Hot Seat

A new dawn

Mandeep S Lamba, managing director, Dawnay, Day India, is better known in hospitality circles as the man who laid the foundation stone of the mid-market segment and he is all set to take the company to great heights. By Dinkar Farwaha

Very few people have the capability to single-handedly establish a brand. Mandeep S Lamba, managing director, Dawnay, Day India is one such person. The hotelier loves challenges, and revels in overcoming them. Born in Dehradun, his father was a doctor with the Indian army, and Lamba, as a result, had a flavour of the entire country during his childhood.

A career in hospitality came truly by accident. He had decided to pursue a degree in science and had secured admission at Kirori Mal College in Delhi University. "While applying to various colleges in Delhi University I learnt of the Pusa Institute of Hotel Management and decided to apply there also," he says. He pauses, and continues, "However, I could not get hostel accommodation in any college in Delhi and I opted to move closer to my parents who were in Mumbai, and ultimately joined Ferguson College in Pune." Just two days after studies commenced, Lamba got a call from the Pusa Institute confirming his admission along with hostel facilities, and as clichés go, the rest is history.

After successful stints with international hotel brands such as Choice Hotels, Holiday Inn and Radisson in various managerial roles, he climbed up the ranks to the pinnacle of success, as the president of Fortune Park Hotels in 2001. The assignment at Fortune Park Hotels was “truly engaging and delightful.” He adds, "Although now a competitor, Fortune Park Hotels will always hold a special place in my heart."

The dawn of an era

While Lamba was still with Fortune Park Hotels, he identified a gap between the luxury and budget segment for a brand which would cater to both the business and leisure traveller at 'wallet friendly rates.' Dawnay, Day Hotels India was incorporated in June 2005 (as a fully owned subsidiary of Dawnay, Day International) to bridge this very gap. The strategy is to establish a chain of full-service mid-priced business premium hotels with contemporary design features. "Our focus is to build an undisputed brand leader with top-of-the-mind recall in the mid-priced 4-star segment," says Lamba. He continues, "I firmly believe that the only way to actually achieve leadership and to create a brand with the elements we have in mind, is to adopt the ownership and management model. Therefore, we will build, own and manage all our properties. There will be no franchise or management agreements with any other hotels apart from those we own."

Development is on at full swing, and Lamba reveals that 10 hotels will be operating by 2010. The first hotel is expected to open in Jaipur in the last quarter of 2008, followed by 5 each across the country in the following two years. The group has already acquired land in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Pune, Lucknow, Bangalore and Hyderabad. He adds, "We will follow a prototype for all our properties, giving them the same look and feel across all areas, thereby allowing us to go full-steam ahead in scale and speed. We will introduce a number of new concepts that will reflect a paradigm shift in the hospitality business in India."

Dawnay, Day India plans 30 hotels with over 4,000 rooms by 2015 in its portfolio, says Lamba. The company envisages a total investment of US$ 1.2 billion, and in the first phase of the project, Dawnay, Day International has already made available a corpus of US$ 200 million.

The man behind the hotelier

Other than managing hotels, Lamba enjoys uncomplicated pleasures in life. "I enjoy travelling with friends and family for both short and long breaks," he says. A family man, he reveals, "I like to spend as much time as possible with my family." Lamba's wife Sukreeta is an accomplished hotelier in her own right, and until recently managed her own restaurant business. Their son Mansukh has decided to follow his father's footsteps and is completing his education in hospitality management, while their daughter Kamna, who is currently schooling, is inclined towards a career in law.

Besides spending time with family, Lamba loves listening to music. "Music is what completely relaxes me and is a constant companion," he says with a smile on his face.