Inspired by his childhood experiences, Upendra chose to pursue a career in hospitality. With a wealth of experience in the field, he has held the prestigious position of Head of Rajasthan for the JüSTa Group of Hotels. Upendra strongly believes that reducing long working hours is crucial to encouraging more young people to join the hospitality industry.

Upendra Bahadur Srivastava has been in the hospitality industry for the last 41 years, and out of those, 31 years have been spent working in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur.

Upendra Srivastava had worked in the capacity of General Manager at several hotels before he got promoted as the Head of Rajasthan for the JüSTa Group of Hotels. However, in 2015, he quit his job and started taking hotels on a lease and management model. Currently, Upendra is managing three hotels, including Inder Prakash, and starting a project in the name of The Belleta at Govardhan Vilas.

Upendra’s career is marked by notable achievements, including hosting the legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar for a week and other famous personalities like Pankaj Udhas. He served as the President of the United Hoteliers of Udaipur and has been an active member of various committees, including the Wildlife Committee of Udaipur district.

His career began at Hotel Clarks Amer in Jaipur, followed by Ratanada International in Jodhpur, and then ITDC. In 1987, he moved to Udaipur and opened Hotel Rajdarshan, where he served as General Manager for a decade. His journey continued with the launch of Hotel Paras Mahal in 1996 and Hotel Fountain in 2000. Other ventures include India International, Rajputana Resort, Inder Residency, and Lotus Lake View Resort, which later became Hotel Ramada. In 2012, Upendra joined the JüSTa Group of Hotels.

Reflecting on his inspiration to join this industry, Upendra Bahadur shares that his family had migrated from UP during his grandparents’ time. So very often, his relatives would come over to Rajasthan, and Upendra would jump in to show them around. Gradually, he felt attracted to tourism and hospitality, which he believes to have been an inheritance from his parents.

Talking about his childhood, Upendra Bahadur shares that he was born and brought up in Jodhpur, where he also completed his schooling. While pursuing his graduation in commerce, Upendra felt like doing something challenging and out of the box. This was when he opted out and chose Hotel Management, for which he shifted to Jaipur.

When asked about his role models, Upendra Srivastava says he draws inspiration from the pioneering spirits of JRD Tata, Ratan Tata, and M.S. Oberoi, whose journeys he has closely followed.

Upendra Bahadur finds inspiration in the song “Ruk jana nahi tu kahin haar ke” from the movie Imtihaan. On that note, he shares a glimpse of his challenges when he started off on his own. There were times when his invested money could not be recovered, and during those times, this song fueled him with energy and motivation to keep working towards his goal.

Sharing his challenges further, he says that when he was working as a general manager at Hotel Rajdarshan in 1992, some of the staff members formed a union, owing to which half of them got terminated and the hotel was left with half of the manpower.

He recollects that it was the peak season, and he, along with other HODs, stepped forward and didn’t see their homes for the next 21 days. Their hard work in times of adversity bore fruitful results in the form of guest satisfaction. He  also sheds light on how the 7/11 tragic event, and the drying of the famed lakes of Udaipur impacted the hospitality industry.

Reflecting on the hospitality industry, Upendra Bahadur emphasizes the need to address the problem of long working hours to encourage the youth to join the field. He notes the disappointing 50% turnout for hotel management entrance exams and stresses the importance of fair pay and support for the workforce.

In his concluding remarks, Upendra Bahadur invokes the age-old Indian proverb, ‘Atithi Devo Bhava,’ urging the youth to embrace the principle that guests are akin to gods.