Pushkar Raj

Dynamic and results-oriented Front Office Manager with a solid history of elevating guest satisfaction and operational excellence. Adept at managing day-to-day operations, streamlining front desk procedures, and fostering seamless communication between departments to ensure an exceptional guest experience. Recognized for holding the number one position on Tripadvisor with consistent 90+ NPS scores.

- Leading a high-performing team of Duty Managers, concierges, and front desk associates to deliver personalized guest services.
- Enhancing guest experiences through effective safari coordination, reservation management, and proactive issue resolution.
- Driving revenue through upselling initiatives, efficient cost management, and strategic budgeting.
- Innovating guest engagement initiatives to create unique, memorable experiences and promote customer loyalty.

A strong advocate for team development, I am committed to creating a welcoming atmosphere that reflects operational excellence and inspires staff to deliver unparalleled service. I seek an opportunity to leverage my leadership skills and strategic approach to contribute to a dynamic, customer-focused hospitality environment.

Head of Department for Front Office, Boutique, Safari Guest Experience, and SPA.

- Directed daily operations across Front Office, Boutique, Safari Guest Experiences, and SPA, ensuring smooth and efficient service delivery.
- ⁠Elevated guest satisfaction by designing personalized experiences and catering to individual preferences and unique requests.
- ⁠Managed VIP guest interactions with meticulous attention to detail, creating memorable and exceptional moments.
- Developed and reviewed daily and monthly performance reports, budgets, and expense forecasts to drive operational excellence.
- Optimized revenue and occupancy through strategic analysis of rate variances, house counts, credit reports, and selling strategies.
- Ensured compliance with hotel policies, SOPs, and house rules, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to exceptional hospitality.
- Collaborated with Central Reservation and Sales Teams to ensure effective communication and streamlined operations.
- Maintained comprehensive documentation systems for purchases, schedules, forecasts, reports, and tracking logs.
- Led departmental training programs, mentoring team members to achieve excellence and foster professional growth.
- Undertook additional responsibilities as assigned, contributing to broader organizational success.

Ensuring the highest levels of hospitality and service excellence while managing operations for 70,000+ rooms across apartments and villas for visiting fans.

Operations Management:
- Managed 6 properties with 1,611 rooms and led a team of 300+ staff members.
- Conducted daily audits across all properties to ensure compliance with pre-determined quality standards.
- Collaborated with the Operations Manager for seamless property handovers, product quality assurance, and project tracking using Task-World.

Training & Development:
- Successfully completed the Train the Trainer program by Accor (The Living Adventure).
- Conducted 125+ training sessions (380+ hours) for 300+ team members, including induction programs, product knowledge, and guest complaint management for Duty Managers and Housekeeping Managers.
- Organized team-building activities and online quizzes to enhance knowledge about the Global Sports Event 2022.

Guest Relations & Quality Assurance:
- Supervised room allocation, handled special guest requests, and managed efficient check-in/check-out processes for thousands of arrivals and departures.
- Interacted with guests regularly to gather feedback on product quality, service levels, and overall satisfaction.
- Ensured timely resolution of guest complaints while fostering a service-oriented mindset among employees.

Achievements During FIFA World Cup 2022:
- Played a key role in managing operations for over 7,000 arrivals and departures, contributing to a seamless experience for 1 million+ guest stays during the global event.
- Oversaw the successful decommissioning of properties post-event while maintaining operational excellence.

With a forested hillside perch and gorgeous river views, the 299-room Taj Hotel & Convention Centre oozes luxury & scale.

- Looking after front office setup, department SOP and staff training to exceed guest expectations

- Monitoring front office operations and responsible for the daily flawless operations

- Responsible for maintaining service standards set by the hotel within the department and conducting training sessions for the team members to enhance performance towards guest experience

- Taking care of online feedback and Trust You with team performance

- Responsible for maintaining concierge, Gym, Pool, and SPA and guiding the team for their performance, and quality of service as per Taj hotel standards within the department

- Responsibility for events group contract reservation and billing, show around, accounts query, payment follow-up, cashier billing settlements and allowances

- Taking care of all Qwickcilver redemption for American Express, TIC and Epicure experience gift cards and rewards points

- With a forested hillside perch and gorgeous river views, the 299-room Taj Hotel & Convention Centre oozes luxury & scale

The Leela Palace Udaipur, all 80 rooms at the hotels a modern palace hotel which evokes the grandeur and opulence of the Land of the Mewar.

- Handling front office operations and responsible for the daily flawless operations also training sessions for the team

- Department roster for front office team, butlers, boatman and chauffeurs and room blocking for arrivals

- Responsibility for making reports like Market Segment Report, City Scan Report, Tourism Reports, Transportation bills for contracted vendors.

Our hotel offers 184 guest rooms with complimentary WiFi and modern amenities.

- Responsible for routine operation of the front office department and training

- Leverage with the Finance department for guest accounts and house accounts along with operations of the Executive Lounge for VIP guests and Hilton Honors Gold and Diamond members along with checking and checkout

- Looking after Hilton Honors points for hotel guests

- Our hotel offers 184 guest rooms with complimentary WiFi and modern amenities

Brightly lit & Comfortably furnished 341 well-appointed rooms.

- Responsible for routine operation of the front office department and handle cashiers

- Handling all the sections of the front office department like FIT, GIT, conferences, Cashier, Concierge and reservation

- Taking check-in and check-out of the guests

- Responsible for making requisitions of stationery required for the smooth functioning of the department

- Responsible for maintaining all the files such as c-form files, departures files, group baggage arrivals, group baggage departures, discrepancy files etc for proper record keeping

- Planning for the grand function, VIP conferences/ groups/ parties for example as part of major planning held for FHRAI, commonwealth games, F-1 (Formula One Race held at Jaypee sports complex in greater Noida) etc along with my senior supervisors and managers

- Responsible for handling familiarization tours and showing them the property and the services of the hotel.

- Performed during the CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) Conference, 26 To 29 January 2013 in Jaypee Palace Hotel & Convention Centre.