Hotel Maurya Patna and (R) Richa Sinha, Head of Quality Control, Bihar Hotels Limited.“Even today, you cannot get female employees for late evening or night shifts in Patna,” says Richa Sinha, Head of Quality at Bihar Hotels Limited (BHL).
One might have taken this statement with a grain of salt if it had come from someone who had no idea about the hospitality business, but coming from someone who has been busy running a hotel in the heart of Patna, Bihar, 24/7 for about 25 years, it cannot be ignored.
“Bihar has not completely shed its feudal mantle. Young people still prefer public sector jobs. Language is another big problem. The hotel industry needs people with English skills, which is hard to find,” says Sinha.
Opened in 1978, Hotel Maurya in the heart of Patna city on Gandhi Maidan has been a hospitable address in the city for over four decades and has a long tradition of hosting the who’s who of the socio-political, cultural and entertainment industries.
The endless list ranges from personalities such as the Dalai Lama to Edmund Hillary and the crew of the famous Gandhi film.
“Hotel Maurya has a special place, a special reputation and a special connection to the life of the city and its people. People consider it their own,” she adds.
When asked how to ensure quality and standards as an independent brand, Sinha, herself an IHM graduate, recalled the hotel’s first 12 years when it was owned by two major hotel chains. For the first two years, the hotel was run by the Clarks group and for the next 10 years by ITC under the Welcomhotel brand.
“We have adopted these standards and follow the highest standards that the country’s top brands still adhere to today,” she says.
From being a pure hotel company, BHL has evolved into a major stakeholder in the hospitality industry in the city, the state and even beyond. BHL now owns the largest convention and exhibition centre in the state – the Samrat Ashok Convention Kendra.
The Samrat Ashoka Convention Kendra is spread over 12 acres in Patna and consists of various sections: Convention Centre, Exhibition Hall, Auditorium and Food Court. The Bapu Sabhagar Convention Centre has a capacity of 5,000 people. BHL also owns and operates two standalone restaurants in the city – Bollywood Treats and Bollywood Treats Express.
The hotel group, through its subsidiary Svasara Resorts, owns and operates a boutique wildlife resort in the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. Sinha said they are in the process of expanding the Svasara range to other wilderness areas.
“We have land in Pilibhit and Pench where we will build boutique jungle resorts with 15 to 20 islands,” she explains.
Sinha is also aware of the kind of competition that is developing in Patna as leading national brands set up shop in the city. The Taj group started operations in Patna a month ago; Lemon Tree Premier is already there.
“Competition is good for the city and for everyone. It will raise the city’s restaurant standards and prices,” she says.
As a company with a long tradition on the market, BHL wants to confront the competition directly instead of simply accepting it.
“We have completed our project for a new 100-room tower at Hotel Maurya. We hope to complete the project in the next two years,” she says.
The company also has plans to expand its food retail and catering business in the coming years and to relocate it to airport terminals, for example, she adds.
