajendran, who believes strongly that Union
activities in hotels are completely irrelevant.
Text and pics by R KESAVA MALLIA in
Bengaluru
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