Ms. Sonali Satpathy has completed her B.Com from Kolkata University and then pursued a Master of Arts in Tourism Management from IGNOU. She has also done the certification course of Amadeus from IITTM. She pursued a diploma of 3 years in Hotel Management from IHMCTAN, under NCHMCT. Ms. Sonali Satpathy has an overall teaching experience of 20+ years in the hospitality industry which includes 17+ years in the education sector and 3 years in the hotel and corporate industry. She has worked with Ananda- in the Himalayas, The Oberoi, New Delhi. She has also worked with YMCA, in New Delhi, and then she joined JIMS Rohini where she taught subjects like international tourism and the front office. She has been a part of AIHM as a visiting faculty and is now a full-time senior lecturer.

Abhi Institute of Hotel Management

You have held key positions at education institutes throughout your professional career. What are the key factors that keep you connected with the education sector?

"Well, I like being with the young generation as they have that enthusiasm with that they carry in their everyday lives"

I love teaching, it's not monotonous for me. As I have gained pretty decent knowledge about this industry, I want more people to gain this knowledge. Teaching so many different subjects over the past 17 years is an innovation in itself.

What is your philosophy of leadership? How would you describe your leadership style?

"All I can say is that it is 80% democratic and 20% autocratic"

As the student has just come out of school hence the democratic ratio of 80% is there. They have a long way to go to enhance their leadership styles and their personalities

How does the curriculum of your institute ensure the best practice of Industry?

“We have a dedicated placement cell, which provides 100% placement and is an added advantage for the students”

Our curriculum includes a continuous interface with the hotel industry so that students get to know the expectation of the hotel industry from them as hotel professionals which definitely is an added advantage for the students.
Moreover, We have a dedicated placement cell, which provides 100% placement.

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What are some of the major changes that Covid-19 has bought in the education sector according to you?

“The industry wants trained manpower, and colleges like ours are filling the gap”

The IHM i.e.Hotel Management Institutes have created blended learning environment and are now updated with various instructional technology. Our institute has state of the art technology required for blended learning. Our Trainers/faculties are savvy with this technology. Post Covid there is an increased demand for trained manpower in the hospitality industry which is definitely good news and encouraging for the hotel management education industry.

Are there any placement opportunities for the students?

Yes, we have a record for 100% placements. We place our students only in major 5-star hotels like The Leela, Eros, Oberoi, Radisson and many more.
But other career opportunities are also available to hotel management trained students such as MNC hospital chains, travel industry, Airlines industry,call centres, housekeeping facilitation services. Students can open their own business in this field. A hotel professional never goes "jobless"

How is your relationship with the students of your college?

“Students know that if they work hard, they can reach their goals”

 It's been 17 yrs + in the education field and till date, I have never felt teaching monotonous. I work with students as a team. I am trying to create a classroom environment that is mutually enriching and developing. I try to go beyond syllabus completion and work on aspects that may help them in building a successful career and life.

What are the most important functions in the role that you play in your institute?

 Other than teaching as per the given syllabus and schedule, I am also involved in attending to enquiries from aspiring hotel management students with respect to their admissions and their career path in the hotel industry.
As a part of management, modifying curriculum as per requirement, guiding and organising college fest and events, including the day to day operations in college are some of the roles that I perform in this instituition.

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How do you tend to establish a healthy relationship and environment in your institute/ university?

I teach my students in a very basic manner with the help of simple case studies from daily life routine with which they can easily relate and understand the topic in depth.
I always  give special attention to the students/students who have basic good qualities but are not confident enough and need to be trained using little differently.
I make sure that these students are given extra attention while the other students don’t get to know about the same..

Any suggestions/messages that you would like to give to the current youth?

"I will suggest to the youth that please don't forget the basics of life. Technology will come and go like AI, Robotics but the basics will never change"

Social skills and interactions will always be there. Do not forget from where you have come. And for the students who want to try their hands on the hotel and hospitality industry, you should go with the hotel management course, train here and you will come out as a polished person, both personally and professionally and I can say from my experience that you will never be jobless in your life.