Harnessing emotional intelligence to bring the Regent brand to life

For Sriram Kailasam the opportunity to lead the evolution of a new IHG luxury hotel has been an inspiring and fulfilling journey. 

From his first role in the hospitality industry as a chef, to today as the General Manager of the breathtaking Regent Phu Quoc in Vietnam, Sriram has leaned into his emotional intelligence to help build relationships, lead teams and bring a creative vision to life. 

Leading a new era at the Regent Phu Quoc

“I began my journey in the hospitality industry as a chef, gaining experience working for different luxury hotel brands in several countries, including India, Australia, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam. 

I’ve found the experience of working in different locations with diverse teams to be a very positive one - as it’s helped me to develop essential people skills. This was indispensable when I was promoted to Director of Food and Beverage by one of my previous employers and then progressed to my current position as General Manager of the Regent Phu Quoc. 

This property is one of the first newly-developed Regent resorts following IHG acquiring the brand and my role on joining was to guide the launch and help bring the creative vision to life. 

Luckily, IHG gave me both the freedom and flexibility to do this, and I was impressed with the organisation's culture of trust. This gives colleagues the confidence to progress, make decisions and achieve results. 

One of our main objectives in the early days of launching the Regent Phu Quoc, was how to take the creative vision and translate it into practical action that could be understood by all 600 employees working throughout the resort. 

We distilled the ‘vision and mission’ down into ‘core values’. This included everything from the standard customers should expect to see, to how we treat guests - all the practices we need to adopt to make sure we’re consistently delivering to the highest level every day.” 

Learning from others and passing on knowledge

“Leading a team of this size can be challenging and I’ve had to lean into my emotional intelligence to develop my people skills even further.

To create an inclusive team environment, you must be as open to listening, observing and learning from others, as you are to teaching them. This has helped me to build trusting relationships with my colleagues and I endeavour to extend the trust that IHG has placed in me to my own team members. 

In line with this, I’m a great believer in IHG’s ‘Room to Grow’ initiative and I’m proud to say that many of my current Heads of Departments are internal promotions. We’ve been lucky enough to have several young leaders who have absorbed the brand values and become role models, for which they have been recognised.

My philosophy when growing our team has always been to hire for a positive can-do attitude, including passion, commitment and loyalty - as the rest of the skills you can develop. 

I also believe in the importance of a diverse team - different cultures, ages, levels of experience and a combination of IHG trained staff, alongside a fresh approach from external talent. This is in line with IHGs ‘Room to Belong’ ethos which champions diversity, equity and inclusion in all its forms.” 

Supporting the local community and sustainability 

“It’s important to note that, although the Regent Phu Quoc is a luxury resort, we don’t operate in a bubble. We employ many local people and see ourselves as part of the community. 

In line with IHG’s ‘Room to Make a Difference’ initiative, we’re mindful of how we operate and strive to make a positive contribution, both environmentally and socially. 

We’ve organised a number of charity initiatives to improve our planet-friendly practices and support local causes, including reducing the amount of plastic sent to landfill by introducing a water bottling plant for our resort, as well as neighbouring properties. 

As part of the Regent brand hallmark, we also conduct an event called ‘Taste studio’ where we collaborate with artists to create a multi-sensory experience. Our last event included a ‘performance painter’ who created artwork out of water and fire. We auctioned this to our guests and raised funds to support a local disadvantaged youth program called ‘Toki Toki’. 

For the last couple of years in IHG’s ‘Giving for Good’ month in September, we’ve brought a number of hotels on the island together to organise a charity fun run of 10km to raise funds for worthy causes. 

Whether connecting with my team or considering our role within the wider community, I take my role as a ‘people-focused’ leader very seriously. Building good relationships with those around me is really the glue that holds everything together.   

IHG has given me the opportunity to fully realise these skills, as well as nurture them in others, which has been a rewarding experience. When there is trust and understanding in a team, even the most ambitious creative vision can become a reality.”