New roles for the industry’s movers and shakers
Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru
Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru has appointed Ramasamy Natarajan as director of sales. In his new role, he will head the sales department encompassing corporate sales, MICE and travel trade business. With more than 11 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he has worked with various five-star hotels. In his last assignment, he was part of the pre-opening team and led the sales team at Fairmont Jaipur.
Marriott Hotels, Kochi
Karan Rahan has been appointed as market director of revenue for both Kochi Marriott Hotel and Courtyard by Marriott Kochi Airport. He joins with over four years of experience in the hotel industry, where he began and continues his career with the Marriott International. In his last assignment he served as the cluster revenue manager for Marriott International Bengaluru. As the director of revenue, he will be responsible for directing the pricing and rate strategy of both the Marriott hotels in Kochi. He was a part of four pre-opening Marriott hotels in India in key locations.
The Claridges Hotels & Resorts
The Claridges Hotels & Resorts has appointed Anuj Bidani as director of sales and marketing for The Claridges, New Delhi and The Nabha Residence, Mussoorie. Bidani will be responsible for leading and further improving all aspects of the sales, formulating strategies, analysing sales performance and leading the sales team. Prior to joining The Claridges, New Delhi, he was responsible for creating new markets for premier five-star properties; the most recent being Swissotel Kolkata, a part of Fairmont Raffles Hotels International.
Ranbanka Palace, Jodhpur
Ranbanka Palace Jodhpur has appointed Prakash Topa as general manager-sales and marketing. He comes with an experience of over 20 years in the travel and hospitality industry. Armed with a Bachelor‘s degree from Delhi University and Diploma in Housekeeping from National Council of Vocational Training, he was serving as the general manager at NIDRA Hotel by C & C Alpha Group in Vadodara.
JW Marriott Chandigarh
JW Marriott Chandigarh has announced the appointment of pastry chef Shashi Bhuwan Gopal. In this position, he will be responsible for the bakery confectionary and pastry operations at the hotel. He will also play a vital role in promoting the Chandigarh Baking Company. He has served the industry in various capacities throughout his tenure at various hotels in India and abroad namely Novotel Hotel Hyderabad, Restaurant Rama Roma, Landshut Germany, Renaissance Mumbai, Le Royal Meridian Mumbai, JW Marriott Mumbai and Le Royal Meridian Mumbai.
RoomsTonite
RoomsTonite has appointed Mohit Srivastava to lead its revenue and partnerships team. He joins the company as chief of revenue and partnerships with immediate effect. He will help in identifying new avenues for growth and also strengthen the existing revenue opportunities. He will also lead the partnership activities complementing the growth of RoomsTonite.
Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort
AccorHotels has appointed Jayakrishnan Sudhakaran as director of sales and marketing for Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort. In this role, he will be responsible for leading and further improving all aspects of the sales and marketing communications, promoting brand strategies and providing the best of Grand Mercure hospitality experience to the guests. After graduating with a degree in Hotel Management from the Institute of Professional Sciences and Management, followed by a Post Graduate Degree from School of Communication and Management Studies, Cochin, he started his career with the Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces and then went on to hold various positions in prominent chains across India.
Crowne Plaza, Bengaluru
Crowne Plaza, Bengaluru has announced the transfer of Padma Prasad as talent development manager. He has supported and contributed to Crowne Plaza Kochi in quality and training needs since August 2012 and will continue providing quality and training needs for the Bengaluru property. A seasoned hotelier, Prasad has over two decades of experience in the industry and has worked for international hospitality groups such as Taj Hotels, Radisson Blu, A&W Fast foods (Doha) and Professor (HOD) in SL College of HM & CS.
CHEF Thomas Joseph has been appointed as executive chef of the brand. Chef Joseph brings with him over 18 years of culinary experience in the industry. In his role he will be responsible for overseeing all of the hotel’s dining venues, catering and culinary events, managing the kitchen staff and all food service operations, planning of the menu and ordering supplies etc.
Hyderabad Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre and Courtyard by Marriott Hyderabad
Lizanne Pinto has been appointed as director human resources of the Hyderabad Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre and Courtyard by Marriott Hyderabad. In her present role, she will be responsible for people strategy, talent management, reward and corporate social responsibility. She started her career with the Marriott in 2005 and has worked in several capacities across various cities. Before moving to Hyderabad, Pinto was instrumental in setting up a formidable team to launch the Kochi Marriott Hotel.
Chef Yogender Pal has been appointed as executive chef of the Hyderabad Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre and Courtyard by Marriott Hyderabad. He has nearly two decades of culinary experience and has worked with leading Indian and international luxury hospitality brands. He has helmed several pre-opening teams, has been instrumental for commissioning kitchens and is known to create innovative dining experiences.
Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru
Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru has appointed CHEF Daniel Benner to the position of executive pastry chef. With his international and extensive pastry experience in luxury hotels, Chef Benner will advance the pastry team to their highest level. He will oversee the pastry creations for the hotel’s food and beverage outlets, including b Cafe, an all-day dining restaurant; b cafe pastry; Caprese, a Mediterranean restaurant; Ssaffron, an authentic Indian restaurant; Shang Palace, Shangri-La’s signature Chinese restaurant; Yataii, a Japanese restaurant; Lobby Lounge; and Hype bar, along with all of the hotel’s banqueting functions. Prior to joining Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru, he managed the pastry teams at two Shangri-La resorts in the Philippines, namely, Mactan, Cebu and Boracay.
Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai
Vikram Reddy, a Four Seasons veteran, has taken over as general manager of the Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai. At the start of his career, Reddy worked for three small California hotel companies as financial controller in short order, following which he joined Four Seasons in Bali as director of finance in 1993. He spent four years at the group’s iconic Jimbaran Bay, Bali property before transferring to the Four Seasons Singapore as area director of finance in 1997.
The Indian Hotels Company has appointed Farhat Jamal as senior vice president – operations, where he will be responsible for hotel operations in western India and Africa. Jamal is returning to the Taj family from Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts in New Delhiwhere he was overseeing their India operations, and has previously looked after Shangri-La Hotels in Sri Lanka and Maldives as area manager.
Hyatt Pune Kalyani Nagar
Hyatt Pune Kalyani Nagar has appointed Sohaib Kidwai as director of sales and marketing. In the new role, he will be responsible for sales, events, marketing, revenue management and digital marketing. His core responsibilities will include maximising hotel revenues through result oriented sales and marketing strategies and exploring business opportunities through events. He has previously worked with JW Marriott Mumbai, Renaissance Mumbai and Grand Hyatt Mumbai.