Reflections: Raymond Bickson

By Staff -- HOTELS Magazine, 8/1/2006

Raymond Bickson, managing director, Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces, Mumbai

I come from a small house in a small city on a small island, which is a dot in the ocean— farther from land than any other island on earth. As an islander, I have learned to look to the world. Thinking local and acting globally is not just about the environment today—it is a way of life and a mode of being.

My career has taken me from this small city in Hawaii, via New York City, to CEO of an international company based in India with a vision of global reach.

For the past three years, from this home base, I have been involved with the most amazing growth of any hotel company in a country that has burst onto the international scene with a mighty force.

This is a country that everyone hesitated to visit because of the foreground of poverty, dirt and difficulty. Now, the background of wealth and comfort, beauty and genius, devotion and hospitality, is coming into focus as people come to India, and India gets global.

These past years of world growth for my company have not been easy. We have moved deliberately and tirelessly to make investments that will be profitable and create brand recognition: opening and acquiring more than 10 world-caliber properties in less than three years.

The Taj portfolio now includes The Pierre in New York; Blue in Sydney; world-class resorts in Mauritius, the Maldives and Dubai; as well as restored, historic palaces in India. And we’ve done it in a world that has experienced incredible natural disasters, war, unrest and disease. This struggle has made us resourceful.

The difficulty has made us strong. The superhuman effort and constant travel has welded us into a forceful team. In hospitality, a forceful team may be the best description of a happy and productive family.

This experience has reinforced the belief in the power of doing one’s work well. I often reflect on hotelier Georg Rafael and his belief that in the hospitality business “we are all humble soup merchants.” And I consider the words of the painter, Chuck Close. When asked about inspiration and creativity, he said, “Amateurs wait for inspiration. The rest of us go to work every day.”