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Souvagya Mohapatra: Poised To Take Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts To The Stratosphere
The hospitality and tourism sector in our country is on the boom, thanks to the efforts of the Government of India and of course, individual states’ contributions cannot be ignored including our very own – Odisha. This industry has now become a passion for many young aspirants but 30 years down the lane, it was just an unappeasable path rarely chosen. One such aspirant who chose the road less travelled was Souvagya Mohapatra. A consummate veteran of the field, Mohapatra comes with a wealth of experience of over 28 years in the hospitality and tourism sector. Now he is responsible for the overall business strategy and setting up new Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts, an Indian Ocean hospitality group, in emerging destinations in South Asia, including Odisha. My City Links got into a freewheeling conversation with him, to know his journey so far and his vision for the tourism sector in India.
Spending over 28 years in the same industry is a long time in anyone’s professional career, especially when most of these years are devoted to a single organisation. Soon after completing his hotel management course from the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), and MBA in Marketing, Souvagya Mohapatra kickstarted his vocation in the hospitality domain at The Oberoi Group, before moving to Mayfair Hotels & Resorts in 1994. He was instrumental in the MAYFAIR Group’s growth to twelve renowned luxury properties.
“I have seen Mayfair grow from just one to twelve. This is where I grew as I was given the freedom to express my ideas and manage accordingly. I am heartily thankful to Shri Dilip Ray – Chairman of MAYFAIR Group for all the support and mentorship,” he said.
Starting off as Manager-Operations of Mayfair Rourkela, he gradually rose up the rank to become the Executive Director of the company in 2012, a position he held till 2020. During this two-decade-long period, he witnessed Mayfair Group’s growth and played a crucial role in enhancing the average daily rate (ADR) and Group Revenue to a respectable Industry standard. He standardised operations by implementing policies, procedures, and corporate governance according to the highest Indian luxury hospitality standards. Under his guidance, effective marketing strategies were implemented that successfully enhanced the company’s brand image.
After moving on from Mayfair in December 2020, Mohapatra took charge of Atmosphere Hotels and Resorts’ operations in India, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka as Managing Director this April. And he has already started leveraging his industry expertise to give the boutique resort brand a push up in the region. This appointment of Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts signals significant growth plans, with a strong focus on the Indian subcontinent.
As part of the management committee of industry associations like Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and The Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) he knows most key stakeholders, including hotel owners. This opportunity provides a perfect platform to Mohapatra for carving an extraordinary growth story for Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts in India Pacific.
“As regards our expansion in India, our focus is to explore across the country and wait for the right opportunities. India is blessed with varied tourism potential, has always been replete with all that a travel connoisseur could ask for, and with the improvement in the overall core infrastructure and connectivity, makes for a very good investment opportunity. India Tourism is poised to grow by leaps and bounds and brands across the globe would certainly aspire to leverage this potential to their advantage by having a presence in the country,” shared Mohapatra.
Over the years, Mohapatra’s passion for excellence in hospitality and immense contribution to the tourism industry has brought him a world of recognition and laurels. He was conferred with “Fellow of IIHM” by the International Institute of Hotel Management & International Hospitality Council, London in 2021, the prestigious ‘Honorary Diploma for Outstanding Contribution and Excellence in Tourism & Hospitality’ by the World Congress of Poets (WCP), under the auspices of the World Academy of Arts & Culture (WAAC). Mohapatra was recognised as ‘Architects of the Indian Hospitality Industry’, heading the most successful hotel brands and has been included from 2016 till now in the Power List by Hotelier India, for five consecutive years. He was also recognised as the ‘Hotelier of the Year’ during BBC Good Food and ‘Food Food Awards’ in the year 2018.
Mohapatra has contributed to the industry through his involvement in reputed organisations and national associations. He is the Chairman – of the Eastern Region Tourism Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and the Chairman of the Eastern Region Tourism Committee of The Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). He has been an active member of the Odisha State Tourism Promotion Council (OSTPC) from 2018 to 2021 and an Executive Committee member of The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) from 2014 to 2021. He was also the Co-Chair of the Tourism Subcommittee – Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for the year 2018-19 and 2019-2020 for the development of tourism in Eastern India. All these positions are dedicated for the development of tourism in India.
Besides the above, with his sheer dedication and passion for hospitality, he has served eminent personalities across the world with a personal touch and the fine hospitality that India is known for – “Atithi Devo Bhava”.
“Operation & Marketing (O&M) management contract is our strongest business model and most of our upcoming properties will follow this template,” Mohapatra explained. “Hotel companies are keener on the asset-light model now, but O&M management contracts remain the most preferred arrangement for operational control.”
While this practice remains the company’s preference, it is open to accommodate the concerns of hotel owners for a beneficial association. However, it shall focus on having its own properties at certain locations, provided it gets good support from state governments.
“We already have two active projects in Sri Lanka and our immediate priority is to complete those. Our development team is already identifying properties in potential destinations pan India where we hope to debut different brands of Atmosphere Group. Having our base in Odisha, we have plans to come up with luxury properties in strategic tourism destinations of Odisha,” Mohapatra added.
His mantra for scaling up Atmosphere’s prospects is to evaluate the right investment opportunity in every region. “I will identify and focus on what the destination can offer to a prospective tourist, assess how it stands out from other places and gauge its connectivity with major cities. Lastly, I will check if a favourable business ecosystem is backed by a supportive policy framework,” Mohapatra explained. If all these boxes are checked, he believes the place is ripe for investment.
Mohapatra is also a poised and team player who inspires people around him. About keeping his team’s morale up, he said, “A very simple yet effective formula to this is by recognising their efforts as nothing motivates a person more than his/her work being acknowledged and appreciated. I always follow and also advise others to follow this practice of recognising efforts because this simple practice goes a long way in keeping the team’s morale high. This apart, regularly communicating with my team and actively responding to their feedback are some of the other practices that I follow to ensure that they feel motivated.”
Besides, he is a complete family man with a small family that consists of his mother, wife and two daughters. Mohapatra is a keen garden person, who has beautifully maintained his terrace garden with flowers, vegetables and hybrid trees. “My terrace garden is my favourite place to be, to declutter my mind, spend time with family and friends, meet people, and close business deals. Since the pandemic, I have sat here every evening and watched the sunset in the background of the serene, sublime and calm – Chandaka Wildlife sanctuary. It is a beautiful sight,” he shared.
Mohapatra – a passionate hotelier is very particular about his daily routine and cannot do without his morning walk and meditation.
Sharing his insight on the pandemic and other obstacles in life, he advised, “One should always keep in mind that it is not the good times but the difficult ones that help us learn the art of living, and shape us into a more mature person in our personal and professional life. So, challenges should be dealt with in the right spirit i.e. with an optimistic mindset.”
“Everything else can wait, life cannot. This has been my biggest learning from this pandemic. I have become more conscious regarding my health and more serious about practising healthy lifestyle habits,” he signed off.
