Soumya Sengupta
A maverick hotelier breaking new grounds with astounding projects
Why do people become entrepreneurs? What triggers their motivation? People from all walks of life are taking up entrepreneurship, and they are doing so in great numbers. Even though the modern industry is brimming with fresh prospects that fuel people’s zeal, some people simply can’t fit in there. Innovative Zone has always found it fascinating to pursue zealous notions, but the secret behind becoming an entrepreneur piqued our interest like none other.
In search of answers, our editors began scouring the market for “Passionpreneurs” who found it unnatural to fit into the corporate mold, work for someone else, or on someone else’s timetable. Our efforts brought us to Mr. Soumya Sengupta. He has been a coveted entrepreneurial figure and consultant in the hotel and hospitality industry. After six years in a joint venture, Soumya has launched his own company, Soumya Sengupta & Associates, which is now a coveted name for a variety of services in the hospitality industry. We spoke with him in an interview to get more insight into his business spirit. The synopsis of our discussion is given below.
WALKING A VISIONARY PATH
Soumya has matured his career around some of the most coveted hotels in India. After graduating from IHM Kolkata, he started working for the Park Group of Hotels. From there, he created the groundwork for a solid career. However, he soon came to a point where he was unable to continue being a part of the service sector. Instead, he sought to address the challenges during his tenures he identified many gaps in services, knowledge, and support in the hotel industry. This fuelled the entrepreneur in him as he started his first business, Resotel Consultancy.
It made him a deft hotel consultant with expertise in hotels, resorts, lounges, and cloud kitchens. The success of the consultancy even laid the foundation of Bong Moyra, a high-end sweet retail chain in Bangalore. While he was basking in glory, his life took a new turn in late 2019. His consultancy, which was a joint venture, split up. During this period, the pandemic struck the nation, disrupting the functions of hotel chains.
As a passionate hotelier, he sought to provide a helping hand to enterprises to not only survive but function more effectively. He made slight adjustments in his consultancy venture and extended an arm in turnkey projects, thus, bringing Soumya Sengupta & Associates to the light. His actions not only helped the hotel industry endure but also gave him a reputation for changing the course of the industry. In the past two years, he has launched many hotel projects as well as helped many brands reimagine growth.
HELPING HOTELIERS REIMAGINE GROWTH
Soumya Sengupta & Associates was born out of a need to help clients thrive in a constantly disruptive market. Since COVID-19 came to India, the hospitality industry has been nothing like it used to be. Even in post-COVID, people weren’t ready to invest in hospitality properties, given the disarray. Being among the sectors that took the hardest beating, it required targeted services to stop the bleeding. In light of this, Soumya divided their services into pre-opening and post-management categories.
“We aid hotel owners in the design stages, even those that are 30–60% finished and in need of turnaround strategies to enhance their financial condition”, -said Mr. Sengupta
They pose as a complete project & management consultant offering conceptual designing, technical support, interior designing, resource procurement, staff planning & development, sales & marketing, organization planning & set up, and lastly, corporate turnaround services. Under the post-management category, they assume complete responsibility of the business, helping in management, operations, and business development.
As management consultants, they ensure the client’s vision is understood and is the groundwork of the project. This assorted business model has been the consultancy’s unique niche. It has allowed them to serve many prestigious hotel and hospitality brands like, Zaairah Kolkata, and many others. Soumya is also a consultant to IRCTC and West Bengal Tourism, which is surely a proud feather in his cap.
A LEADER WITH AN ENTREPRENEURIAL HEART
When it comes to leadership, Mr. Sengupta leads by the motto, “Lead from the front.” He doesn’t, however, get bogged down in the specifics or micromanage. Instead, he strives to look at the big picture and ensure that every operation is in line with it. This keeps him involved in operations and allows his team the freedom to take charge, plan the tactical details and execute them. Soumya is always there to guide as needed but is always back far enough to overview the entire field. In short, he is not only empowering his people but also developing them. He believes, the team should take the lead in achieving success, but the leader should take responsibility for failure.
REACHING THE ZENITH IN A GRAND WAY
Good efforts are appreciated, but great efforts are prized and cherished. Soumya’s efforts and tenacity have reaped several crowning jewels. His accomplishments include Ethnotel, Raize The Bar (the second microbrewery in Kolkata), Pub 13, Club Fenicia (the largest lounge in Kolkata), and Fly Kouzina, Kouzina Marine, and Kouzina Mining (the first theme restaurant chain in Kolkata), and many more. In fact, he was involved in the design of 60 to 70% of Kolkata’s nightclubs. He has also worked on projects (Barcode and Hashtag) in Siliguri and acts as a consultant for turnkey projects there.
Such coveted projects are surely something to look up to. Soumya wants to make the advisory firm the best in the business by breaking new ground with turnkey projects.
He already has prominent projects lined up namely:
- Q Saina – a luxury hotel chain planned in Darjeeling, Gangtok, Pelling and Puri
- 24k Sq.ft. F&B venture in Salt Lake Sector 5, Kolkata
- 4 Storied F&B Venture with brew tap near Kolkata Airport
- In parallel, he intends to further expand his sweet retail brand, Bong Moyra, in Bangalore. With such great prospects in the works, Mr. Sengupta’s future is bound to brighten.
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
Rahul Fogla, Owner, Zaairah Dine & Lounge: I met Soumya when I first thought of opening Zaairah. Since then, I have had his support no matter what. Any challenge that came my way, I just had to pass it on to him and be rest assured that he would solve it. He is more of a big brother than a mentor to me.
Santosh Sahoo, Director, Hotel Shaan, Kharagpur: I was, at that point of time, exploring the unknown realm of hospitality—starting with a hotel in Kharagpur. Sadly, to my utter disappointment, it was well-nigh possible to make an inroad. That was until Mr. Sengupta appeared as a godsend for me and my business. He has been guiding me not only how to run a hotel but also how to profit from it.
Nitin Agarwal, Managing Director, Q. Saina: I’ve known Mr. Sengupta for the past four years. He was a consultant for my lounge, and it was always a pleasure working with him since he first ascertains the client’s needs, offers his thoughts, and works on the project as if it were his own. He is currently working on my second project, which is a chain of hotels. I have absolute faith in him, be it for advice, financial guidance, project viability, followups, professionalism, or helping me weigh the pros and cons.
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