“And one day she discovered that she was fierce, and strong, and full of fire, and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears”, Mark Anthony. Yes, Indian hospitality industry is no more a male bastion. There are all around growth of women who are dominating hotels industry and sailing through easily with outstanding performance. On International Women’s Day today, Mumbai Messenger Newspaper salutes these leading ladies of Indian hospitality industry who have made their mark by reaching on top against all odds.
Mehrnavaz Avari: General Manager St. James’ Court London
Mehrnavaz Avari, General Manager St. James’ Court London
Mehernavaz Avari is known as a tough task master, is working as a Area Director – UK at Indian Hotel Company Limited (IHCL) and General Manager St. James’ Court, A Taj Hotel, London and Taj 51 Buckingham Gate, Suites and Residences. She has been elevated to this coveted post very recently. Prior to her recent appointment she was working as Deputy General Manager at flagship The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai.
Mehernavaz joined the Taj group as a Management Trainee in 2002 and has grown from strength to strength and learnt nuances of Tajness. She has been associated with the Taj Group of Palaces, Hotels, Resorts and Safaris for over a decade. She has worked through the ranks—from Food and Beverage to Front Office. She has completed a degree in hospitality from Cornell University and has also completed her BSc, from Institute of Hotel Management. She has a remarkable command on five languages that includes English, French, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi.
Her aim is to be a well-rounded hospitality professional and excel in operations through a fast-track experience in both Food and Beverage and Accommodations as well as through academic excellence. As a General Manager of Umaid Bhawan Palace, the hotel achieved exponential growth under her leadership. She has negotiated her way through several bottlenecks to position the palace hotel right on top of several ‘Best hotels in the world’ listings. She has learnt how to deal with conflict management, crisis management and revenue management, lessons that have stood her in good stead as one of the youngest general managers to take over the hustings of Umaid Bhavan Palace Hotel.
Anjali Mehra: V P Marketing, The Leela Palaces, hotels & Resorts
Anjali Mehra: V P Marketing, The Leela Palaces, hotels & Resorts
Anjali Mehra is a well-respected hospitality marketing stalwart, working as Vice President Marketing at The Leela Palaces, hotels and Resorts. Before joining The Leela group she worked at Marriott International as Senior Director Communications Middle East and Africa. In her current role, she provides strategic counsel to the company’s senior executive leadership team. She is responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive and integrated Marketing and Communication roadmap.
Anjali Mehra is a versatile personality, who has worn several hats prior to joining the hospitality industry. She is a passionate storyteller and a brand evangelist. She has worked as educator and held key leadership positions in India’s leading airlines.
Anjali has rich and varied experience in hospitality Brand Marketing and Communications. She worked as RD Communications – Africa and Indian Ocean, Director Marcom South Asia with Starwood Worldwide, Director Marcom at The Westin Mumbai Garden City, Director of Marcom at Shillim by Hilton, P R Manager at Taj Lands End, Marcom Manager Goa Marriott, Marcom Manager at Hotel La Paz Gardens Goa, Centre Manager at Little Footprints Play School, Station Manager at NEPC Airlines and Duty Manager at Damania Airways.
Anjali is a Postgraduate in English Literature from Delhi University, a PG Diploma holder in Journalism & Mass Communication and a Business Management Degree holder. She studied from prestigious institutes like Army Public School, Lady Shriram College, Hindu College Delhi University, Institute of Management Studies and IGNOU. She has been an Executive Board Member of Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) and a jury member for the MEPRA Awards. She enjoys travelling and exploring new cultures, is an avid reader, loves writing and trend watching and calls herself an experimental Instagrammer.
Indrani Dasgupta: General Manager Taj President Mumbai
Indrani Dasgupta: General Manager Taj President Mumbai
Indrani Gupta is the General Manager at hotel, President, Mumbai IHCL-SeleQtions. She has previously been the Director of rooms with the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. She is an experienced hospitality executive with over 28 years’ industry exposure across luxury and upper upscale hotels. An alumnus of INSEAD, Singapore Indrani has pursued her post graduation in hotel management from institute of Hotel Management Kolkata.
Indrani is known for the passion she brings to the business- inspiring the core team. During her stint at IHCL, Indrani is credited with being responsible for overall operational aspects and guiding the hotel to optimize revenues, profitability & thus growth. An individual with a deep sense of commitment to integrity, humanness – she believes in providing the highest level of comfort and hospitality to all guests, which is the best in class, and maximizes organizational profitability through effective utilization of all resources.
Accepting challenges and encouraging a culture of innovation has helped in enhancing stakeholder value and driving financial success by capturing market share with guest and team satisfaction, operational excellence & quality.
Sana Naseem: Executive Assistant Manager InterContinental Marine Drive Mumbai
Sana Naseem, EAM InterContinental Hotel Marine Drive
Young and dynamic Sana Naseem is working as Executive Assistant Manager (EAM) at InterContinental Hotel, Marine Drive, Mumbai. She is the first female Hotel Manager at InterContinental Marine Drive. She is an outstanding hospitality professional with several years of illustrious industry exposure. Prior to her elevation as EAM, she held the role as the Director of Sales & Marketing at the same hotel.
Sana, graduated with Merit from Delhi University in Political Science and Government in 2003 – 2005. With a leadership experience of 5 years and a total sales experience of 13 years in luxury hotels, her objective is to add value to the brand and create a niche for herself in the evolving market.
Sana Naseem is one of the few women in leadership roles within the hospitality industry and is an inspiration to hoteliers. She embodies the qualities that are required for a leader in this highly competitive service industry. Her hard work, dedication, passion and commitment have landed the well deserved position.
Sana has proficiently been part of hotel settings. Her commanding diminutive presence, coupled with a zest for challenges, is testimony to the plethora of experience she has in the field of hospitality. A strong sales professional with remarkable leadership skills; she understands her audience like few others can.
Sana has immeasurable experience working with leading global brands. She worked with a host of brands like Hyatt International, The Claridges Hotels & Resorts and The Imperial among others. These brands have given Sana a broad understanding of the market and in depth insight into the industry.
Pranjali Dhotre: General Manager Ibis Hotel Pune Viman Nagar
Pranjali Dhotre General Manager Ibis Hotel Pune Viman Nagar
Pranjali Dhotre is working as the General Manager of Ibis Pune Viman Nagar. Her appointment is a testament to ibis’ belief in women’s leadership. She is responsible for the operational success, lead hotels hiring, finance, budgets, and overall management of the property.
Pranjali is a dynamic hotelier and has completed her master’s degree from University of Wales. She has been a part of the Accor family for over a decade now. She brings with her more than 13 years of overall hospitality experience. In her shining career growth, she has successfully handled multiple assignments across Accor network and navigated the hotel through the pandemic while leading from the front.
Pranjali Dhotre, GM of Ibis Pune Viman Nagar says, “As I venture on to expand my responsibilities, I thank the Accor management for believing in my potential and giving me this opportunity. I look forward to contributing to ibis’s incredible journey and working with the leadership to deliver upon brand ethos.”
Meena Bhatnagar: General Manager Taj Wellington Mews
Meena Bhatnagar, General Manager Taj Wellington
Meena Bhatnagar is seasoned hotelier and has worked for the hospitality industry for over three decades. Prior to elevation as General Manager of Taj Wellington Mews, she held the position of Executive Housekeeper at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.
A Commerce graduate, Meena holds a Diploma in Hotel Management from Delhi University and a Bachelor of Education from Annamalai University. Meena has over thirty years of experience in hospitality and joined the Company in 2004 as an Executive Housekeeper at Rambagh Palace, Jaipur.
Sita Lekshmi: General Managers of ibis Kochi City Centre
Sita Lekshmi, General Managers of ibis Kochi City Centre
A seasoned hotelier Sita Lekshmi in her capacity as a GM, she is responsible for the operational success, lead hotels hiring, finance, budgets, and overall management of the property. A hardcore hotelier with a demonstrated history of versatile work experiences in the industry. Skilled in Food & Beverage, Front office, Sales & Marketing, Revenue analysis, Hotel Management, Business communication, employee engagement and above all creating positive customer experiences. Pre-opening sales and marketing activities and opening of hotels has also been her strength since 2014.
Sita is a Post graduate diploma holder focused in Hospitality Administration/Management from India’s prestigious, The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development (OCLD). She has completed her hospitality graduation from Institute of Hotel management & catering Technology from 2002 – 2005 and has also completed her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Pondicherry University.
She joined Accor in April 2014 as Sales Manager for Novotel & ibis Chennai Sipcot and eventually handled the role of Associate Director of Sales for same hotels. She joined the pre-opening team of Novotel Chennai Chamiers Road as Director of Sales in January 2018 and was instrumental in the successful opening and positioning of the hotel in the market. Sita comes with a strong operational experience in her initial career journey before moving to Sales. She was part of the India Executive Leadership Program (IELP) in 2017 and as part of her career progression moved to ibis Chennai City Centre as Rooms Division Manager in June 2019.
Prior to joining the Accor group, she was working for Oberoi hotels and resorts for 7 years. At Oberoi’s, she has worked in various capacities in prominent departments that include Front Office, Guest Relations and Food & Beverage. To enhance her skills and to climb ladder of success she joined Accor hotels and never looked back thereafter.
Editor in Chief : Mewati SItaram
