When you visit a GRT Hotel, we want you to have an absolutely perfect experience, every single time. But there are also other people we hope have a wonderful experience with us: our staff! We have hundreds of people working in front of and behind the scenes to make sure our guests have the best experience and take home nothing but good memories. And some of these amazing people have been with us for two decades. Allow us to introduce you to them.
Mr. G. Balaji is a Senior Driver at GRT. He is responsible for chauffeuring the Sales and Marketing team in Chennai and even to other cities. “I spend 15 days on average in cities like Kancheepuram, Sriperumbudur. I know the roads with my eyes closed. But of course, my eyes are always wide open when I’m driving”, he says with a laugh. Balaji was personally interviewed by our chairman Mr. Rajendran in 1998, a fact that he still views with fondness. “Today, unless you are very senior, you may not meet the Chairman so I’m very honoured that I had that opportunity.” He also credits the Chariman as being one of the reasons he has stayed with GRT for so long.
Mr. Muralidharan has grown alongside the GRT chain. He began his career as a Lobby Manager at Grand Chennai by GRT Hotels. In fact, he was there when the hotel was launched! He has helped integrate the Radisson chain with GRT when the parternship began back in 2000. He has worked for all the Regency Hotels by GRT across cities, and is currently heading Zibe by GRT Hotels. So why has he stayed at GRT for so many years? “This is a truly great company because of its culture. The owners are truly concerned about the employees and the management team is strong. All employees are given the opportunity to work freely and fairly towards the development of the company.”
Ms. Sangeetha, Director Operations of Housekeeping and Spa, echoes this sentiment. “Each morning when I leave my family to come to GRT, it feels like I’m going to another home. We are like one big family here too.” Her day at Radisson Blu Resort Temple Bay Mamallapuram begins bright and early at 8.45 AM and she says that she learns something new everyday. When asked about the future of the company, she said she hopes to see the GRT chain expand. “I’m confident that we are capable doing well in other markets, especially internationally, since we are constantly innovating and upgrading our services.”
She’s not the only one. Mr. Krishnamoorthy, the Assistant Manager of the Fabric Care department hopes for the same. He helped build the Grand Hotel in Chennai. No, literally! Mr. Krishnamoorthy was part of the construction team that was building the hotel. He was hired in 1998 to work for the GRT Group and now oversees five units and manages about 25 people. He spoke often about how proud and happy he was to work at GRT but reserved his highest praise for his supervisor. “My manager is not just my boss, he is almost like a brother to me. I look up to him and he teaches me much about this job, and even about life.”
There are many other employees who’ve been with us for decades, each with their own reasons for staying on, and we’d love to introduce you to them in the future. Make sure you’re subscribed so you’ll be the first to know when we do.
