An Undisputed Standard of Class
Pullman Bali Legian Beach continues to be a staple for professionals and tourists alike, who find themselves enjoying the Bali heat and the views of the glistening Indian Ocean off of Bali’s west coast. We sat down with General Manager Ravi Khubchandani to chat with him about the role he’s taken on with the premium hotel.
Q: How did you debut in hospitality and what originally drove you to get into it?
A: In my early teens, the grandeur and opulence of hotels, with immaculately dressed professionals, drew me towards hospitality. As I grew up, the thought of working in an industry with opportunities to travel and engage with people from across the world really inspired me to become a hotelier.
I started my hospitality career with Accor in Wellington, New Zealand working as a night auditor, whilst I was still a full-time hospitality student during the day hours.
Q: How have your contributions to the hotel in multiple countries, namely New Zealand, India and Indonesia, changed your perspective on hospitality?
A: Every new region and every new hotel adds to your understanding of the industry and people. The expectations of guests also vary considerably depending on the region and purpose of their travels. My experiences over the years prompted me to make a genuine effort to understand and appreciate the specific nuances of the business, team and guests of each new opportunity and then work towards defining the strategy best suited to augment the performance of the hotel.
Q: What are your responsibilities here at Pullman Bali Legian Beach?
A: I’m responsible for steering the team to achieve newer performance benchmarks. This also entails engaging with multiple stakeholders including the owners, clients, guests, authorities and various other business partners. One of the key responsibilities is also to ensure that the resort continues to adapt and evolve with the trends and demands. I’m currently also working on evolving our F&B and entertainment offers to cater to our guests’ needs in a more intuitive and engaging fashion.
Q: How does Pullman Bali Legian Beach differentiate itself from other Accor hotels around the world?
A: This is a unique resort that boasts an amazing location, offering the best of all worlds. The resort is a tranquil oasis in the heart of the bustling Legian-Kuta area of Bali. With the beach at the doorstep and the best of local shopping, dining, nightlife and a mall right around the hotel, there is something for everyone at Pullman Bali Legian Beach. Living true to its DNA, it is the perfect place for both leisure and business guests alike with its leisurely vibe, central location, proximity to the airport and multiple meeting venues. A testimony to this was our recent recognition by the prestigious Exquisite Awards as the Best Business – Leisure Hotel in Bali. The resort’s biggest strength, though, is its exceptionally warm and hospitable team that constantly curates the most memorable experiences for all its esteemed guests.
Q: Throughout your impressive and dedicated career, can you give an example of when your perseverance of a certain period has benefitted you and your business?
A: For any hotelier and probably for any professional, the most testing time of our lives was the period of the pandemic. Steering the business and the team through it was perhaps the biggest challenge so far that tested my perseverance, patience and business acumen. In saying that, this taught me and my team to be extremely agile, adaptive, innovative and resilient. It not only brought about a lasting positive change in our approach towards business but also our outlook towards life in general. What was further rewarding was our achievement as a team, whereby, with completely out-of-the-box initiatives and exceptional diligence, we managed to keep the business cash flow positive, with marginal net gains during the overall period of the pandemic!
Q: What has been the biggest hurdle throughout your first year here at Pullman Bali Legian Beach?
A: My first year at Pullman has actually been extremely rewarding as it has been the year of unprecedented revenues with many other achievements to the team’s credit. However, it has been a bit difficult to predict and plan for the months ahead with much accuracy as the business and various feeder markets continued to revive in a somewhat unanticipated and unpredictable fashion. Also, we’ve carried out multiple projects throughout the year to ensure that we upgraded the product to the desirable levels slowly undoing the impact of the pandemic. One of the most difficult challenges for us has also been to find and re-recruit the right talent with the growing business demands.
Q: How has Pullman Bali Legian Beach put you in the position to succeed since your arrival?
A: Like I said, this has been the year with exceptional and unprecedented revenue gains for us. Further with some strategic revenue initiatives, service upgrades and creative marketing activities, we have garnered some great visibility and success for the resort and the team. And the recognition at the Exquisite Awards, the culmination of the year, was an absolute cherry on the cake!
Asia Dreams Volume 49
Pullman Bali Legian Beach
Jalan Melasti, Legian Bali 80361, Indonesia
T: (+62) 361762500
IG: @pullmanbali
