DOHA
From a young age, Rajiv Tarcar developed a passion for the hospitality Industry, inspired by his mother Shobha Tarcar, owner of the successful catering business Sai Samarth Caterers in Panaji.
Inspired by his mother's ability to perform culinary miracles, Rajiv’s ’s childhood passion took flight over the years. He has since worked and managed several hotels in the UK and Qatar. He is now the General Manager at the prestigious Adagio and Ibis Doha.
TRAINING SKILLS
“My journey is of 23 years in the hospitality industry, and it started at the age of 16 at IHM Goa in Porvorim where I did a three-year diploma in Hotel Management and Catering Technology,” said Rajiv, who has more than 20 years of experience across different continents fulfilling various senior leadership roles in the hospitality sector. A 6-month Industrial Training at Goa Marriott in Miramar followed, which prepared Rajiv for the future in terms of understanding the nuances of the industry, which has stood tall for him till this date.
“At 20, I went to Switzerland to pursue a BBA in Hospitality at Les Roches located in a small mountainous village called Crans Montana. This experience remains a very important part of my life as not only did I leave Goa for the first time to live abroad, I also got to interact with students from over 100 different nationalities. The exposure and interaction with people from diverse backgrounds helped me foster my global outlook and personality.” says Rajiv, who later went onto acquire several professional certifications from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) in the UK. Whilst studying, Rajiv also travelled extensively across Europe which continued to instill an appreciation of diverse cultures in him.
MANAGING PROPERTIES
Having worked at multiple establishments across London where his talents got noticed and appreciated at some of the acclaimed establishments, his hospitality industry journey has taken him to Qatar where he is the General Manager at the prestigious Adagio and Ibis Doha.
Rajiv is excited to bring his wealth of experience and creativity to the table in Qatar.
“Ibis is arguably the world's most popular economy brand with great locations, from London and Paris to Sydney and Tokyo. The brand has been long awaited in the Doha market and we are currently operating at over 90% occupancy with demand soaring. Adagio on the other hand is a premium aparthotel and is offering a fantastic apartment hotel product at great value prices,” said Rajiv, who earlier worked with international brands such as Marriott, Intercontinental, Premier Inn and now Accor.
“Ibis is ranked in the Top 10 hotels in Doha on Tripadvisor by our guests who believe that we are offering a fantastic value proposition while delivering a great service, from the booking stage to their checkout,” he added.
Asked about his daily work schedule Rajiv said: “I start my day at 7:30 am with a walk around the guest floors. It usually takes me 12-15 minutes to greet my team and guests who are heading down for breakfast or to their taxi to take their flight home. Following that, I have a couple of hours of back-to-back meetings focusing on commercial strategy, sales, guest feedback and operations.”
Due to his excellent track record in Qatar, Rajiv was featured in the Top 100 General Managers Power List 2021 - one of only five GMs from Qatar to make it onto the illustrious list.
GOAN CONNECT
Proud of his Goan roots, Rajiv wants to be an ambassador for Goa wherever he is based.
“I'm like an unofficial ambassador of Goa. While I was working in the UK, I hired a lot of Goans. Of the 400-odd people in my hotel teams, we had at least 45 Goans from chefs to engineers. I'm very proud of that because Goans come with a natural instinct that is needed for the service industry. We are very flexible, we are easy to work with and we are team players. Goans also possess a good command in English. We are always willing to learn, we are not a conflict society hence we fit well in Hospitality.”
Several talented and qualified professionals seek regular guidance from Rajiv including his college alumni. “I always encourage fellow Goans to pursue a career in hospitality if that’s their inner calling. If interested and where appropriate I provide young professionals with career advice and advise them on job openings and new opportunities.”
Rajiv said Goans in Qatar are welcome to host their community functions at Adagio and Ibis Doha. “Goan cuisine gradually finding its place and getting the recognition it deserves. We try to put at least one or two Goan dishes on our event menus. For Goans in Qatar hosting a social or community event, Ibis and Adagio Doha can be a very good venue to host birthday parties, gala dinners”, added Rajiv.
