Varun Chhibber

General Manager

The St. Regis Mumbai

He is suave, sophisticated, dedicated and successful. Varun Chhibber knows the hospitality industry inside-out and continues to pay attention to detail 20 years on. It's his most rewarding asset

Paying Attention to Detail

Interviewed by LYLE MICHAEL

He is pleasant and forthcoming as he sits in on a conversation with us about his journey as a hospitality professional spanning two decades across cities and The Maldives, across hotel groups, from The Oberoi to The Leela and now Marriott. It’s the luxurious The St. Regis Mumbai currently under his wing and a sort of homecoming to the city where he studied Hotel Management and worked at a leading property. Varum Chhibber is all smiles as he walks the marbled hallways of the Lower Parel 5-star fulfilling his brand new role as General Manager. An exceptional experience, he calls it, nothing short of it.

“It (The St. Regis Mumbai) is the epitome of luxury, the ‘best address in India’ with expectations of the guests, partners and colleagues set at a very high level,” begins Varun. “Growing up in F&B, this role is very soulful for me, to lead the biggest F&B brand. I feel very fortunate to lead a fantastic team behind a hotel that is situated at a great location and to create bespoke experiences for the guests.” Given that Bombay is a melting pot of culture, it attracts a lot of expats which a hotel centrally located like The St. Regis sees on a larger scale. The staff at the hotel are then under immense pressure to deliver the best that a global luxury brand prides itself on – quality service and consistency of the same. “We, the team, are your hosts and the Marriott (parent) Group’s philosophy is effectively implied here. Quite simply, to ‘take care’ of you,” smiles Varun.

The pressure of the industry, the role, has never got to Varun though as he is confident of the challenges it poses, the opportunities it unfolds and the team – of around 1000 members – who help hold the fort skillfully. It’s a delightful blend of youth and the more experienced that work together to bring you their A game. Leading his team translates to empowering each one, he believes, as real excellency lies at the bottom of his pyramid. He feels an upskill of the employees is a must. Which is just what he put into place when the dreaded pandemic hit in 2020 and he was then the GM of Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotels & Residences. FEST – the concept based on flexibility, empathy, safety, security and trust, was his brainchild, to upskill all his hosts, to make them future ready and constantly bring more value to the brand. “Just like all-rounders on a sports field,” he must add. 

90% of his day goes in problem-solving and offering gratitude to the partners of the hotel who form the core of the brand. The challenges, however, are ongoing and it takes a problem-solver like Varun to produce results and stay calm through the process. “When I make decisions,” he shares, “I always lean on three sources for inspiration: sports, travel and guests. Sports has perennially been in his blood and the baton seems to have passed on to his son, Vansh, a sportsperson studying in Grade 10. Travels have taken him individually and with the family to many a destination, pinning Europe as their favourite location with unparalleled experiences for a wanderluster. His individual exposure to luxury travel and living abroad was during his term in The Maldives where he braved the task of working on an island, being independent, generating one’s own electricity, water treatment and inventory, he reminisces. And third, the guests. Well, what is a hotel without its guests! What can you do to improve a guest’s experience and have them come back for more if not leave with a beautiful memory to cherish. Varun and his team will take care of that.

Service has always been a favourite word in Varun’s dictionary, second nature to the man who graduated from Dadar Catering College and went on to train at the prestigious Oberoi Centre of Learning & Development (OCLD). Thus began his journey with the Oberoi Group in 2000, training at luxury properties and imbibing the core of top-quality hospitality. “It taught me the importance of a culture of service and quality at that. Of taking care of the minute details.” Paying attention to detail, that’s Varun Chhibber.  

But more importantly, OCLD is where he met the future Mrs Chhibber. Nupur, a fulltime mum, is passionate about cooking and who contributes to the making of Mr Chhibber day by day, for that’s what a strong partner does. Ask Varun if he enjoys cooking and the answer is, “I prefer eating to cooking.” Eating comprises experiences made in starred restaurants to those in hidden gems in bylanes of a city. “The best experiences are a result of the great company you have with you at the table,” smiles Varun. Right you are, we say!

There’s another diner Varun would count as great company. None other than the darling of the house, Amigo, the three-year-old Beagle. Varun quips, “Sometimes I feel like he listens more to me than my own son does. On a serious note, talking to him is the best therapy for me.” Dog lovers that we are, we agree.