Vinod Agarwal: 50 years of ‘glamour and details’

Having been providing the world with light and hospitality for half a century, as stated by Hilton, makes the Indian who has been managing the Hilton Cartagena hotel since 2003, a luxury human being.

By: Pilar Bolívar

World leaders – Photo: Revista Estilo de Vida and Manuel Alexiades – Texto: Pilar Bolivar – Artistic direction Claudia M. Gomez

It was 1971 when, at the age of 20, he entered the hotel industry. And he did it in the ironclad Germany aboard the Hilton, starting at the front desk, becoming a steward and growing by hand -as the greats of the greats do- washing thousands of dishes until reaching food and beverage assistance, a position that marked his new north: Kuwait, a challenge beyond a language he did not speak, as it forced him to leave his wife Shirley with whom he reunited at his next stop: Curaçao. There, his two lighthouses were born: Sanjay and Farah.

World leaders – Photo: Revista Estilo de Vida and Manuel Alexiades – Artistic direction Claudia M. Gomez – Hilton Cartagena Vinod Agarwal

As a good captain, during these 50 years of sailing the legendary hotel chain history across the Caribbean and Latin America, Agarwal has not let go of the helm despite the contrasts between the tides. “The place where I started my career was Germany. It made a big mark on me professionally. I had the opportunity to learn a lot from the typical German demand and discipline, as well as to learn the language. The big contrast in my life was coming to work in the Caribbean. First in Curaçao where everything is solved with negotiation, which was a great learning experience”, assured a few years ago to the Estilo de Vida magazine, the man who for 18 years has led the crew of the Caribbean jewel, Hilton Cartagena, his home and that of his crew, who are his extended family.

World leaders – Photo: Revista Estilo de Vida and Manuel Alexiades – Artistic direction Claudia M. Gomez – Vinod Agarwal Hilton

“Vinod is an exceptional human being; he is a leader who supports and inspires us to exceed our goals; he is the Brilliant Mind that every team wishes to have, thanks to him our hotel is getting better and better and shining with its own light. He works with passion and enthusiasm 365 days a year, and the most important thing is that he has a big heart and values his team very much,” said Omar Nieves Franco, director of the room division at Hilton Cartagena.

World leaders Vinos Agarwal – Omar Nieves Franco – Photo: Revista Estilo de Vida – luxury

GLAMOR AND DETAILS

After Curaçao, Agarwal pulled up anchors to Puerto Rico, Margarita Islands, Brazil and finally Cartagena ‘the heroic’. Since 2003, the Indian – now a Cartagena native – has been managing Hilton Cartagena, where his work has been both neat and successful in terms of urban, cultural, social and environmental growth. “We have created hundreds of jobs, because since its opening in 1980, we have added many additional areas, thus opening new jobs”, he says.

World leaders Vinos Agarwal – Photo: Revista Estilo de Vida by Claudia M. Gomez

“The fact that the first international branded hotel arrived in Cartagena, has made this city a world-class tourist destination, guaranteeing the highest international hospitality standards,” adds Vinod, who has also worked for education side by side with local tourism authorities and training institutions in hospitality, gastronomy and cuisine, besides promoting sustainability through their processes.