Romesh Koul, a Post Graduate Diploma in Hotel Management from Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, started his career as a Management Trainee with Jaypee Group at their hotels in New Delhi and left in 1984 to join Hotel Corporation of India at their unit at Srinagar. He started his career as a Management Trainee with Jaypee Group at their hotels in New Delhi and left in I 984 to join Hotel Corporation of India at their unit at Srinagar. He joined Hotel Banjara Hyderabad in 1986 as Assistant Front Office Manager.
After 6 years of operational experience with various hotels, Romesh joined In Hotels Management Services Private Limited, a specialised consultancy organisation promoted by Mr. A. N. Haskar, Chairman Emeritus, ITC. Subsequently, he joined Tourism Finance Corporation of India (TFCI) in 1990 and was responsible for appraising more than 200 hotel projects. Romesh left TFCI in 1996 to set up his own company “Naaz Hotel Consultants Pvt. Ltd.” to provide specialised tourism related consultancy and need based services to new entrants in the hospitality industry. Today, Naaz advises various operational, project and financial matters to individual hotel promoters /groups.

Sahil Khan is currently the Senior Director of Design and Technical Services for Radisson Hotel Group in South Asia and has two decades of experience in Design Management and Project coordination of Luxury to Upper Mid-Scale Hotels. His key responsibilities include rolling out of eight Hotel brands in the subcontinent and Indian Ocean. He is responsible for the oversight of all design and construction related activities for new build projects and major capex projects within the region and is actively handling a portfolio of more than sixty-five hotels in different stages of design and construction. Previously, Sahil has worked with world class hospitality chains such as The Oberoi Group of Hotels, Emaar India. In his last assignment with The Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, he was actively involved in development of Luxury Hotels in Africa, GCC, Far East, Indian Ocean and Indian Subcontinent and was directly responsible to the Group Executive Chairman, Mr. P.R.S. Oberoi. Sahil has been part of various hotels which have been consistently ranked as No. 1 in Asia and India by Leading Travel Magazines and Journals. Sahil is an ailurophile, Aviation aficionado and loves researching on Aviation in his free time.

Anil Sharma graduated from IIT Roorkee in the year 1982 and started his career with Bharadwaj & Associates in the year 1982 and worked with them till 1984. Thereafter, he joined Kabil Associates, a USA-based firm, and worked with them until 1989. He worked with them on various prestigious projects, namely USIS Calcutta, US Chancery Burma, US Consulate and Consular Residence in Lahore. In addition, he also worked in the US office of Kabil Associates for 6 months. In the year 1989, he started his own practise of architecture by the name of ASA (Anil Sharma Associates). His first project in Pune was later branded as the Holiday Inn Pune. It was also awarded "The Best New Hotel of the Year in the Asia Pacific Region" by Holiday Inn worldwide. Since then, ASA has been involved in various reputed hotel projects all over India and has designed projects in Nepal, Bangladesh and Kazakhstan as well.

Mr. Kunal Chaudhari is a ‘2nd Generation Consulting Engineer’, and Director at renowned MEP Consulting Firm ‘Udayan Chaudhari & Associates Pvt. Ltd.’ A Mechanical & Automation Engineer by qualification, Kunal has successfully delivered several prestigious projects in India and Abroad, and has begun his journey as a guest lecturer in renowned Architectural & Engineering Institutions as well. At ASHRAE and various Industry platforms he has been part of panel discussions, and acted as a moderator too. He is also the Past Treasurer of ASHRAE India Chapter. Kunal is a published author with two titles to his credit. Sustainable designs coupled with pro-active use of state-of-the-art technology have been the cornerstone of his career as a Consulting Engineer. He has work extensively with MNCs and Renowned Global Brands over the last 13 years. The industry knows him as someone with an ‘eye for detail’, and having an appetite for concluding complex MEP design assignments. Data Centers, Labs, Retail & Commercial Buildings, Universities, Hospitals, Embassies, and Hotels roundup his repertoire of successfully commissioned assignments. As a second generation entrepreneur, he is working toward creating an Engineering Organization with a Global Outreach.

Ishaan Koul holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Hospitality and Restaurant Management from IIMT (Institute for Management and Technology) Gurgaon affiliated with Oxford Brookes University, UK in 2009. Ishaan underwent industrial training at Four Seasons Sydney in 2007 and started his professional carrier as Management Trainee at Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon. In order to gain international experience Ishaan worked at Holiday Inn Orchard City Centre Singapore between 2011 & 2012 and joined Naaz Hotel Consultants Pvt. Ltd., in 2013. With the background of hotel operations, revenue management & marketing Ishaan was heading the feasibility division of Naaz Hotel Consultants Private Limited. Mr. Ishaan Koul joined Radisson Hotels Group as a part of the development team in 2019 and spent a year in the organisation before joining Naaz again in 2020. The current focus of Mr. Ishaan in addition to heading the feasibility division is to assist, advise and help in finalising the management & other agreements with various International & domestic hotel chains for independent owners diversifying into hospitality industry. Mr. Ishaan is a sports lover and has interest in acting.

Juhi Roy joined Marriott International in April 2012 in the Development Team. Before joining Marriott, she worked with the Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in the Development Team for four years and prior to that with Hindustan Times Media Ltd. and Ernst & Young. Juhi started her career with the Oberoi New Delhi and been a part of the hospitality industry for the last 26 years.

Neel Kamal Chauhan is an Associate Member of FCSI, Food Service Consultants Society International. He is a recognized name in the field of kitchen consulting and is known for his innovative ideas in Designing Show & Interactive Kitchens. He is an expert in Food service Planning for Hotels, Resorts, Healthcare Food Service, Mass Production Kitchens, and Corporate Catering Facilities. He is the man behind HPTS, under whose leadership HPTS, Hospitality Planning and Technical Services has been able to expand globally and is currently involved in projects in various parts of India and 13 other countries viz. Dubai, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand, Tajikistan, Kenya, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Ghana, with offices in New Delhi, Dubai & Riyadh.

Davashish Srivastava is Senior Director Development, South Asia at Radisson Hotel Group. He is based at the group’s South Asia head office in Gurgaon.
Davashish has played a key role in establishing Radisson Hotel Group as one of the largest and fastest-growing international hotel brands in South Asia. In his current role, Davashish heads RHG’s Growth Vertical in South Asia, where over last 6 years he has contributed towards addition of more than 70 hotels to company’s existing and pipeline portfolio in addition to management of relationships with Master Franchisers, JV Partners and Strategic Investors.
Davashish also holds a rich development consulting experience and has worked on more than 250 hotel feasibilities, valuations, and strategic tie-up assignments during his hotel consulting tenure and some of his areas of expertise include Market entry strategies, M&As, Portfolio valuations, Brand revamps and Market growth strategies.
With more than 15 years of hotel development experience, Davashish has held senior positions with prominent multinational companies such as Whitbread International (Premier Inn) and Horwath Consultants.

Mr. Anoop Bali, Whole Time Director & CFO of Tourism Finance Corporation of India Limited, is a distinguished corporate leader having over three decades of experience in finance, financial services & investment banking. Mr. Bali is MBA (Gold Medallist) with specialisation certification in Infrastructure Financing from IIM-Ahmedabad. He has rich experience of over three decades in the areas of corporate finance, hospitality project financing, structured lending, special situation financing, credit management, stressed asset management, merchant banking, risk management, accounts & finance, treasury & resource management, corporate/project advisory, etc. Mr. Bali is known for his deep insight in hospitality sector and is focussed on funding the hotel credit gap in India. An avid traveller and dog lover, he is passionate for development of large scale pet friendly hotels/resorts and senior citizen serviced apartments in the country.

A trailblazer in Indian hospitality. An experienced hotelier with 45 years of work in India, Africa, Australia, France & UK. Ajay has contributed to the phenomenal growth story of Sarovar since its early inception, beginning from a shared office table to over 100 hotels today. Ajay was Director Rooms at Australia’s largest hotel, now the 878 room Hyatt Regency, Sydney. He was a GM with Oberoi Hotels at 31 years of age. An MBA alumni of IMHI (Cornell – ESSEC, France), Ajay is a graduate of the Oberoi School, and a Bachelor of Science. He leads with entrepreneurial zeal. He has been awarded ‘Hall of Fame’, ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ and ‘CEO of the Year’ in India.

Mr. Amit Ghosal is an Architect-Planner with over 40 years of wide and varied Professional Experience and has considerable experience in Planning, Design and Execution of Urban-scale projects of national eminence. His strengths are to conceive and visualize large-scale projects in the Urban and Regional context while integrating the nuances of planning and design with economically viable and appropriate infra-structure services for up-gradation of the urban environment, promotion of livelihood and tourism . His areas of interest and specialization are of “Energy Efficient Buildings”, responsive to local climate, renewable energy applications in Architectural Design and Planning principles incorporating waste-recycling, rain-water harvesting, aquifer-recharge, economics in the lay-out of services, landscaping and other applications towards “Sustainable-Development”.

Apart from his professional duties as an Architect-Planner, he has balanced his work with teaching responsibilities as visiting faculty member to:

1. “The School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi,
2. “The School of Planning”, Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad,
3. ” T.V.B. School of Habitat Studies, New Delhi”,
4. “Faculty of Environment and Climate Change” at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, while conducting courses on Sustainability, Settlement Planning, and Energy-Conscious Architecture. He has also been a guide to several students for their Thesis and Dissertations.

Amit, has been an Advisor and Senior Consultant to the “Delhi Urban Art Commission” (D.U.A.C.) since 2013-14 and in 2016, has been inducted as Adjunct Professor at the “Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee”; to share his professional experience and guide under-graduate, post graduate and PhD students at the Department of Architecture and Planning.

Amit Nagpal, Regional VP - Development at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, has played a key role in enhancing Hyatt’s distribution in India and South West Asia region for more than 13 years. He has a holistic experience of over 25 years in the hospitality industry that includes business development, hotel operations and consulting. Prior to joining Hyatt, Amit has worked at IHG in Development, as senior consultant at HVS New York and also served as general manager of select service hotels in the east coast of United States. Amit graduated from IHM Mumbai and obtained Masters in Hospitality Management from University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Ar.Khozema Chitalwala, a luminary in the hospitality design realm, boasts a distinguished career spanning over three decades, marked by his pivotal role in diverse global projects. A graduate of Rachna Sansad, he founded Designers Group in 1988 with a vision to establish it as an internationally acclaimed design firm. Despite initial challenges, Khozema's dedication to interior design projects paved the way for the firm's ascent, with a significant breakthrough coming with the Taj Hotels and Resort, IHCL project. His design philosophy centers on contextual and sensitive design, prioritizing simplicity, resulting in a holistic client experience. Khozema has actively contributed to the architectural community as a sought-after speaker and the host of "Kupshup with Khozema." Under his leadership, Designers Group has received prestigious awards, including 'Luxury Hotel Designer' at IHE Excellence Awards 2022. The recent completion of the Fairfield by Marriott in Mumbai exemplifies Khozema's ability to flawlessly blend architectural prowess with creative innovation, solidifying Designers Group's reputation with renowned national and international hotel brands

Kiran Andicot holds the position of Regional Vice President, Hotel Development with Marriott International based in New Delhi, India. Mr. Andicot joined Marriott International in January 2006 in their development planning and feasibility department. Before joining Marriott, he worked with the real estate and hospitality consulting division of Ernst & Young in Dubai and prior to that with HVS International in New Delhi. Prior to HVS, he spent over seven years working in hotel operations with the Taj and Oberoi group at various locations in India. Mr. Andicot is an alumnus of the Oberoi School of Hotel Management (now OCLD), Delhi.

Mr. Kunal Chaudhari is a ‘2nd Generation Consulting Engineer’, and Director at renowned MEP Consulting Firm ‘Udayan Chaudhari & Associates Pvt. Ltd.’ A Mechanical & Automation Engineer by qualification, Kunal has successfully delivered several prestigious projects in India and Abroad, and has begun his journey as a guest lecturer in renowned Architectural & Engineering Institutions as well. At ASHRAE and various Industry platforms he has been part of panel discussions, and moderating sessions. He is also the Past Treasurer of ASHRAE India Chapter. Kunal is a published author with two titles to his credit. Sustainable designs coupled with pro-active use of state-of-the-art technology have been the cornerstone of his career as a Consulting Engineer. He has work extensively with MNCs and Renowned Global Brands over the last 15 years. The industry knows him as someone with an ‘eye for detail’, and having an appetite for concluding complex MEP design assignments. Data Centers, Labs, Retail & Commercial Buildings, Universities, Hospitals, Embassies, and Hotels roundup his repertoire of successfully commissioned assignments. As a second-generation entrepreneur, he is working toward creating an Engineering Organization with a Global Outreach.

He was the Deputy Managing Director of Lemon Tree Hotels Ltd and Co-Promotor & Director of Carnation Hotels till April 2022 . A role that he performed for over a decade. Earlier he worked for ~31 years with the Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, he was last President, Trident Hotels (EIH Group) from 2008-2012. An OSHM post graduate batch of 1981-83, he held various senior positions with The Oberoi Group in India and abroad(ME and Sri Lanka).
Rattan is graduate in Finance from Punjab University. His key specialisation is Hotel operations, with additional expertise in design, branding, marketing, pr and communications as well as human resource. Rattan is also an active trainer and mentor to senior executives across industries. He recently authored a book called “Check In Never Check out” which has been received well by industry leaders both in hospitality and FMCGs.
He has been an independent advisor/consultant since the middle of 2022.

Sahil Khan is currently the Senior Director of Design and Technical Services for Radisson Hotel Group in South Asia and has two decades of experience in Design Management and Project coordination of Luxury to Upper Mid-Scale Hotels.
His key responsibilities include rolling out of eight Hotel brands in the subcontinent and Indian Ocean. He is responsible for the oversight of all design and construction related activities for new build projects and major capex projects within the region and is actively handling a portfolio of more than sixty-five hotels in different stages of design and construction.
Previously, Sahil has worked with world class hospitality chains such as The Oberoi Group of Hotels, Emaar India.
In his last assignment with The Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, he was actively involved in development of Luxury Hotels in Africa, GCC, Far East, Indian Ocean and Indian Subcontinent and was directly responsible to the Group Executive Chairman, Mr. P.R.S. Oberoi.
Sahil has been part of various hotels which have been consistently ranked as No. 1 in Asia and India by Leading Travel Magazines and Journals.
Sahil is an ailurophile, Aviation aficionado and loves researching on Aviation in his free time.

Mr. Sunil Khemani is the founder and Principal Consultant of Aufait International Engineering Studio which is multi-disciplinary MEP Design and Consulting Firm based out of New Delhi, India. The company has been involved in more than 200 projects including Hotel, Hospitals, retail, Residential, Commercial and Industrial projects. Mr. Sunil Khemani started his professional journey in 1983 and subsequent worked with a US based specialist company in building an undersea shelter for the first family of a country in Middle East. Mr. Khemani is a member of several professional societies including ISHRAE,ASHRAE, ISLE, IPA etc.

Chris Singer is well known as an architect in the hotel design industry. He has over 30 years’ experience working globally with a wide range of brands, delivering characterful boutique resort hotels as well as sleek high rise city hotels. Chris runs his design studio from Singapore with three partners, from where he can support clients across the whole of Asia, the Middle East and beyond with their hotel development plans. A lover of travel, food and all forms of design, he relishes each new project as an opportunity for mutual discovery and partnership with local teams.

Jacob Purackal is Senior Director, Development – India and leads Hilton’s development across India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. He has been with Hilton since May 2012. At Hilton, Jacob has been instrumental in growing Hilton’s portfolio of award-winning brands across India, Nepal and Bangladesh and has been responsible for some of the landmark hotel openings for Hilton in the region.
Prior to that, Jacob was Regional Vice President, Hotel Development -South Asia at Silver Needle Hospitality prior to which he headed the India office of Molinaro Koger a leading hospitality focused brokerage & capital markets firm. Jacob’s expertise spans across hotel development, hotel M&A, capital markets and has in the past advised leading hotel groups & ownerships on transactions and capital raise.
Jacob holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a MBA from the Ivy School of Business at Iowa State University, USA where he was the recipient of the PACE Award, a graduate fellowship awarded to less than 1% of all graduate students. He also holds a real estate finance certification from Cornell University’s SC Johnson School of Business.

A veteran with an experience of almost 30 years, Prasanjit is considered on of India’s leading F&B concept designer and operator. Having worked with marquee brands like Hilton San Francisco, Taj Hotels and the Hyatt Regency Delhi, he has spent the last 8 years being the driving force behind some of iconic concepts like SETZ, OTW, Anidra, Cha Shi, Café E, District 6 to name a few and has been involved with numerous consulting assignments with almost all the leading hotel chains in the country. MBA, Hospitality Management, Johnson & Wales University (USA) & Bachelors in Hotel Management from the Welcomgroup School Manipal.
Notable mention from a host of recognitions & awards: "Prasanjit Singh is one of India's best restaurateurs, having opened many restaurants in his career, including two of my favourites, China Kitchen (when he was F&B manager of Delhi's Hyatt Regency) and Setz (which was called Zest when he opened it at DLF Emporio)* Vir Sanghvi, HT Brunch, 27/09/20

Shrawan Kumar Acharya is a Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Prior to JNU, he was a Professor at the CEPT University, Ahmedabad. He acquired his professional degree in Urban and Regional Planning from CEPT University, Ahmadabad, additional specialization in Urban Management from the School of Public Policy, University of Birmingham and PhD from the Centre for the Study of Regional Development, JNU. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Town Planners, India. He was a UKNA Fellow at the International Institute for Asian Studies, Leiden; Fulbright Fellow at the Ball State University, Muncie; ASIA Fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing and Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences, Hanoi and SHASTRI Fellow at McGill University, Montreal. One of his academic and professional research interest is understanding the urban and regional planning challenges and development issues in the eastern Himalayan region of Sikkim and Darjeeling.

Shruti Mehra is an experienced and highly skilled design professional bringing 20 years of Hospitality design expertise in the field of Design and Construction. An architect by qualification, she is seasoned technical services project leader with a deep understanding of creating curated design experience across various Brand and Guest segments.
In her current role, she is responsible for leading the Design and Engineering team for IHG in South West Asia, and is focused on delivery of design excellence and best in class hotels that meet Brand Standards whilst focusing on appropriate operating models and return on investment for owners. She is currently also leading IHG’s growing luxury pipeline in the region and has been instrumental in launching new Brands in the market during her time with IHG.

Suraj is currently leading the Architecture Design & Construction (AD&C) vertical for Eurasia region at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (WH&R). In his current role he is supporting hotels pipeline growth across new builds, conversions, and renovations. An architect by qualification, Suraj has 2 decades of technical services advisory experience with major international hotel brands. Suraj is an expert in the 'Business of Hospitality' by Driving Hotel Business Metrices through Design & Engineering. He has strong understanding that hotel’s planning, design and technical engineering impacts Guest Experience, Operating Profits, and Employee Satisfaction. Throughout his career, Suraj has developed good relationship with consultants and suppliers to ensuring that the hotel projects stay cutting edge of best construction and design practices.

An accomplished hospitality professional with 18 + years of extensive experience in Design Management, Interior Designing and Hotel openings under various IHCL brands.
She is specialized in delivering complicated & challenging conversion projects. She has been instrumental in implementing and executing many strategic hotels for IHCL. Her expertise includes driving the project as per schedule and ensuring the timely delivery of projects.
Some of the key work done by her includes preparation of IHCL design standards for various brands and standardization of TS processes. She has worked on diverse range of projects from luxury hotels, resorts, palaces, safaris, serviced apartments and city hotels including various National & International award-winning and iconic hotels. Her design language always has special emphasis on energy efficiency, sustainability along with functionality & aesthetics.

Vikram Singh, a seasoned hospitality professional with over two decades of diverse experience in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, currently serves as the pre-opening and operative General Manager at Aloft Kathmandu Thamel for Marriott International in Nepal. Leading with distinction in design and innovation, Vikram's dynamic approach underscores his commitment to excellence, contributing significantly to the ongoing success of Aloft Kathmandu Thamel.