Rohit Khosla bids farewell to Taj Sheba Hotel:”Yemen will always stay in my heart and its people will always stay on my mind” [Archives:2004/745/Community]
One of the most polite and humorous persons you could meet, Mr. Rohit Khosla has won for the Taj Sheba Hotel many clients for his humble attitude and compassionate spirit. By managing the hotel for the last three years, he has proven himself capable of bringing more guests to the hotel and making it the leading hotel in Yemen in terms of occupancy and exposure.
However, as he is now completing his term in Yemen, he will be flying back to Bombay, India to take over the Taj President in the city. He has shown great sympathy to Yemen and his people, and expressed his sadness for leaving the country for good. Yemen Times met with Mr. Khosla to get his views and impressions as he is leaving, and conducted the following interview.
Q: Why are you leaving, and when and where to?
A: My tenure in Yemen is over and I am moving to Mumbai in India to take charge of the Taj President, which is a 300 room hotel and the flagship hotel of the business division of our company.
Q: What are the objectives that you met during your leadership of the hotel, what are the ones you intended to meet but couldn't, and what are the ones you think will be met soon?
A: Customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and profitability are the key drivers for any business and I am happy that these parameters were met during my tenure here. The business is Sana'a is dependent to a large extent on the external environment and with the travel advisories being lifted in time to come the objective of developing new markets will be met.
Q: How did Yemen and the Yemeni people treat you?
A: I feel completely at home here because of all the love and affection of the people. I never felt like an outsider in Yemen!! The people here have been warm and caring and I have made numerous friends for a lifetime during my stint here. In fact, a lot of people have commented that I look like I am from Taiz!!
Q: What are the most valuable moments of your stay in Yemen?
A: Yemen has been an extremely challenging yet memorable tenure. It's been a great learning experience professionally as well as personally. The hotel winning three awards for excellence in the company has been very memorable as well as my trips to explore Yemen.
Q: What do you want to tell Yemenis everywhere as you are leaving?
A: Yemen is the home of Arabic culture and all Yemeni's should be proud of their rich culture and heritage. No matter where you live, you should never forget your roots!!
Q: What do you want to tell your staff in Taj Sheba?
A: To continue to strive for excellence and delight customers, which is the core of our operating principle.
Q: Being a close friend of Yemen Times, the newspaper – management and staff – would also like to bid farewell to Mr. Khosla and wish him the very best. I hope you will return one day to Yemen, maybe as a tourist. Will it ever happen?
A: Unfortunately, on account of work pressures, I haven't had the opportunity to visit the southern part of the country. I would love to come back and take a complete tour of south Yemen at leisure to absorb the wonders of this wonderful country and its people.
Q: Any other words you want to add?
A: I would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients for their support, the staff of the hotel for their commitment and the people of Yemen in making my tenure here most memorable. My family and I go back with memories that will last us a lifetime.
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