“I start the day with my guests and end the day with my guests”, is what Bhaskaran T, the Resident General Manager of The Lalit Laxmi Vilas Palace says, when asked about his days routine.

With a concentrated effort like this, nothing much needs to be said about the growth the 55 room Lalit Laxmi Vilas Palace, which has clocked double the revenue in 2013 as compared to the previous year.

I will not elaborate much about this luxury Hotel in this article, which has been in existence in the city for over 100 years now, but yes, the meeting with Bhaskaran was pleasant.

The GM discussed and explained the approach his Hotel takes towards an enriching customer experience, their plans for the future and how the concept of the Hotel is not towards endorsing a property, but more towards promoting the destination, which for them is Udaipur.

Bhaskaran, who hails from Kerala, resides within the property itself and starts his work day between 8:30-9 AM, where he heads towards the Restaurant to meet his guests, understand their experience with the Hotel and respond to their queries or resolve any problems they might have.

Having grown through the line, Bhaskaran also appreciates each staff that is part of the machinery,which delivers this excellent service.  He is all praise for the top management at the group, which has been instrumental in defining his career growth by giving him responsibilities under a quick succession path.

After his tête-à-tête with his guests in the morning, the GM spends a good one hour in going through his emails before heading for a meeting with his colleagues to discuss the activities of the day gone by and plans and deliverable for the day and beyond.

This meeting sets the tone for the day, which is followed by operational activity all day round including a few meetings with corporate clients in the region.  The working day ends towards late evening with a quick round up of the official correspondence, followed by a visit to the dining area to once again converse with the guests and get a feel of their all-round experience.

His work day ends with an invigorating one hour walk on the happening banks of Fatehsagar, to charge him up again for the coming days tasks.

Further, as told by Bhaskaran, The Lalit Laxmi Vilas has plans to do a comprehensive landscaping of the vast area in front of Fatehsagar, the life line of Udaipur.  This plan includes setting up a comprehensive structure vegetation area, play courts, walks, etc.  .

A lot of activities supporting the destination promotion concept are a part of the Hotels offering, which includes live performance like puppet shows, folk dances, musical performances, etc. all by the local tribal of the region.  A part of their CSR activity includes a unique concept of purchasing their pulses from the source farmers, routed for them through a NGO.

The hotel is also the industry partner for Mahila ITI, which is awarded as a model ITI by Indo German Chamber of Commerce and Ministry of Commerce.

The Lalit Laxmi Vilas Palace, clocks year round business, which is not a regular feature for tourist destinations.  With Udaipur’s unique standing as a tourist destination and its growing attraction as a business destination with medium to large scale corporate having their presence here, the Hotel is fully equipped to serve a variety of guests.

70% of the occupancy in the first half of the financial year is lapped up by corporate with the remaining 30% going to the international tourist.  The second half of the year, which is the heavy tourist season in Udaipur, 70% of the occupancy is through foreign guests, and the remaining being spread between domestic and corporate.

All in all a great discussion with Bhaskaran and a great evening spent on the lawns of The Lalit Laxmi Vilas, enjoying the beauty of Fatehsagar with the mountains and Sajjangarh in the backdrop.