A rare visionary

Param Kannampilly, director, Concept Hospitality, is a name synonymous with the birth of Ecotels in India or for that matter Asia. He is also the driving force behind the phenomenal growth of Kamat Hotels (India), which, from a small group has transformed into a chain of world class environment-friendly hotels. Dinkar Farwaha attempts to uncover his life, success story and hidden passions

The first thing that strikes you when you meet Kannampilly is sophistication. On further interaction with him, you learn of his impressive intellect, spanning a diverse range of subjects. And if you have a lengthy chat with him (one and a half hours in my case), then you are secure with the knowledge that he is a visionary.

The young years

Kannampilly was born in Rangoon (Burma). His father joined the diplomatic services after a stint with the Indian National Army. Because of his father's posting in various countries, Kannampilly did his schooling from India, China and Indonesia. He graduated in Hotel Management from the Bombay Catering College (India). Says Kannampilly, "I wanted to make a career in dentistry and therefore secured admission in Osmania Medical College (Andhra Pradesh). However, the institute was broken down during the Telangana agitation. By the time all this happened, it was too late for me to apply to any other medical college." A pause and he continues, "I was always fascinated by the world of hospitality. Therefore, it was the next obvious career choice for me. I decided to apply to the Bombay Catering College for a post graduate course in hotel management and catering technology. I got admission and opted to take it on."

There was no looking back for Kannampilly. After honing the skills required to carve a niche in the field of hospitality at the catering institute, Kannampilly began his career at Taj. Says Kannampilly, "While I was still at Taj, my lecturer at the Bombay catering college, offered me the post of general manager in his hotel in Vasco. The offer was exciting as it was a great platform for me to learn and prove myself at such an early stage of my career." The one and a half year stint in Vasco was a fruitful one. It gave him an insight into the sphere of hospitality and also helped him in mushrooming his management skills. His next venture was at the West End Hotel, Banglore, where he worked for eight years, helping in its overall development. After successful spells with the Fariyas group and the Leela group, Kannampilly took over as an executive director with the Raheja group. The group under his watchful eyes opened properties like The Retreat, St. Mark's and The Residence, Powai.

After successfully proving himself in all these various projects, Kannampilly joined hands with Vithal Kamat, executive chairman and managing director, Kamat Hotels, India. Says Kannampilly, "I have always shared a close bond with Vithal Kamat. After Kamat Hotels went public in 1994, he asked me to join him in fulfilling his dreams of taking the group to greater heights." Kannampilly accepted the offer. Together, the duo formed two sections-Kamat Hotels and a management consultancy firm, Concept Hospitality. The first task in hand was building a new five-star property.

Birth of The Orchid

One fine day, these two visionaries went to Mahabaleshwar for a think-tank meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the possibilities of running The Orchid. After narrowing down on the values which they felt would be really important in the next century, the strongest possible value which emerged was the environment. Says Kannampilly, "We realised that countries like Costa Rica had accepted the principle of being eco-friendly and had built beautiful hotels on the same principle." He continues, "We wanted India, too, to set an example to the whole world by building the first such hotel in Asia. Through The Orchid, we wanted to show the world that we could build and run a hotel entirely on the resources provided by the nature, without compromising on the comfort of guests." Thus was born, The Orchid-Asia's first Eco Friendly five-star hotel.

Right from the pen to the wastepaper basket, everything at the hotel was designed to be environment-friendly. The group certified the property from the HVS Eco Services and in the process became the first Ecotel in the Asian continent.

Such has been the impact of The Orchid that Concept Hospitality is getting offers from many leading hotel chains in not only India but across the world to build and manage Ecotels for them. It has become one of the leading management consultancies. The company recently signed contracts with hotel groups in China and South Africa to manage Ecotels for them. It also signed a MOU with the HVS Eco Services to facilitate the growth of Ecotels in Asia and particularly India over the next few years.

Meanwhile, Kamat Hotels, under the direction of Kannampilly has also reached immense heights. The five-star and resort brands of the group, Orchid and Lotus respectively, have become a force to reckon with in their respective segments. Both the brands are undergoing a huge expansion exercise. The group has recently forayed into the heritage and pilgrimage segment. It has also announced its plan to enter the four-star luxury sector (with the newly launched brand VITS) and the budget segment (with the brand Kamfotel).

Hidden passions

Besides hospitality, Kannampilly is passionate about playing chess and reading management books. That Kannampilly is a family man becomes apparent when he says, "I love to spend as much time with my family as possible when I am free." He is quick to add with a smile on his face, "My better half Sabrina is the anchor of my life." The couple has three children (Nandita, Suhail and Karun). While Nandita, a graphic designer, is settled in Athens, Karun is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Mass Media from St. Andrews College, Mumbai and wants to carve a niche for himself in music management. Suhail, on the other hand, has followed in his father's footsteps. He is assisting Kannampilly in taking Concept Hospitality to new heights.

One can't help but repeating the same question, "Where do you see yourself ten years down the line?" "Hopefully happy and satisfied," he concludes.