There is a lot happening within the 113 year old setup of India’s hospitality giant the Taj Hotels. Under the leadership of Rakesh Sarna, the company will now have a clear cut region wise set up, namely Central, North and South. Till recently the long running setup of brand-wise break up will be replaced by a region wise demarcation. The Central zone will be headed by Farhat Jamal who will come in from Shangri-La, Prabhat Verma, who is currently chief operating officer of the Gateway brand, will take up responsibility down South, while Rohit Khosla will be back from Sri Lanka to take on the mantle in the North.
Speaking exclusively to Express TravelWorld, Prabhat Verma said, “I am looking forward to these new developments. The big plan is in place, though the structure and the specific job responsibilities are yet to be chalked out. This will happen in the coming months.”
Recently, the hotel group saw two of its senior members retire after 41 years and 39 years of service at the Taj respectively. Chef Hemant Oberoi who has given the Taj 41 years of service retired on March 31, 2015 while Veer Vijay Singh, COO of the Vivanta brand also retired on the same day after 39 years of service. While Oberoi will continue as a consultant to the group for a year, Singh will be with the group for approximately the next two months to hand over charges to Jamal.
While these internal changes are under process to streamline the business, the company is looking at expanding further, both nationally and internationally. The plan is to add 10 more properties under the Vivanta brand in the next five years, with Guwahati and Amritsar scheduled to open in financial year 2015-16. These expansions will be a combination of lease, management and ownership format. Internationally, the group has set its vision on the Middle East and African countries.