GLOBAL LEADERS
Girish Jhunjhnuwala Founder, Ovolo Group Ovolo looks to enter new states and territories in the year ahead.
Ovolo spurred on by response to Mamaka hotel opening in Bali FOR WHAT SEEMS like ages, every New Year measure. We emphasised workshops, resilience we wrap up the last by saying “this has been programs, open communication, as well as another challenging year”. As true as that scrutinised every element of the employee is, it’s time we overlook the challenges and journey. We are also looking into employer look towards the positive. “Challenges” are branding in the longer term to ensure that no longer unique to a person, a company we not only continue to keep our rockstars or an industry – everyone is bearing the but are able to attract more. brunt. So, what can we do with what we’ve We are aware that new shifts birthed by been dealt? the pandemic are becoming prerequisites 2021 has been decently kind to Ovolo, to a successful brand. One of the biggest as far as kindness in a pandemic goes. We examples is ESG – which, to its core, is have managed to solidify our brand by putting respecting the people and environment around us. our customers first and letting them experience Kicked off with our Plant’d launch, a continuation in hospitality the way we know best. Therefore, we do our venture into ethical eating and conscious cuisine, ESG anticipate an uptrend in performance, following on from will become a large focus point, and is an area that we look our optimism for our new forward to further weaving into our operating fabric. hotels: Ovolo South Yarra Lastly, growth and development are naturally on the and Mamaka by Ovolo. We table for us. There will be many more opportunities in were repeatedly told that 2022/2023 – entry into West Coast Australia (Perth and opening one hotel during Adelaide) as well as our neighbour, New Zealand, are all a pandemic was brave possibilities we’d love to explore. enough, let alone two. But So, while “this has been another challenging year”, we, just because the world was as well as the hospitality industry, came through the other taking a recess, it didn’t end and will undoubtedly make it through the next. n Girish Jhunjhnuwala, Ovolo Hotels mean we had to. So we kept the cogs going on new SNAPSHOT: OVOLO GROUP campaigns, strategies, and ways to continuously improve so that when the world returns to normal (or whatever Current number of hotels & rooms (Globally): 13 hotels and 1146 rooms variation of normal will persist), we are leading the way. Current number of hotels & rooms (Asia-Pacific): 5 hotels and 527 rooms One of the areas we put a spotlight on was our people. Current number of hotels & rooms (ANZSP): 8 hotels and 619 rooms There is a shortage of staff and skills in every industry Year the company was founded: 2010 and every city – you couldn’t read the news without Year first hotel opened (Globally): 2010 hearing about it. So, I learned to make HR my best friend. Year first hotel opened (APAC): 2010 (HK) We believe happy employees equal happy guests, so we Year first hotel opened (ANZSP): 2012 (Melbourne) worked equally as hard refining our people strategy as Number of brands in the organisation: 2 – Ovolo Hotels and By Ovolo Collective we did any guest-facing campaign; in line with our ethos Head office locations: Hong Kong, Sydney to place both guest and employee experience in equal
“We have managed to solidify our brand by putting our customers first.”
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HM The Business of Accommodation
