Many people might think that working in hospitality entails only providing customer service and offering food. In actuality, the hospitality management sector is a dynamic and always-changing one that includes a wide range of industries, including hotel management, real estate, tourism, events, restaurant experiences, and health and wellness.

Organizations offer a variety of departments and positions for highly educated employees in each hospitality area. Opportunities in the hospitality sector are endless and range from operations and customer services to sales and marketing.

However, the hospitality sector is going through a significant overhaul as a result of the COVID-19. While the epidemic caused disruption across the world, it also provided a platform for hospitality innovation. Online orders, virtual experiences, and contactless services are just a few of the innovative solutions and fresh business models that have emerged since the pandemic. There is no better moment to begin your adventure if people want to participate in the transformation and influence the hospitality industry’s future.

With a master’s degree in hospitality management, students may change the way firms operate in the industry by developing their innovative problem-solving and entrepreneurial thinking abilities.

And one of the oldest hospitality colleges, Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Mumbai, serves the growing needs of the hospitality industry. The institute offers long-term and short-term courses to its students and all of its curriculum focus on applied nutrition and advanced technologies. Students are taught both theoretical and practical parts of the profession by the institute, which helps students, succeed in the hospitality industry.

We came across the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition in Mumbai while looking for 2023’s Excellent Hotel Management Institute in India. There, we spoke with Nisheeth Srivastava, the Institute’s Principal. He then discussed the institute’s background, mission, and future plans in an interactive conversation with The Knowledge Review.

Dive in to learn more specifics about the institute.

Budding a Seed

A long journey started 68 years ago, in 1954, with the founding of an organization known All India Women’s Central Food Council, which was then led by the late Mrs Lilawati Munshi and other like-minded individuals, including the late Mrs Homi Taleyarkhan and the late Mrs Leela Jog. The late K.M. Munshi, who founded the renowned Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan and served as the state’s governor from 1952 to 1957, as well as being the husband of Mrs Lilawati Munshi, provided strong support for the Council at this time.

In order to change the food habits of the people, AIWCFC opened Annapoorna restaurants across the nation that offered affordable, nutritious, whole-food alternatives to cereal. As a result, the first institution of its sort in South East Asia was founded in Andheri in the army barracks as the College of Catering and Institutional Management, afterwards known as the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology, and Applied Nutrition.

With the use of personal connections, Mrs Lilawati Munshi was able to secure the expertise and equipment needed from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The FAO Expert and Advisor to the Government of India from 1955 to 1972, Mr Cyril Belfield Smith, played a key role in the development of the Institute as its Principal. After taking over, Padmashree Ms Thangam E. Phillip brought the Institute international prominence through her charismatic leadership as Principal for 23 years.

Currently, IHM, Mumbai is recognized as the country’s top institute for hospitality education. The Institute has the honour of receiving many Awards of Excellence for the Best Tourism Educational Institute from the Government of India’s Ministry of Tourism.

Hotels have played an important role in promoting the rich culture and tradition as well as making India an attractive destination for those who visit frequently. At this time, both domestic and foreign tourists are coming in greater numbers, and the services and amenities offered to them in hotels are also changing. Hotels are the foundation of the tourism sector and have boosted India’s visibility in the international travel market. The best method to generate foreign currency is through this industry; hence the Indian government is doing all possible to promote it. The Government of India has built Institutes of Hotel Management, Catering, and Tourism in order to supply the hotel business with trained manpower.

The first institution in the country to provide a Diploma in Hotel Management programme was the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology, and Applied Nutrition in Mumbai. It was taken over by the Government of India’s Ministry of Tourism as a stand-alone entity in August 1979. It presently offers different craft courses and a three-year degree programme in hospitality and hotel administration. Previously, the Government of India covered all costs; however, the Institute is now self-sufficient.

A Trendsetter and Pioneer of Hospitality Education

The success of the Institute owes to many prominent personalities all the ex-principals of this Institute, but among which the most important person is Padmashree Ms Thangam E. Philip

Ms Thangam Elizabeth Philip, an Indian nutritionist and proponent of hospitality education in India (1921–2009), was a pioneer in her field. She was the author of several cookbooks and the Principal Emeritus of the Mumbai Institute of Hotel Management.

Philip received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, in 1976. She had already received the FAO Ceres Medal and the Order of Cordon Bleu Du Sant Esprit of France’s Knighthood.

After leaving the US, she returned and was named the principal of IHM in 1961. She also began publishing essays in publications and launched a cooking show on All India Radio. Thangam Philip joined the Freedom from Hunger campaign when it was first started by the Food and Agriculture Organization in 1963 and took part in the first Young World Assembly that was held in Athens in 1965.

Philip was also the author of several books on cookery and hospitality industry. Her two-volume work, Modern Book for Teaching and the Trade, is a prescribed textbook in IHM, Mumbai curriculum. One of her books, Thangam Philip’s Book of Baking is a work written for the Ministry of Tourism.

She also involved as a consultant with several projects of UNDP, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Labour Organization and the Government of Kuwait. She served on the boards of many hospitality enterprises and organizations such as Air India, Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, Sterling Holiday Resorts (India) Limited and Kamat Hotels.

A Value Orientation

The aims and objectives of the Institute are to conduct various courses and training programmes not only to provide suitable manpower to Hotel Industry to fill in its various posts but also to equip the trainees with adequate practical knowledge of the trade so as to enable them to start their own business according to their capacity.

The main objectives as stated in the Memorandum of Association of the Society are as follows:

• To provide instructions and training in all the crafts and skills, all the branches of knowledge both theoretical and applied, and all the organizational and management techniques, which are required for the efficient functioning of hotel and catering establishments of all kinds, as well as institutional feeding programmes in schools, industrial establishment and similar organizations.
• To impart instruction and training in modern and scientific techniques of management of modern hotels and hostels.

In this way, the Institute plays a significant role in providing job opportunities to the trainees. To fulfill the aforesaid aims and objectives, the Institute runs Degree and Craft Courses thereby meeting the qualitative and quantitative requirements of man-power in various sectors of Hotel Industry and equip the trainees with adequate expertise to enable them to make an earning through self-employment, if they so desire.

To cater to the needs of tourism industry and other organizations requiring high standard or operations and services, the Institute conducts all level service training programmes. In this way, the Institute besides providing trained personnel to the Hotel Industry plays a vital role in eradicating unemployment.

Overcoming the Challenges

The Institute has not faced any major challenges because being the First Hospitality Institute in Asia. IHM always kept itself updated to meet the new challenges which made it resist new challenges.

Application of Technology

Anything that has an impact on human existence has an impact on the hospitality sector, and as a result, pressure mounts for the industry to train employees for the future. Utilization of technology, planned evaluation, and creative freedom kept the institute informed all the time. Over centuries, the institute has discovered that if young minds (students) are encouraged to be creative, growth will occur naturally. Instead of having to invent anything new to demonstrate progress, humans can just continue to encourage the children and support their abilities.

Unique Programme

In addition to academics, the Institute hosts a number of activities for the students, including Milestone Mania and Cornucopia Workshops like-

• Vegetarian meals made from plants.
• Agricultural Economics.
• Recycling Waste Scraps.
• Molecular mixing and mixology.
• 12 weeks of French language training.

Awards and Achievements

• Times Education Icon for Four consecutive years.
• Gold and Silver Medal Nestle Young Chef Competition 2022.
• Silver Medal & Bronze medal at National Pastry Challenge 2022.
• First Prize -Everest Culinary Challenge –State level Jan 2023.
• First Prize- band Competition at Jalloshfest – Jan 2023.

Various clubs in the Institute for overall development of the students:

• Kalakriti – Creative Arts committee.
• Inkedin – Literary committee.
• cliQbait – Social Media committee.
• Musafir – Tourism Club.
• Clicarc – Photography committee.
• Rangrez – Performing Arts committee.
• Niti – Merchandising committee.
• Eklavya – Sports committee.