Regarded as the cultural capital of India, Kolkata boasts a thriving hospitality industry. Various factors, such as the city’s rich heritage, various initiatives by the government to promote tourism, as well as numerous spiritual and tourism spots attract a vast number of tourists annually to the city. Among the leading hotels in the city, one hotel that stands out from the rest in terms of affordable luxury as well as Amazing hospitality is De Sovrani. A highly popular staycation spot among visitors, De Sovrani started its journey just a decade back and has been experiencing tremendous growth since then. At the helm of its operation is Kamalini Paul. An accomplished entrepreneur and Managing Director at De Sovrani. Kamalini took over the family-led hospitality business at just 18 due to her father’s untimely demise. Under her inspiring leadership, the hotel has transformed remarkably from a loss-making venture to one of the leading hotels in Kolkata.

In an exclusive interview with Women Entrepreneur Review, Kamalini sheds light on her overall industry journey, her motivation in the real estate sector, and much more.

Take us through the prior industry experience that you bring to the table.

I did my schooling at La Martiniere for Girls, Kolkata followed by my undergraduate from Lancaster University in Business & Marketing. My father was a leading realtor and had built this hotel before his untimely demise. Being the eldest child, at just 18, I had to shoulder the overall responsibility. Before his demise, my father was building a housing project with the West Bengal Housing Board. So at 18, with no industry experience, I first had to complete that project, which was extremely nerve-wracking at that point.

Being a prominent brand in the West Bengal real-estate sector, I didn’t want to tarnish the organization’s goodwill. Instead, I decided to focus my energy on the one-year-old De Sovrani. Apart from horrible customer feedback, De Sovrani, at that time, was facing huge losses. So my professional journey started with helping the failing brand grow, prosper, and become what it is today.

What motivated you to foray into the field of real estate?

As one of the most recognized realtors, especially in the Salt Lake region in Calcutta, my father has built numerous residential complexes, hospitals, hotels, and so on. While I took up the role after his demise, I did realize my shortcomings as a realtor without any prior industry experience or expertise. However, during the pandemic, when the hospitality sector was at a standstill, I decided to research further and educate myself in the real estate sector and its overall operations.

By 2022, we launched our first business center, named Paulist Business Tower, in the Salt Lake region. Around six months ago, I also created my first real estate project named Serra Cafe, a glass house cafe with an automatic retractable rooftop in Calcutta. The project has been a huge success earning us a lot of goodwill. It was my passion to re-enter the industry with minimalistic new designs and sustainable practices while taking more elements of nature into it. So while my interest in real estate started as a family business, I gradually have grown to become passionate about the industry.

Introduce us to De Sovrani. What are the key responsibilities you shoulder as the Managing Director of De Sovrani?

De Sovrani was my first project after I decided to take over the family business. Before I took over, the hotel had horrible online reviews and was ranked 192 out of 350 hotels on Trip Advisor. The initial phase was extremely challenging without any mentors to guide me. However, I decided to learn every nitty-gritty detail of running a hotel. Within two years, from housekeeping and managing machines to menu indenting, I learned everything about running a hotel. In two and half years, our efforts started bearing fruit. That's when I decided to do something innovative and work on creating a brand image.

We started doing food festivals and even hosted various local events. With zero rupees in my pocket, we decided to open a cafe. Named Skyview Cafe, to my delight, the cafe took off extremely well and became a popular hangout spot. De Soverani was also awarded the best upscale independent hotel during that time. While things were looking fine, we were suddenly hit by the pandemic. The pandemic had a massive impact on me. After finding my footing, I was back to square one. However, we persisted through the pandemic. Finally, things started subsiding and we had a fantastic 2022. Today, as one of the top five hotels in Kolkata, we are doing extremely well.

My primary responsibilities at the firm include brand development, collaboration, organizational expansion, and growth. Apart from that, I also coordinate with my managerial team for the day-to-day operations. Apart from that, I am also actively involved in the CSR activities. My overall responsibilities in the organization are to ensure that the firm is inclusive, aligned with our growth strategies, and is trying to promote growth within the community.

How do you foresee India’s real estate landscape evolving in the near future?

Currently, the Indian real estate sector is pretty much a monopolized market. One of the biggest changes I foresee is more standardization in the real estate industry. I am also pretty excited about the implementation of AI in the industry. I also foresee AI revolutionizing sustainable design with people's growing technical awareness playing a huge role. Apart from that, I am also looking forward to how our generation can amalgamate our heritage with modern architecture.

Kamalini Paul, Managing Director, De Sovrani

A young entrepreneur with around a decade long experience in the Hospitality and Real estate sector, Kamalini Paul, as the Managing Director of Kolkata-based hotel De Sovrani, has been instrumental in helping the loss-making venture become one of the leading hotels in Kolkata. An inspiring leader as well as a strong advocate of women empowerment, she has done her undergraduate from Lancaster University in Business & Marketing.