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The human side of hotelkeeping

With the work pace many leading hoteliers must manage, it would come as no surprise if they put their own care second. And, yes, high-profile hoteliers face the same issues we all do. Marriott International’s Arne Sorenson continues to stare down pancreatic cancer and Sonu Shivdasani told HotelsLife last month that he recently beat back stage four lymphoma. In fact, he said his personal journey has helped shape Soneva’s brand journey.

After his October 2018 diagnosis, Shivdasani resisted going into the hospital right away, as well as a recommendation to not travel for six months. “I said, ‘no, let me think about it,’” he recalled.

He took about three weeks before deciding how to treat his diagnosis, reading as much as he could and speaking to many people who had cancer to learn about their treatments.

“I had some who just did the very conventional approach and some who saw healers and alternative healers like acupuncturists. It was great to have their feedback and ideas,” Shivdasani said. “I’ve learned so much on wellness as a result, about myself and how the mind is so important. A healthy mind creates a healthy body, and that idea is having an impact on what we’re doing in our spas. We are much more focused on the spirituality side of wellness.”

Sonu is married to his business partner, Eva Malmström Shivdasani
Sonu is married to his business partner, Eva Malmström Shivdasani

Shivdasani’s journey included traditional methods of treatment such as chemotherapy, but it also included a lot of complementary treatments. “I went to an Ayurvedic clinic in Turkey specifically because they did all the complementary things, and one of the things I’ve started to avoid as much as possible is dairy, white flour, sugar and red meat,” he said. “And I found that apart from helping with the cure in my cancer, I’m so much healthier.”

The upshot is that Shivdasani has been cancer-free for more than a year. His most recent scan in February, his one-year anniversary of being cancer-free, was clear once again.

Owning health

Having dealt with pneumonia a couple of times when he was young and then with  subsequent bouts of asthma, Shivdasani would also have to puff on an aerosol inhaler as many as 30 times a year. He said he no longer needs to use it due to the diet changes, and now Soneva is introducing those dietary ideas into its guest experience. In fact, one of the KPIs for the food and beverage team is the dramatic reduction of sugar, white flour and dairy. In addition, red meat and beef consumption has dropped by about 70% in the resorts over the past year because those items are no longer on most menus.

“We did that for two reasons,” he said. “One was from the health point of view and then the second is the sustainability angle, because the cow is the second-biggest generator of greenhouse gases. And so, I suppose, as I’ve evolved and as I’ve learned as an individual, that’s had an impact on the experience we deliver to our guests.”

Also part of Shivdasani’s new regime is going to the gym every other day for an hour for cardiovascular exercise and weight training. On three other days he does yoga and then he takes one day off. He also meditates for half an hour every morning – 45 minutes if he has the time.

“And then I’ll always take a break at lunch. I’m still taking vitamin C intravenously. I was taking it three times a week, 20 grams – it’s like eating 40 of those tablets – and now I do it twice a week.”

In addition, Shivdasani said he tries to introduce a bit of joy and fun into experiences. “So normally meetings start with a bit of laughter,” he said. “We might just show a little clip from a comedy channel or a famous comedian or whatever for five minutes. But that sort of experience helped me. There’s a great book called ‘Radical Remission’ and it talks about these people having amazing remissions from cancer. And one of the things they did, a lot of things they did was bringing joy into their lives, and laughter. Laughter was very a important component.”

“I’ve learned so much on wellness as a result, about myself and how the mind is so important. A healthy mind creates a healthy body, and that idea is having an impact on what we’re doing in our spas. We are much more focused on the spirituality side of wellness.” – Sonu Shivdasani
“I’ve learned so much on wellness as a result, about myself and how the mind is so important. A healthy mind creates a healthy body, and that idea is having an impact on what we’re doing in our spas. We are much more focused on the spirituality side of wellness.” – Sonu Shivdasani

He has carried those concepts to not only the spa but to the hotel’s hosts, who are encouraged to focus a lot more on laughter and incorporating some of these concepts into their lives. In fact, Soneva hosts 10-day to two-week wellness camps at least once a year for property staff members where Ayurvedic doctors and nurses consult on nutrition and the like.

Togetherness

Shivdasani’s partner in business and life, his wife Eva Malmstrom Shivdasani, has helped him manage through the good and the bad. But how do both of them manage such a close relationship?

“The good is, of course, we have a common interest and a common passion. So it’s not difficult,” Shivdasani said. “We don’t have children. So, if we have to stop sometimes and work a bit more I don’t feel guilty because I know it’s something that we have as an interest in common. Of course, I get to see Eva a lot, as well.”

The negative: Because they work together it is sometimes difficult to turn off the work switch, and in the earlier days, Shivdasani said, that was terrible.

“She used to read her emails in bed, and I’d be trying to sleep, I’d be reading myself to sleep and then she’d be talking about a business challenge. And, so, we immediately stopped that. And on holidays, no work emails, and she’s quite good there now. We’ll just try to change the subject and just not talk about work issues – unless it is a fun subject like design, but no day-to-day issues. We will find a clear time to talk about those.”

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