With the passing away of Vincent Ramos, Goa has lost a proud son and a dedicated hospitality leader
The sudden passing away of Vincent Ramos, Senior Vice President, Operations, IHCL-Goa, has sent shockwaves amongst his peers in the hospitality industry, his IHCL family, and all those Goans whose lives he touched with his simplicity and kindness.
Ramos collapsed at his home in Tonca, while doing what he loved most- working on various strategies on how to take IHCL-Goa forward. He was rushed to a private hospital in Dona Paula where the doctors found him unresponsive and suspected that he suffered a massive cardiac arrest. He had recently undergone a surgery for a critical illness, but there were no post-operative complications. He is survived by his wife Deena and son, Reuben.
Ramos was born on the charming island of Chorao, and attended Monte de Guirim School. He completed a degree in hotel management from the prestigious Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) Goa and then earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai. With a keen interest in upgrading his skills, Ramos went on to acquire degrees from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Ahmedabad, Cornell University, and Nanyang University, Singapore.
Over the years, Ramos raised the bar at IHCL-Goa and his love for his home state propelled him to contribute to Goa.
A soft spoken man, Ramos was known for turning around loss making hotels and turning them into profitable ventures. Under his able leadership, IHCL-Goa saw tremendous growth in the state, leading to greater profitability and strengthened its position as the largest hospitality group in Goa.
His passion for Goa and all things Goan, made him work continuously on his vision for the state. He wanted to breathe fresh life into the tourism scenario in Goa and was working tirelessly to make his dream a reality.
After a successful stint of spearheading IHCL in Goa as the Area Director since 2017, Ramos was appointed as the Senior Vice President – Goa. In his role, he continued to provide strategic direction to IHCL hotels within the region.
A perfectionist with over a decade of management experience, Ramos has been instrumental in the expansion of IHCL in Goa, across its group of brands – Taj, SeleQtions, Vivanta, Ginger, amã Stays & Trails, Qmin, and TajSats. Under his governance, IHCL witnessed transformative growth in the region leading to greater profitability and market leadership in each of the relative market segments. His rise from General Manager in 2008 to Senior Vice President, IHCL-Goa, in 2022 gave hope to many a Goan as he was the first Goan to reach the highest ranks in the IHCL echelons.
With a vision to give back something to Goa, Ramos brought a lot of local self-help groups, to offer guests at IHCL-Goa, a taste of local flavour. He worked with the local communities and the less fortunate, so they could reap the benefits of IHCL as well as have a share in the tourism pie.
His IHCL family spoke highly of him and said his habit of not turning away anyone who came to his door was due to his humble background and understanding of the way people struggled to make a living.
He was a hardcore hotelier and his career spanning a decade and half, says much about him and his dedication whether it was reviving the loss making Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur, or transforming the various resorts in Kerala into award winning properties.
With his hard work and undying devotion to the hospitality industry, Umaid Bhawan Palace bagged the ‘Best Hotel of the World Award’ in 2016, under his leadership.
Once he returned to Goa to handle operations at IHCL-Goa, he turned his attention to turning things around in his home state. Under his tenure, the magnificent Taj Exotica Resort & Spa was voted the fifth best resort hotel in India. IHCL’s senior team described Ramos as the ‘Most Admired General Manger of the Decade’ in 2018.
Ramos was extremely vocal about employing locals and was part of many government associations in the state, where he would impart his knowledge and expertise to harness the 2 lakh jobs that are likely to be created in the tourism sector over the next few years.
He was actively involved in promoting Goa’s tourism sector and assisting in the policy formulation. Amidst the challenging business circumstances posed by the pandemic, Ramos demonstrated exceptional leadership in effectively positioning IHCL’s various brands in Goa and had not only effectively represented the brand but had also been the voice of the industry as a whole, within the length and breadth of Goa. The optimization of costs and enhancement in revenue in Goa during his tenure is testimony to his drive towards excellence. Moreover, he had been actively involved with the local state authorities to achieve benchmark standards for tourism in Goa. Ramos was empaneled as member of the Empowered Committees for the Goa Tourism Board. He was also appointed as a mentor for the Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) Committee – Tourism vertical and was a part of the Managing Committee of the Travel & Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) as well as an Executive Member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Goa.
With handling IHCL in Goa and being a part of various organisations, Ramos had his hands full and very little time for pursuing his hobbies and interests. An avid nature lover, he loved gardening, driving through the serpentine lanes of Goa and exploring offbeat destinations. He loved singing and would often be found singing in the lobby of the Taj Convention Centre. His love for painting saw him with a paintbrush in hand, lending finishing touches to the wall art, especially during Christmas.
He was a firm believer in hard work and often stated that it never fails nor does it go out of fashion. His mantra for success was “Be straight, be honest and most important of all, work hard.”
His contribution to the tourism industry, his love for Goa and Goans and his dedication towards IHCL will not be forgotten. Rest well Ramos, Godspeed.
