Closet Culinaire

Hotel keeping is the same all over the world; its all about keeping a guest, says Fulton, as he tries to dispel the challenge posed by the hard times the hotel industry finds itself in. Occupancy rates in five-star hotels have taken a nosedive in the last few months, a far cry from the halcyon days of 1995-96 that his predecessor enjoyed. Yes, this is a lean period, far worse than anyone expected. But well find a way around it.

The 40-year-old general manager is putting his systems in place. We have to keep introducing new things to sustain client interest, he says. Were trying to put a sparkle of life back into the service. Fulton has started with improving inter-personal communication within the hotel. We need to break down the hierarchical structure so typical of India, if we have to provide better service. Besides, a new computerised hotel-reservations project is on the cards.

 

In more lighter moments, however, Fulton still finds himself back in the kitchen working on hybrid cuisines. Tandoori food is the flavour of the season. These days, Im desperately trying to spin off a chicken tikka baked in naan bread, he says. I havent succeeded yet, but I will get there one day.