People on the move

New roles for the industry’s movers and shakers

Vivanta by Taj, MG Road

Ravi Pillai has been appointed as general manager of Vivanta by Taj, MG Road, Bengaluru. He has previously worked as head of operations in Ginger Hotels. Pillai comes with 34 years of experience in the hospitality industry and brings with him a wealth of operation and management experience. Previously, he has worked as general manager at Princeton Hotel, Dubai; Taj Deccan, Hyderabad; Hotel D ‘I Annapurna, Kathmandu; Vivanta by Taj – Gomti Nagar, Lucknow; Vivanta by Taj – Blue Diamond, Pune; and Taj Pamodzi, Lusaka, Zambia. Pillai will replace Vinod Valson, who has moved to Vivanta by Taj, Yeshwantpur as the general manager.

Alila Diwa Goa

Siddharth Manjeshwar has been appointed as food and beverage manager of Alila Diwa Goa. Manjeshwar brings with him around 10 years of experience with leading hotels in India and internationally. In his current role, he will supervise the hotel’s culinary offerings as well as direct and oversee the hotel’s initiatives across all its food and beverage outlets. Prior to joining Alila Diwa Goa, he was the food and beverage manager at Club Mediteranee in Japan.

Hilton Garden Inn Trivandrum

Vishal Gupta has been appointed as general manager of Hilton Garden Inn Trivandrum. Gupta has 14 years of experience in the lodging industry having worked primarily with Marriott International in India, the United States and the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Most recently he was director of national sales – Delhi NCR, overlooking travel trade, MICE and corporate segments for Marriott International in India.

Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon Baani Square

Manish Garg has been appointed as general manager of Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon Baani Square. Garg will report to Daniel Welk, vice president, operations – India, Hilton Worldwide. Most recently, he was general manager for Hilton Garden Inn Trivandrum. He has over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry and has held several positions in food and beverage as well as conference and events with Four Seasons and Marriott Hotels & Resorts in India, Australia and England.

Le Meridien, Pune

Fino Babu has been appointed as food and beverage manager of Le Meridien, Pune. Babu comes with 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry which includes over six years of experience with Starwood Hotels and Resorts. His previous work profile saw him fulfill the roles of a food and beverage manager at Hampshire Group of Hotels and as assistant food and beverage manager at Le Meridien, Kochi.

Grand Mercure Bangalore

Chef Sridhar Sigatapu has been appointed as executive chef of Grand Mercure Bangalore. Prior to joining Grand Mercure Bangalore, Chef Sridhar was working with Marriott International in Chennai for over a year. With over 10 years of experience, Chef Sridhar’s area of expertise is modern European cuisine. Armed with a diploma from the Indo-American Hotel Management Academy at Visakhapatnam, he has also completed 12 subjects under the Global Academic Plan (GAP) of the Educational Institute of American Hotel & Motel Association, USA.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

Charlie Dang has been appointed as regional vice president of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide for Southeast Asia. Dang will play a key role in leading the growth in Southeast Asia as the company continues to rapidly expand in this region. As regional vice president, Dang will be responsible for developing and implementing strategic plans for the company’s growth and development across countries in Southeast Asia which includes Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Prior to this appointment, Dang served as vice president of operations for Greater China.

Hyatt Regency Chennai

Aully Banerjee has recently been appointed as public relations manager of Hyatt Regency Chennai. She comes with three years of work experience in public relations, marketing communications and corporate communications. At Hyatt Regency Chennai, she will be responsible for heading the public relations, branding and marketing communications activities. Having worked with The Lalit Hotels & Resorts and The Imperia New Delhi, her core strength lies in communications, media relations, marketing communications and branding.

People on the move

New roles for the industry's movers and shakers