Ajay K. Bakaya is a seasoned hotelier and a visionary leader who has been instrumental in shaping the growth and success of Sarovar Hotels. A trailblazer in the mid-market hospitality segment, Ajay has driven the brand’s vision from its humble beginnings—starting from a shared office table—to its current stature of nearly 135 hotels in 85 destinations across India, Nepal, and Africa. An alumnus of Cornell-ESSEC, France, and a graduate of the Oberoi School of Learning and Development, Ajay brings a wealth of knowledge and international experience. His career spans assignments in India, Australia, Africa, France, and Scotland, enriching his perspective on global hospitality standards. Beyond his professional achievements, Ajay is an avid cyclist, having completed the grueling 1,000 km Tour of Nilgiris. His dedication to fitness has instilled in him values of patience, positivity, and discipline, which are reflected in his leadership style. Ajay's work mantra, “Sincerity and hard work will always give results,” continues to inspire his team and peers. Ajay's contributions to the industry have been widely recognized. He was named “Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Association of India (FHRAI), and Hotelier India has honored him as the “CEO of the Year” and “Hall of Fame” awards.

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.

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.

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.

The Founding Partner, of HPTS Consulting Neel Kamal Chauhan is an Associate Member of FCSI, Food Service Consultants Society International. A Master of Tourism Administration with specialization in Hotel Operations Management and Master of Commerce. With over 12 years of hotel operation and 15 years of Facility Planning Experience under his belt, Neel made himself a renowned name in kitchen consulting. Neel has extensively worked in various countries in Asia, Middle East & Africa. Presently, HPTS Consulting is working in 19 countries for various developers and International Hotel Brands. Neel is an expert in Designing Show and Interactive Kitchens. He is a specialist in Designing Standard Kitchen Models. He is also an expert in hospitality planning aspects, corporate cafeterias, Healthcare Kitchens and Food service Planning.

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.

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 Kazakhstan as well.

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 focused 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jacob Purackal – Senior Director Development, South Asia joined Hilton in May 2012 and currently leads development for South Asia. In his tenure at Hilton Jacob has been responsible for originating and closing several landmark deals and growing Hilton's portfolio of brands in India. He has been instrumental in establishing relationships for Hilton with several key investment & development groups of India. Recently he was responsible for negotiating and closing the Strategic License Agreement for the “Spark by Hilton” which should lead to the development of 150 hotels. Prior to Hilton, Jacob led Molinaro Koger in India and was responsible for advisory, capital raise and transactions focused around the lodging sector. He was earlier with the capital markets division of Cushman & Wakefield in India focused on transactions across real estate asset classes, prior to which he handled business development for the wester Europe region for Geometric Software focused around Engineering Services & PLM. Jacob holds a Baccalaureate degree in Architecture and a MBA in Marketing & Finance from Iowa State University, Iowa, USA.

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.

Alex Shrestha represents a new generation of architects and urban planners creating a positive impact across the Asian landscape. As the principal architect at Wonaw & Associates with a strong conviction to achieving design excellence within the local context, he confidently confronts and challenges design principles, materials and technology limitations to produce beautiful, functional and sustainable architecture. Alex's creations have earned national and international distinctions in being among the top 4 resorts in Asia at the prestigious 2016 Asia Hotel Design Awards (Singapore) and a winner of 40 Under 40 (Hongkong). He has also been recently awarded its Hallmark, Architectural Excellence Award 2021 by the Society of Nepalese Architects for the Pavilions Himalayas Eco Resort, to recognize the excellence and quality achieved in a built architectural project.

Mr. Pushpendra Bansal, a hospitality stalwart is a civil engineer by profession, who expanded his family business in construction at an age of 20 after completing his education. In 1990 he diversified into hospitality and set up two hotels – one in Surat and the other in Mumbai. Later, he moved to the USA in 2003 and it was there that he acquired hotels, motels, and resorts of reputed brands. He had a passion to give back to his homeland and ventured into the midsegment hotel business in India. In 2007 Lords Hotels and Resorts was formed. He is an accomplished hotelier, operating 46 hotels in three counties and 15 more in various stages of completion. His dream is to be the largest mid-segment market Hotel chain operator.

Mr. Rajeev Janveja started his culinary journey with the Taj Group of Hotels after completing his studies from IHM Lucknow in 1985. During his career with TAJ, Rajeev re-launched many quality restaurants like the Iconic Machan and Ricks at The Taj Mahal Hotel and ARENA, at the Taj Deccan and Masala Bay at Taj Land’s End. Chef Janveja’s current assignment as the Senior Vice President & Corporate Chef of Lemon Tree Hotels, is directly responsible for F&B (Production) and F&B (Service) across all 100 hotels in different brands of the company, the latest one is creating F&B concepts for lemon Tree’s top most brand Aurika Skycity, India’s largest hotel at Mumbai. Rajeev has been a part of various high profile food promotions across the world has also travelled with Late Prime Minister Sh. Atal Bihari Bajpai with his team as his personal Chef. He was recently been crowned with the prestigious GOLDEN HAT AWARD by Indian Culinary Forum 2021 and is recipient of the ‘TATA Award for Business Excellence’. Rajeev is also a passionate marathon runner and has done pacing for many

Mr. Cyrus Madan, is the Senior Vice President, Business Development at Atmosphere Hotels & Resorts. Cyrus started his professional journey with the Taj group of hotels as a management trainee in 1995. He holds a bachelor of hotel management degree from Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration. Pursuant to his stint with Taj, Mr. Madan worked for Lemon Tree Hotels and was instrumental in setting-up the company's Asset Light Model and it's expansion in India and internationally. Cyrus Madan joined Atmosphere Hotels and Resorts in 2021, as Senior Vice President – Business Development for India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal. With close to 30 years of hospitality experience, Madan brings a wealth of domain expertise in working with brands, acquisitions (both land and hotels), hotel pre-openings and operationalising hotels.

Chef Gautam Mehrishi has become a household name with his endeavors on television, and now has introduced a new Indian cuisine series, to revolutionize culinary world of television with Food ka Mood, where he introduces viewers to inspirational, exciting Indian food. Though he comes from a vegetarian family, he even cooked and ate non-vegetarian food. It was his grandfather who supported his passion and urged him to cook professionally. With over 18 years of experience in the industry he has worked with several big names in the business and has new show will bring professional and innovative global cooking techniques to the home kitchen for the first time demonstrating a variety of scientific cooking methods that enhance the cooking experience as well as the flavor of food, whilst preserving its nutritive value. Some of the unusual techniques that will be featured are the use of the soda siphon, the novel sous vide method of cooking in vacuum, native American Delta-T cooking and pit style steaming. The show 'Kitchen Magic' is a landmark show in the premium food entertainment space and a demonstrative show to provide food lovers with technical skills that promises to make the home cooking experience healthier and more scrumptious. Chef Gautam goes on long excursions on his bike; in particular he enjoys exploring the Himalayas

Nikhil Sharma is the Managing Director and Senior Area Vice President of South Asia at Radisson Hotel Group. Nikhil is responsible for leading the Group's operations in the dynamic South Asia region, which has over 180 hotels in operation and development. With a career spanning over two decades, Nikhil brings a wealth of experience and will play a pivotal role in strengthening the Group's leadership in the Indian market, nurturing relationships with its valued partners, driving revenue growth, ensuring operational excellence, and leading the Group's vision of being an employer of choice for dynamic talent in the hospitality ecosystem. Prior to joining Radisson Hotel Group, he held the position of Market Managing Director for Eurasia at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, overseeing various aspects of the business. He was the Chief Operating Officer at Ginger Hotels, part of one of India's largest conglomerates, IHCL. He was also a founding member of the Lemon Tree Hotel Company, building India's fastest-growing upscale hotel brand. He is an active contributor to the hospitality sector in India, serving on committees for various federations, associations, and industry bodies that drive transformative decisions within the industry. Nikhil holds a degree in Catering and Nutrition from the Institute of Hotel Management Pusa Delhi and has completed several study programs on Operations Modelling and Managing Strategic Growth & Leadership in Emerging Markets with reputed institutions such as the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, and Cornell University, New York. His industry accolades include 'Excellence in Leadership' Award at Hospitality Horizon, Top 50 Hotel Awards 2023, Award of Honor by HRANI for his contribution to promoting tourism and hospitality in India, and Hotelier of the Year among others.

Chef Rakesh Sethi is a prestigious National award-winning celebrity chef of India. He is one of the first chefs on Indian television. Currently he is Corporate Executive Chef for Radisson Hotel Group, South Asia. Chef Sethi has been a Cookery Show Host for many popular cooking shows which contributed to him being, one of India’s top celebrity chefs whose culinary skills have made him a household name across the Indian subcontinent and abroad. Chef Rakesh Sethi has had a rare distinction of working for erstwhile Hon’ble President of India, Shri. R Venkatraman as a Senior Cook for a short period on deputation in Presidents Estate. He has also cooked for two more Hon’ble Presidents of India Shri Kovind ji and Smt. Murumuru ji, apart from some other prominent personalities, politicians, bureaucrats, and players of Indian cricket team. Chef Rakesh Sethi, known for hosting popular TV cooking shows, including "Mirch Masala" and "Tea-Time with Chef Rakesh Sethi & Namkeen Nation, has garnered significant recognition. Awards include "Golden Chef Hat 2015" and "Best Chef of the Year 2015" by Secretary India Tourism, "Meri Dilli Award" in 2014, and "Celebrity of the Year 2018" by Food Food awards. He was named "Corporate Chef of the Year" in 2020 by IHE and "Corporate Chef of the Year (NCR)" by FHRAI in 2022. His achievements culminated with the "National Tourism Award" for "Best Chef of India" in 2022 at Vigyan Bhawan.

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.

Sohrab is co-founder and now Design Partner at DPA, Sohrab Dalal has presided over the evolution of DPA since it was established in 1985, building an award-winning practice with a significant body of work in India, the sub-continent, and beyond. Leveraging on over 35 years of industry experience, Sohrab spearheads the business development and design direction of DPA. Together with his Partner Sonali Bhagwati, he is dedicated to investigating and developing new design paradigms and research-driven innovation. Prior to founding DPA, Sohrab was the Design Director at Spazzio Design, a company he established with Sonali Bhagwati. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from CEPT, Ahmedabad, where he graduated in 1984. Thereafter he worked with Meldrum Burrows & Partners in Sydney and then with the renowned Architect – Sculptor Satish Gujral, before setting out on his own. Combining a unique mix of local Heritage along with International design experience, Sohrab has led the way for completing prestigious Residential, Hospitality, Retail and Mixed-use developments. Their project the Taj Vivanta in Bangalore was judged as the 'building of the year' by the Singapore Institute of Architects in 2010 and the 'Learning Laboratory' at Thapar University Patiala was chosen as the PLAN Magazine 'Building of the Year' project from over 1400 International entries.

Upaul heads the Tourism Practice in Dolma Consulting UK, for Nepal and for the neighbouring countries in South Asia. He has deep expertise in the hospitality, tourism and service quality industry. A service industry and hospitality professional with specialization in turning around service businesses by working on quality standards, service competencies, low revenues and increasing profitability and customer experience of service businesses. Besides long career stints with the hotel industry in middle and senior management positions, Mr. Upaul has extensive consulting and working experience with South Asian teams in sectors like Aviation, Financial Services, IT, Hospitality, Infrastructure, Healthcare, Retail, Aviation and Tourism companies. Have a total experience of over thirty years starting with Oberoi Hotels and later with Oberoi Flight Services for the initial 7 professional years and then with the Jet Air Group for 2 years and consulting in service quality with Upgrade Management Services for 16 years. Mr. Upaul was also the CEO of The Annapurna Hotel Group in Kathmandu, and then joined the global hotel giant IHG as General Manager of the Crowne Plaza Soaltee – Kathmandu. In his long career stint of over 32 years he has worked on assignment with Hotel companies, Airline and Travel businesses and in Service Quality consulting in the region. Besides working with the private sector, Upaul is closely aligned with the Nepal Tourism Board and is currently the Advisor for the Tourism and Civil Aviation Committee of the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the largest trade body of Nepal.

Vandana Saxena heads a dynamic Architecture and Hotel Interior Design practice based out of Gurgaon, India; established in 2012. Vandana has a keen eye for detail, a logical mind and strong design aesthetic. She believes in weaving together the local context, a larger functional need and a modern aesthetic to help create a unique and timeless narrative for a project. She; along with a talented set of designers; has been involved in the design of multiple new build hotels as well as brand conversions. She recently worked on the biggest simultaneous brand conversion in India, aportfolio of 10 Holiday Inn Express Pan India, which was also completed in are cord time of less than a year. She has also been involved in creating the unique meeting space venue (EQ:IQ) for Hyatt Regency Pune, the Renaissance by Marriott at Ahmedabad besides many other projects. The practice has enjoyed the exclusive patronage of many owners through sustained good work over the years. Vandana received her Architecture Degree from the prestigious School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi. She is also a LEED accredited professional (from the US- Green Building Council) and has obtained a higher degree in Real Estate Finance at New York University (NYU-USA). She has been in professional practice since 2004 and has worked extensively both in the US and in India.

Pravin Mukhia graduated in Architecture from School of Architecture, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Born in Darjeeling he received his early education in St. Joseph’s School. He has provided Architectural services to the Tourism & Ecclesiastical Dept., Govt. of Sikkim, restoring & rebuilding Buddhist Monasteries including Pemayangste, Tholung, Kathok, Mambru, Nage & Bermiok. He was enlisted by the N.F. Railways & UNESCO for the restoration of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (Toy Train) Directors residence, the Eleysia Building, at Kurseong and the Railway Stations associated with it. He further provided Architectural services for the upgradation of Gauhati, Rangia, New Bogaigaon & Siliguri Junction stations. He has designed the Sterling Resorts & Fortune Central, at Darjeeling & Fortune Pinetree at Kalimpong in British Colonial design. At Gangtok, he designed the Denzong ITC Welcomheritage in Sikkimese style. The Taj AMA at Makaibari Tea plantation, Kurseong is a part of his work among other Tea Resorts. The Lords Anutara at Boudha, Kathmandu is the latest creation imbibing Nepali & Tibetan elements.