For Vicky, Everybody Is a VIP

At NILA, Everybody Is a VIP 

On winter nights in the mountains of northern India, Vicky remembers sitting beside a fire with his family while snow fell outside. 

His father would push potatoes directly into the hot ashes and wait for the skins to blacken slightly before pulling them out carefully with metal tongs. Then came the simplest part. Break the potato open. Sprinkle salt. Eat it while it was still burning hot from the fire.  

“It was so simple, but so good,” he says, smiling at the memory.  

Today, Vicky, whose full name is Vinod Verma, is Restaurant Manager at NILA, Amari Bangkok‘s flagship Indian restaurant, where guests arrive for elegant Indian coastal cuisine and reginal favourites, chargrilled tiger prawns, and carefully crafted cocktails.

But when he talks about food, his voice changes most when describing the meals from home. 

Not luxury dining. Not fine wine. Just roasted potatoes beside a fire in the Himalayas. 

Vicky grew up in a village around 70 kilometres from Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, surrounded by mountains, apple orchards, and harsh winters. His father runs an apple business, while his mother, once a history teacher, is now headmaster of a local government school.  

“We are from a very simple family,” he says.  

But simplicity did not mean small dreams. 

After studying hospitality, Vicky joined one of India’s most respected luxury hotel groups, The Oberoi Group. At first, he worked briefly in Front Office. Very quickly, he realised something felt wrong. 

“I knew I was more of a food and beverage person,” he says. “I like interaction. Food. Wines. Guests. Energy.”  

So he requested a transfer into restaurants. 

That decision shaped the next decade of his life. 

Over the years, Vicky moved through Italian restaurants, Mediterranean dining, banquets, all day dining, room service, and luxury Indian restaurants across cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore.  

He learnt quickly that every cuisine carries its own personality. 

Italian food felt relaxed and approachable. 

Indian cuisine felt emotional, layered, and deeply personal. 

“You cannot eat curry alone,” he says, laughing. “You need rice, naan, pickles, onions, chillies. Everything connects together.”  

But after years with some of India’s biggest hotel brands, another thought began growing in his mind. 

What if he stayed too comfortable? 

At the time, his career in India was going well. His family was happy. He worked for respected companies. There was no urgent reason to leave.  

Then a former senior colleague called from Thailand. 

The message was simple: if Vicky wanted international exposure, now was the time. 

Leaving India was still difficult. 

“It was very hard for me to leave Oberoi,” he admits. “That company shaped me.”  

Still, he decided growth mattered more than comfort. 

He moved to Bangkok and joined the famous Rang Mahal at the Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok, one of Thailand’s oldest Indian fine dining restaurants.  

Then another opportunity appeared. 

A newly opened Indian restaurant called NILA at Amari Bangkok. 

For many people, joining a new restaurant would feel risky. Rang Mahal already had history and reputation. But Vicky saw something different. 

“I wanted a new challenge,” he says. “NILA felt completely different.”  

The restaurant’s concept immediately interested him. Indian coastal cuisine influenced by Portuguese flavours. A more modern atmosphere. A more relaxed style of service.  

Today, he proudly recommends two signature dishes to every first time guest. 

The first is Peri Peri Jhinga, tiger prawns marinated with peri peri spices and cooked over chargrill flames. The second is the Malabar spiced lamb chop served with truffle mash.  

“These two dishes people always ask for,” he says. “Guests come and order them immediately.”  

Yet despite managing one of Bangkok’s modern Indian restaurants, Vicky’s own favourite food remains surprisingly humble. 

At home, he prefers porridge, fruit, eggs, rice, lentils, vegetables, or rajma chawal, the kidney bean curry his mother still cooks whenever he visits home.  

“If I stay one month at home, my mother will cook it every day for me,” he says.  

That connection between food and care appears everywhere in the way Vicky approaches hospitality. 

He believes restaurants should feel warm, not intimidating. Modern guests, he says, no longer want stiff formal service where staff stand silently “like bodyguards”. They want restaurants where they can relax, laugh, and feel genuinely welcomed.  

For Vicky, that atmosphere starts with one important rule. 

Every guest must be treated equally. 

“Everybody is VIP,” he says firmly.  

It is a philosophy shaped partly by his years in luxury hospitality, where he once served famous politicians, celebrities, and even the Prime Minister of India as a butler.  

But surprisingly, one of the guest stories he remembers most is much quieter. 

Recently, Vicky overheard an older guest from London mentioning she was vegan but did not want to “cause trouble” by making special requests. She quietly ordered standard vegetarian dishes instead.  

The next day, Vicky prepared an entirely separate vegan menu for her using dishes from NILA’s kitchen. Soup. Starters. Main course. Everything adapted specially for her without being asked.  

“She was very surprised and very happy,” he says.  

For him, these small moments matter most. 

And perhaps that way of thinking began long before hotels. 

Back in his village, Vicky remembers watching his father feed workers from Nepal with extraordinary generosity. Good meals. Whiskey. Gifts for their families before they returned home.  

“My dad always served people from the heart,” he says quietly. “I think it comes from him.”  

Today, after more than a decade in hospitality, Vicky still believes the industry is actually very simple. 

“If you want to serve someone, serve from the heart,” he says. “That passion is what makes hospitality special.”

Story: Sue Rattanamahattana • Photography: Poonsawat Sudtama, ONYX Hospitality Group

ABOUT HEARTMADE 
Created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of ONYX Hospitality Group, Heartmade is a series of heartfelt stories inspired by the people who make every stay memorable, from dedicated team members to cherished guests across Amari, OZO, Shama, Oriental Residence, as well as our spa and dining brands.

Through personal memories, meaningful connections, and moments of genuine care, the series celebrates the warmth and spirit of hospitality that have brought people together for six decades. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories from the Heartmade series.