ITC Hotels represents an exhilarating and dynamic company to work for, she informs delWine. ‘In my new role, I will be envisioning, crafting and implementing a wine & beverage program befitting the incredible reputation and stature of the Group; with a view to augment its already strong presence in both Indian & Asian cuisine, taking the initiative forward to a new pinnacle. The ultimate aim is to position ITC Hotels among the best and the most preferred wine & beverage destinations in India,’ she says.
She plans to create a master wine & beverage portfolio, design intricate & cuisine-specific wine menus for each restaurant/bar and build a formidable cadre of talented & confident sommeliers who are highly trained & WSET-certified in wine & beverage knowledge and service. She is a Diploma holder herself, having cleared part 4, thus certifying her to teach for WSET 3. In fact, she had enrolled herself for the MW qualification and has already spent more than a year pursuing that ambition.
‘Doing my MW will be my topmost priority. For this I will be going to London as and when required. ITC Hotels quite understand it and are willing to let me pursue it. In fact, it might be great for them too to have a person with MW eventually. I must admit that since I was already enrolled as an MW student, it might have helped in my being getting preference over other candidates for the job,’ she says.
‘I would be actively involved in hosting exclusive wine & beverage events and dinners, manage investments in fine wines, design an executive program in wines for ITC senior management, as well as introduce wine & spirits learning courses at the ITC Hospitality Management Institute'. Among other things, she would also look into the beverage related accessories, inventory management and quality systems of the program.
Since this is a corporate position which is normally a Gurgaon-headquartered assignment, Sonal is expected to travel a lot. We wish Sonal Holland a successful assignment with a hotel which has established strong credentials for its professionalism and dynamism.
Subhash Arora
Tags: ITC Grand Central, Sonal Holland |