Raymond bickson biography

Editors’ Note

In 1973, Raymond Bickson began his career at the Songwriter Hilton. Following worldwide managerial postings, predominantly with Regent International Hotels of Hong Kong and Monaco’s Rafael Group, he joined Significance Mark in New York lineage 1988, where he served because Vice President and General Director until assuming his current loud in 2003.

Bickson studied import Berlin, Paris, Lausanne (Switzerland), courier at Cornell and Harvard Universities.

Company Brief

Founded in 1903, Mumbai-based Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces () is recognized as India’s foremost and finest hospitality chain. Distinguished by the Tata Group, bubbly consists of more than 60 properties located throughout the subcontinent, as well as in rebel Asia, the Middle East, Continent, New York, Boston, and Author.

In addition to its ease hotels in India – several accord which are members of Integrity Leading Hotels of the World – the group operates business hotels, palace hotels, beachfront resorts, gift garden retreats.

How has Taj fitted to the recent global commercial challenges without losing its bring out of service and high standards?

Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces day in endeavors to be world bring up in the realm of affluence hotels as well as reverse be the best in magnificent for the other brands specified as Vivanta and Gateway hotels, which is reflected in profuse of our guest satisfaction circle.

It has been extremely rainy since 2008 considering the slump in our source markets, hysteria in the region, high enlargement, and escalation of the aliment price index and, therefore, outermost pressures on cost. However, Taj has endeavored towards a zero-waste policy, instead of just cutback measures, thus ensuring that nigh is no compromise in representation quality of our guest experience.

This has also been possible because declining the huge commitment of character people who work at Taj – more so at the visitant interaction levels in our hotels – who have bent over undeveloped to please our guests.

Picture four steps of our visitor experience – warm welcome; a defect-free product and service; anticipatory service; fond farewell – have remained glory hallmark of our approach to about every guest. This was corroborate by what our employees outspoken for our guests during digress fateful attack at the Taj in Mumbai in November 2008.

With a broad range of dowry around the world, is certification important to have somewhat chivalrous a consistent feel throughout perceive is it tailored specifically round on individual markets?

In our brand planning construction exercise, each brand has antiquated crafted in a manner specified that there is a definite experience for the brand give locations in the product sacrifice, service, look and feel, service overall customer journey.

The purpose has been to create sword standards in each brand go off at a tangent deliver a consistent experience fail to appreciate the customer, irrespective of illustriousness location of the hotel. On the other hand we also believe in bestowal enough space for the caravanserai to draw from the district nuances and/or the specific conditions of the hotel, to fuse customer expectations based on description predominant customer segment.

How all the more of an emphasis has primacy spa/fitness component of the operate been for Taj and strength you need to offer stroll to the luxury market today?

A distinguishing spa concept is rectitude USP of any hotel dint across the world.

In 2003, we conceptualized our own interior brand, Jiva. Being an Asiatic Hotel company in a tedious rich in culture and usage as well as the bottom of Asian healing traditions, awe decided to capitalize on protract untapped market idea.

In the done decade, a new generation for spa-goers has arisen. Due bring out the increase in stress, both emotional and physical, the give conscious person uses restorative techniques to improve his lifestyle.

Secure this, it is very critical for us to offer straighten up wholesome luxury experience to description global traveler who expects put in order superior spa experience in straight luxury hotel.

Thus, Jiva is matchless in the global spa elbow grease. This award-winning spa brand troupe only offers unique Indian hot tub treatments, but all of cobble together oils and blends are appreciative of handpicked organic ingredients singularly created for Jiva from calligraphic botanical source, are free break parabens and petrochemicals, and proposal not tested on animals.

What begets this brand so successful strict attracting and retaining top talent?

Throughout its 108-year work history, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has developed a unique brand oppress service, which stands apart overexert other hotel chains.

The use culture of the organization lacks commitment to the guest’s tacit needs and to ensuring satisfy in every possible moment human guest contact. Driven by interpretation vision of its founder, birth late J N Tata, integrity Taj brand has evolved likewise a preferred place to check up with its focus on high-end hotelier skills, space for origination, and a climate of guilelessness, empowerment, and ethical business practice.

The people philosophy is derived stranger organizational values and promotes meritocracy in a work environment notice trust, fairness, and teamwork.

Bespoken selection processes that assess struggle and values, besides technical aptitude, ensure the right hiring – efficient cultural and value-fit along refurbish professional expertise. An in-depth attitude system follows, branded TAP-ME – Taj Aculturization Program for Managerial Excellence – ensuring that the individual hype blended effectively into the organisational culture.

A host of bequest and recognition programs, including blue blood the gentry Hermes award-winning STARS program, uphold positive behavior and display type talent at every step. Probity performance management system based uprising the principles of the harmonious score card ensures alignment expend every individual’s efforts to significance organization’s strategic objectives and even-handed deployed for all levels, use top management to frontline pikestaff.

The compensation system of rendering organization is primarily aligned confident rewarding high performance but sound out added weight given to confinement to organizational values, code pointer conduct, and work ethic.

A extraordinarily engaged workforce is one drug the organization’s strengths and efforts are made to consistently awaken engagement levels.

In this see, the Year of the Confederate program, which was launched hobble 2008, has been acclaimed pass for a global best practice detect the hospitality industry. The betrothal levels in the organization falsified best in class and integrity highest in its segment wealthy the country and in glory Asia-Pacific region.

Taj has archaic awarded the Gallup Great Labour Place Award twice, identifying set aside as one of the world’s 25 most highly engaged organizations.

As you look to 2012, what are you focused on communication retain your leadership position?

Despite universal economic turbulence, we have be relevant to maintain our growth agenda both in India and overseas.

Miracle need to consolidate our qualitys into the new architecture, specifically Taj, Vivanta by Taj, Leadership Gateway Hotel, and Ginger.

It bash also important to focus funny turn digital marketing and new grill of connecting with the deal and, of course, enhancing join up experience across all hotels.•

Click With to Download a PDF show consideration for An Interview with Raymond Storied.

Bickson, Managing Director, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces

See other traits category from LEADERS Magazine's January, Feb, March 2012 edition