Oswin Ribeiro

With over 31 years of experience in the hospitality industry Oswin Ribeiro is currently the Hotel Manager of the stunning Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel Sydney, a role he transitioned to in 2023. Prior to being the hotel manager Oswin was the Chef and Beverage Manager of the hotel and has been at the hotel for 14 years, earning awards for his restaurants and products. Oswin started his career in 1993 as a Kitchen management trainee with the Taj Group of hotels in Mumbai and worked his way up in the kitchen brigade in a short span taking over as the Executive Chef of various hotels in the group across geographies. One of his major achievements during his time there was being the HACCP champion of the group. Over a span of his 31 years he has travelled across the world working fine tuning his skills and learning about cultures from the diverse spectrum of India, middle east, Singapore, Malaysia, UK and Italy. He has served celebrities, political personalities, captains of industry and royalty.

Now an Australian of Indian descent Oswin is married with a beautiful teenage daughter who means everything to him, they enjoy travelling and connecting with family and friends when the opportunity arises. Oswin is passionate about environmental and community initiatives and leads the Responsible Business Committee at the Radisson, in his personal
space besides volunteering for various charitable activities he is an active Community Fire Unit volunteer, working with fellow volunteers in the community to ensure preparedness is key to protect against any future bush-fires.

What makes Radisson Hotels stand out from other hospitality brands you’ve worked with?

I have been very fortunate to have worked with two organisations in my 31-year career both of which stand out for different reasons. Radisson is a truly global organisation with unique brands that are sought after by every segment in the market in 95 countries, delivering exceptional hospitality at every level. One of the key things that differentiate Radisson Hotel Group is the service culture that is driven across the company from the senior-most leadership team to the unit entry level colleague everyone believes in one motto that ‘Yes I can’  where anything is possible to create memorable moments at every stage of customer and staff’s journey, they uphold very strong business ethics of doing the right thing always with the highest integrity, thereby creating value for owners, embracing diversity to managing successful employee engagement, retention, and development, identifying potential and creating pathways for growth and future leaders is very clearly defined. Pioneering the drive for sustainability in the hospitality sector, supporting charity initiatives primarily involving children and clearly listening to every voice of both the staff and guests to make those decisions in business every day with the attitude that every moment matters.

Building the right team is crucial for a brand’s success. What are the key skills you look for when hiring new employees?

Post pandemic hospitality is looked at as the last option of a career, especially when it is the most vulnerable industry in moments of crisis, but it is also the first to rebound and fastest to normalize when things rebound. The former has created a conundrum for the young minds when they would like to work in hospitality but aren’t sure of it as a career. But there are bright sparks and the hiring process itself has undergone a major transformation of outlook. No longer are you looking at pure skill set and attitude for a particular role nor is the criteria of experience an essential requirement.

Today, key technical skills for a role are a plus. Some key things I look for are the hunger to succeed, the passion and want to do service that comes from within, the care for active listening, agile learning, positive thinking, and the ability to have fun in the moment. I look for people who would look at creating a successful opportunity from a difficult situation. These attributes create the attitude that helps contribute to the overall teams’ dynamics, which in turn relate to the delivery of customer expectations in a positive light and in turn a brand’s success.

 In your opinion, how will travel trends change in the second half of 2024?
There has been a lot of pent-up demand that we have seen translated in the travel word post pandemic. I can only see this growing more in the second half of 2024, the hybrid working environment will continue for some time but will see more people come back into the cities for work. Global leisure travel will continue especially with the cruise ship sector growing at a much faster pace than the pre pandemic. Experiential travel will continue to grow where people are seeking out uniqueness in their stay and journeys, things that will create memories much longer than the holiday itself and this will be driven a lot by the media and personalities. But a lot of this will also be subject to global safety and security concerns.

Was a career in hospitality something you always dreamt of?  What is your advice
to aspiring hoteliers?

I was involved in commercial cookery at a very young age and was driven by the views of the grand hotels of the past with the intrigue of understanding what went on beyond those front doors. The culture of hosting guests at home and delivering service to them and see them happy was a natural factor that translated easily to a career path that was defined as hospitality.

Which cities are your favourites for: 1) food 2) history 3) fashion?
I’ve never really had one favourite as I’ve enjoyed every city I’ve been to for its uniqueness of its history, food, and culture. But Sydney, Mumbai, and London standout a bit more for Food or Fashion, I love ethnic wear and can’t go beyond Mumbai because of its diverse heritage. For History, it would be New Delhi and its surroundings.

At work, what is your most challenging activity and why?

Every challenge is an opportunity. Though I don’t see any major challenges in my day to day that would perturb me from doing what I love, I feel very supported in everything that I do with an incredible team and great mentor.

What would you do if you weren’t a hotelier?
I have never really given that a thought, being a hotelier has always been a dream and lucky to have made it into a career. I couldn’t see myself waking up with the same eagerness to get to work anywhere other than hospitality. The sense of joy I have felt from the first day on the job when I entered the doors of my first hotel still remains today. As I mentioned I’ve been in this game for 31 years primarily heading kitchens and service to now managing hotel operations. It’s been enjoyable and can’t see it ceasing.

When are you happiest?
Home is always the happy space; my family has given me every support to thrive in what I love doing as a passion. My wife’s early years in hospitality no doubt helped in me being able to strike a balance between work and home. Nothing beats quality time with family. From the professional front, seeing my mentees grow and succeed gives me a lot of happiness.

 Favourite or most inspirational place?
Sydney is my favourite place, it has been home for a long time. It reminds me of my other inspirational place Mumbai, whatever is thrown at it bounces back much stronger and faster, both are multicultural, fast and high energy. Both are places where dreams can be made from nothing.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Be grounded and gracious for whatever you achieve in life and happiness will be it’s value.