By Mewati Sitaram
Puneet Dhawan, India’s known name in hospitality leadership has been appointed as Head of Asia at Minor Hotels from July 2024. He will be responsible for the performance of all Minor Hotels properties in Asia and will report to Minor Hotels CEO Dillip Rajakarier and will be working in close collaboration with the Minor Hotels senior leadership team. He will be based in the group’s Bangkok Corporate Office when he joins Minor Hotels.
Puneet, an Alumni of World’s leading institutes like César Ritz Colleges Switzerland and University of Massachusetts Amherst is a professional with a career. Working in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, he brings with him three decades of hospitality and a wealth of experience to his new role.
In his previous role, he worked as Senior Vice President of Operations – India and South Asia at Accor. He led the group’s business development, owner management, hotel operations and commercial team, driving Accor’s growth in the region.
Puneet, in his 25-year tenure at Accor he oversaw the opening of the first Raffles hotel in India. His tenure he served as the group’s Vice President of Operations, Middle East, and several General Manager roles.
Puneet, an Alumni of World’s leading institute like César Ritz Colleges Switzerland and University of Massachusetts Amherst. He began his hospitality journey with the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, where he held positions at its properties in the Philippines and Hong Kong.
Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor Hotels and Group CEO of Minor International, commented, “We are excited to welcome Puneet to the Minor Hotels family. His operational experience and empowering leadership will be invaluable as we work to achieve our growth ambitions in Asia and India in the coming years.”
Minor Hotels in January unveiled its target to add more than 200 new openings to its global portfolio. Among these hotels, approximately half would be located in Asia, by the end of 2026. More recently, the hotel group announced its plan to open 50 new openings in India within the next ten years, including the debut of its luxury Anantara brand later this year in Jaipur.
Editor in Chief : Mewati SItaram
