BWH IHA 2022 Event Booklet

Durbar Ballroom,
Taj Palace, New Delhi
Oct 31 & Nov 1, 2022

presents

6

& SUMMIT 2022





CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE

CELEBRATING THE BEST IN INDIAN
HOSPITALITY: A STORY OF RESILIENCE

Noted American actress, talk show host and author
Drew Barrymore once said: Life is very interesting…
in the end, some of your greatest pains become your
greatest strengths.

So it happened when the hospitality industry,
much like the entire world, experienced the
pandemic wave for over two years with pain and
sorrow all around. While some gave in to the
pressure, the ones with determination took it as a
learning curve and converted it into their strength.
And this helped them navigate through the
challenging times.

The hospitality industry was one among the few to
get back on track no sooner had the second wave
started losing steam. Not that it was there had been
no action during the period of the pandemic in the
sector – there had been loads with most hotel staff
ensuring to go all out to serve the guests with an
effervescent smile and never-seen-before
enthusiasm. All this despite dipping profits in the
coffers. This indeed was A Story of Resilience. The
reason why we, at BW HOTELIER, chose it as the
theme for the 6th edition of BW HOTELIER INDIAN
HOSPITALITY AWARDS & SUMMIT 2022.

BW HOTELIER, for the last six years, has been
working towards recognising the high performance
champions of the hospitality space in the country.
The BW HOTELIER INDIAN HOSPITALITY AWARDS has
been a platform of recognition where juries from
across the country meet and decide on who the
deserving winners are. It will be good cheer for the
resilient leaders of the Indian hospitality industry and
usher in a new era of good luck.

Dr. ANNURAG BATRA

Chairman & Editor-in-Chief
BW Businessworld and
Founder, exchange4media

CEO’S NOTE

IN HONOUR OF THE UNWAVERING
SPIRIT

Seldom has an industry seen ups and downs like
hospitality. Not only does it have to anticipate
consumers’, or ‘guests’ as they are referred to in this
sector, needs and go above and beyond but it also
has to do it all with a smile. Sunshine or rain, spring
or hail, or the unprecedented global pandemic –
nothing could change the nature of this industry and
its people.

Rarely has an industry proven its mettle as
hospitality has.

If I had to define the story of this sector in a few
words, I would say it’s A Story of Resilience.

BW HOTELIER has come a long way, now in its
ninth year, organising the sixth edition of the Indian
Hospitality Summit and Awards, IHA as we call it. Not
just a force to reckon with, IHA has occupied the
pole position for years and stands for its code of
conduct, built around ethics, integrity and
transparency, led by perhaps the finest jury this
fraternity and industry can afford. This is the second
IHA, where Mr KB Kachru, Chairman Emeritus and
Principal Advisor, South Asia at Radisson Hotel
Group, has chaired the jury.

When we set out with IHA’s first edition, we had
hardly thought that one day, we would be honouring
people who would don many hats during the past
two years, including becoming frontline workers and
converting their top-class hotels into containment
and quarantine centres.

We, as the industry, braved through it all and we
are here, surviving, not just surviving but thriving, on
the winning end. This is the time we must celebrate
the warriors and the resilient. We must also cherish
the memories of friends and colleagues who we lost
during one of humanity’s most challenging times.

It is with this spirit that we are celebrating the
IHA-2022, and it will be just the celebration we need.

Thank you for your support and for egging us on to
lift the bar higher every time.

BHUVANESH KHANNA

CEO
BW Communities,
BW Businessworld

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EVENT AGENDA: DAY-1, MONDAY, OCT 31, 2022

10:00 AM REGISTRATION 10:40 AM INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS:
10:30 AM LIGHTING OF CEREMONIAL LAMP
10:35 AM WELCOME ADDRESS:

Bhuvanesh Khanna Dr. Annurag Batra

CEO, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief
BW Communities, BW Businessworld &
BW Businessworld Founder, exchange4media

10:45 AM CHIEF GUEST ADDRESS:

Shri Shripad Yesso Naik

Honorable Minister of State for Tourism and Ports,
Shipping and Waterways, Government of India

10:55 AM GUEST OF HONOUR ADDRESS:

Shri Arvind Singh, IAS

Secretary, Ministry of Tourism,
Government of India

11:10 AM BWH SPECIAL DUAL

Zubin Saxena KB Kachru

MD and VP Operations, Chairman Emeritus &
South Asia, Principal Advisor –
Radisson Hotel Group South Asia

Radisson Hotel Group



EVENT AGENDA: DAY-1, MONDAY, OCT 31, 2022

11:40 AM BWH SPECIAL DUAL

Suhel Seth Puneet Chhatwal

Managing Partner, MD & CEO,
Counselage India Pvt Ltd The Indian Hotels

Company Ltd
(IHCL - TAJ)

12:10 PM TEA BREAK
12:30 PM PRESENTING PARTNER ADDRESS:

Kanwal Jeet Jawa

CMD,
Daikin Air-Conditioning India Pvt Ltd

12:45 PM LEADERSHIP SESSION
Vision 2027: Will The Next 5 Years Finally Make Up For The Last 15 Years?

Mandeep Ranju Alex Anuraag Zubin Saxena Sudeep Jain Rohit Khosla
S Lamba Bhatnagar
Area VP, South Asia, MD & VP Operations, MD Southwest Asia, Executive VP –
President Marriott International COO, The Leela South Asia, Radisson InterContinental Operations North
(South Asia), Palaces Hotels Hotel Group Hotels Group and West India,
HVS Anarock and Resorts IHCL
(MODERATOR)

1:30 PM LUNCH BREAK

2:20 PM PREFERRED AIRLINE PARTNER PRESENTATION



EVENT AGENDA: DAY-1, MONDAY, OCT 31, 2022

2:30 PM OWNER’S SESSION
Hotel Ownership – Rapid Evolution Of Expectations And Opportunities

Sanjay Sethi Ranjit Batra Vibhas Prasad Vineet Verma Nitin Kapur

CEO & MD, President – Director, Director, Managing Director,
Chalet Hotels Ltd Hospitality, Leisure Hotels Brigade Hospitality Radisson Blu Plaza
(MODERATOR) Panchshil Realty Group Delhi Airport

3:15 PM CELEBRITY CHEF’S SESSION
Impact of inventive, modern Indian Cuisine on the global landscape for Indian fare

Diwan Gautam Kunal Kapur Vineet Bhatia

Anand Celebrity Chef Celebrity Chef

Founding Trustee,
Cuisine India Foundation
(MODERATOR)

4:00 PM F&B SESSION
Whatever Happened To Incredible Indian Cuisine As An International Cross Over

Diwan Gautam Manisha Parvinder Rakesh Sethi Arun Sundararaj
Anand Bhasin Singh Bali
Corporate Executive Director of Culinary
Founding Trustee, Corporate Chef, Corporate Chef - Chef, Operations, Operations at Taj Mahal,
Cuisine India ITC Limited - Learning & South Asia, New Delhi
Foundation Hotels Division Development, Radisson Hotel Group
(MODERATOR) The Oberoi Centre Development
of Learning

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EVENT AGENDA: DAY-1, MONDAY, OCT 31, 2022

4:45 PM STATE TOURISM PRESENTATION – MP TOURISM

Shri Vivek Shotriya, IAS

Additional Managing Director- Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board,
Government of Madhya Pradesh

4:55 PM IT & TECH SESSION
Digital Transformation In Hospitality: Role Of Automation And AI/ML

Vinay Hemant Chander Suhail Vivek Kamesh
Deshpande Khattar Baljee Kannampilly Gangishetty Shukla

Sr. VP and Head Director IT, South Asia, Chairman & MD CEO, VP Sales & Exec VP
of Digital & IT, IHCL Radisson Hotels Royal Orchid & Concept Marketing Commercial-
(MODERATOR) Group Regenta Hotels Hospitality South Asia, APAC & MEA,
RMS Cloud RateGain

5:45 PM TEA BREAK

6:00 PM PROJECTS, ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN SESSION
Impact Of Innovation On Hotel Design

Michael Wang Vandana Reema Diwan Rashna Kapadi Abhishek Mathur
Dhawan Saxena
Senior Continent Director Design & AVP - Architecture, Director,
Leader, Global Design Founder and Design Technical Services, Chalet Hotels Studio hba
Asia-Pacific, Marriott Principal, Studio IV Accor
(Designs)
International Hotels
(LEAD PANELLIST)

6:45PM DAY 1 CLOSING REMARKS

Bhuvanesh Khanna

CEO, BW Communities,
BW Businessworld

7:00 PM INDIAN HOSPITALITY LEADERSHIP COCKTAILS & DINNER (By invite)



EVENT AGENDA: DAY-2, TUESDAY, NOV 1, 2022

10:00 AM REGISTRATION
10:30 AM LIGHTING OF CEREMONIAL LAMP
10:35 AM Welcome Address:

Bhuvanesh Khanna

CEO,
BW Communities,
BW Businessworld

10:45 AM INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS:

Dr. Annurag Batra

Chairman & Editor-in-Chief
BW Businessworld &
Founder, exchange4media

10:55 AM KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

Rajeev Menon

President,
Asia Pacific excluding Greater China (APEC), Marriott International

11:10 AM BWH SPECIAL DUAL
The Centurion – A Sarovar Of Experience

Vijay Thacker Ajay K. Bakaya

Partner & CEO Crowe Advisory Managing Director,
India, MD, Horwath HTL India Sarovar Hotels
and Resorts

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EVENT AGENDA: DAY-2, TUESDAY, NOV 1, 2022

11:35 AM LEADERSHIP SESSION
Paradigms for Tomorrow

Rattan Keswani Seema Roy Samir MC Puneet Dhawan Jatin Khanna

Former Dy. MD, Area MD, South Asia, MD, Sr. VP, Operations– CEO,
Lemon Tree Hotels Middle East & Africa, Fortune Park Hotels India & South Asia, Sarovar Hotels &
(MODERATOR) Preferred Hotels & Accor Resorts
Resorts

12:20 PM BWH SPECIAL DUAL
HAI Perspectives

Rajiv Kaul M.P. Bezbaruah

Former President, Secretary General,
Leela Hotels Hotel Association of India

12:45 PM TEA BREAK

1:00 PM LEADERSHIP SESSION
Growth Lessons From The Pandemic

Rahul Pandit Aman Nath Vijay Dewan Nikhil Sharma Vikramjit Singh

CEO, Founder & Chairman, MD, Regional Director- President,
Horizon Industrial Neemrana Hotels Apeejay Surrendra Eurasia, Wyndham Lemon Tree Hotels Ltd
Parks Park Hotels Hotels & Resorts
(MODERATOR)

1:45 PM LUNCH



EVENT AGENDA: DAY-2, TUESDAY, NOV 1, 2022

2:35 PM WOMEN IN HOSPITALITY SESSION
Women Powering Hospitality

Anshu Sarin Ritika Gupta Anjali Mehra Sonica Malhotra Mridula Jose

CEO, VP Markets North & Chief Brand Officer Joint MD, VP Marketing,
Berggruen Hotels West and Head, And Senior VP Marketing, MBD Group CGH Earth
Pvt Ltd Customer Centricity The Leela Palaces,
(MODERATOR) & Customer Relationship Hotels And Resorts
Management, IHCL

3:20 PM FUTURE PERFECT SESSION
In A Challenged World, India Is The Rising Star Of Opportunities

Monisha Dewan Vishvapreet Gaurav Singh Javed Ali Amaan Kidwai
Singh Cheema
Senior Area Director, Market VP, Southeast Sr. Regional Director Area Manager
Sales & Distribution, Director of Operations India, Bangladesh Operations - Welcomhotels North &
South Asia, - South West Asia, & Sri Lanka, South Asia, General Manager,
Marriott International InterContinental Marriott International Radisson Hotel Sheraton New Delhi,
(MODERATOR) Hotels Group Group ITC Limited - Hotels Division

4:05 PM DEVELOPMENT & INVESTMENT SESSION
Growth & Development: Is The Sector Ready For Its Next Flight?

Jaideep Dang Dhruva Rathore Nishant Kumar Rajneesh Gyana Das Souvagya
Malhotra Mohapatra
MD - Hotels & VP Development - Director VP – Vice President
Hospitality Group, India & Development, COO, Corporate Strategy, MD- India, Sri Lanka,
JLL South West Asia, South West Asia, Chalet Hotels Ltd SAMHI Nepal & Bhutan,
(MODERATOR) Hyatt IHG Atmosphere Hotels
& Resorts

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EVENT AGENDA: DAY-2, TUESDAY, NOV 1, 2022

4:50 PM VETERANS’ VIEW
How To Tread The Road Ahead

Veer Vijay Singh Farhat Jamal Rajiv Kaul Yateendra Sinh

CEO & MD, Chairman - Travel, Former President, Principal,
Trance Hotels Tourism & Hospitality Leela Hotels YS & Associates,
Committee, Sàrl, Switzerland
(MODERATOR) IMC Chamber of
Commerce & Industry

5:35 PM HE & HR SESSION
People & Talent: Challenge Or Opportunity When You Look Down Next 10 Years

Dilip Puri Sangeetha Kamal Kant Sanjay Bose Zubin Natwar Nagar

Founder & CEO, Gandhi Pant Executive VP - HR Songadwala Founder & CEO,
Indian School of The People Network
Hospitality VP, Oberoi Centre Principal & Secretary, and L&D, ITC Ltd, Area Manager South & The Job Plus
(MODERATOR) of Learning and IHM Pusa, New Delhi Hotels Division & GM, ITC Grand
Development Chola, Chennai

6:20 PM PROCURETECH SESSION
Procurement, Engineering & Housekeeping

Dr. Nitin Nagrale Indira Paul Rothin Banerjee Ouseph Francis Sudhir Gupta

Founder HPMF, CEO, Corporate Executive Area Director of VP Procurement, Head – Procurement,
QualityNZ India and Oberoi Hotels & ITC Ltd – Hotels Division
Emerging Markets Housekeeper Engineering - Resorts
(MODERATOR)
South Asia, Delhi/NCR, Punjab,

Radisson Hotel Group Himachal Pradesh

and J&K, IHCL



EVENT AGENDA: DAY-2, TUESDAY, NOV 1, 2022

7:05 PM DAY 2 CLOSING REMARKS

Bhuvanesh Khanna

CEO, BW Communities,
BW Businessworld

GALA AWARD NIGHT

7:30 PM WELCOME ADDRESS

Bhuvanesh Khanna

CEO, BW Communities,
BW Businessworld

7:35 PM INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS

Dr. Annurag Batra

Chairman & Editor-in-Chief
BW Businessworld &
Founder, exchange4media

7:40 PM CHIEF GUEST ADDRESS

Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena

Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Delhi

8:00 PM AWARDS DISTRIBUTION
9:30 PM COCKTAILS & DINNER



OUR KNOWLEDGE PARTNER

We’re delighted to collaborate with BW HOTELIER as
their knowledge partner for the 6th edition of the Indian
Hospitality Summit & Awards. ISH is one of India’s finest
institutions for hospitality management and culinary arts
and offer programmes in alliance with the world’s
leading brands for higher education in Hospitality and
Culinary arts — Les Roches and École Ducasse.

This year, we have brought some of the best practices
in data analytics to assist BW HOTELIER with their
nominations for the IHA 2022 and help them select the
most deserving candidate in each category to present
to the regional and national juries. Through multiple
rubrics and rigorous evaluation systems, we’ve created
the eligibility criteria for each award. As India’s premier
school for hospitality studies, we emphasise the need to
analyse and visualise data before developing strategies,
improving business and allowing brands to make
predictions for the future. This way, data analytics helps
the hospitality industry keep up with ever-evolving
trends and digital technology to better understand
changing consumer behaviour.

Our expertise in data collection allows us to partner
with top media groups like BW HOTELIER and assist
them with the analysis of such large amounts of data.
Together, we hope to nurture the next generation of
hospitality leaders by helping them understand the
pulse of the market and deliver memorable experiences
to each guest.

It is indeed a privilege to be a part of the Indian
Hospitality Summit & Awards. It offers an incredible
platform to recognise those who strive to elevate our
country’s position as a destination for experiential
travel. It allows us to show our students that through
passion, perseverance and hard work, they can achieve
anything. Through an exceptional education, we, at ISH,
continue to contribute to the industry in new, innovative
ways and pave the way for the future of hospitality!

DILIP PURI

Founder & CEO,
Indian School of Hospitality



MESSAGE

BW HOTELIER has outdone itself by reiterating its stand
in solidarity with the hospitality industry. It acquired a
pole position in organising the Indian Hospitality
Summit and Awards despite the lockdown and related
problems in 2020. It was kind of a pioneering step in the
right direction.

We all in the industry were really amazed that during
this difficult period, Bhuvanesh Khanna and his team
were able to organise such a great line-up of people
who mattered in the industry. I was happy to see
prominent hoteliers actively participating in IHA’s
agenda.

It is my privilege to have been deeply involved this
time with BW HOTELIER’s team and understand the
huge tasks involved. Having also been associated with
other organisations and watching how difficult is it to
come to a consensus in a transparent and scientific
manner, It is great to see here at IHA, that major
emphasis was laid on structuring, transparency, integrity
and getting specific in each vertical and ensuring that
right people are recognised.

All different segments of the hospitality industry have
been represented in the summit. I am sure, it will serve
as wonderful platform for exchange of highly innovative
ideas.

tThe awards were planned to be multifaceted and in
all the verticals. We were lucky to have distinguished
hoteliers, who stood their ground, argued their point of
views and ultimately arrived at the right decisions.
As far as the composition of the jury is concerned, most
of us have been colleagues for a long time and there
were some new faces. The jury had a very good mix of
professionals and successful entrepreneurs. The jury
members have had the experience of managing luxury,
upmarket and mid segment hotels. The regional and
National jury pledged to recognise the future leaders,
who are already reimagining and how to expedite the
resurgence of our industry.

We had serious debates about shortlisted candidates
as put up by ISH. (I must compliment Dilip Puri and his
students for a fantastic job) in each vertical. A great
platform established by BW HOTELIER, having
structured it right, it was reasonably measurable, and all
ensured that it’s not subjective.

I must compliment the BW Hotelier Team for the hard
work they have put in. The industry will benefit from this
summit and awards, especially the knowledge sessions
about reimagining which have been organised so well.
I wish to congratulate BW HOTELIER once again for
organising IHA 2022 and particularly commend
Bhuvanesh and his team to have put up such a great
show.

KB KACHRU

CHAIRMAN, EMERITUS &
PRINCIPAL ADVISOR – SOUTH ASIA,
RADISSON HOTEL GROUP



MESSAGE

‘A Story of Resilience’ is the theme of the 6th BW
HOTELIER INDIAN HOSPITALITY AWARDS & SUMMIT
2022. However, I believe it is also symbolic of the BW
HOTELIER leadership and team, and what they have
managed to achieve year on year.

Known for their meticulous, transparent, and
dedicated approach to bringing the industry leaders
and stalwarts together to recognise and reward talent in
the industry across segments and regions, the past two
editions have perhaps been the most challenging to
execute.

Despite the hurdles and sentiments of the past two
years, they have managed to sustain the spirit by
keeping the industry engaged through the knowledge
sharing and interactions, even virtually and remotely.
These incessant efforts have led to the Awards and
Summit returning in a new ‘phygital’ avatar.

I would like to take this opportunity to also express
my gratitude to all my senior industry colleagues, in the
Northern Jury comprising Mr Hemant Mediratta, Mr
Samir Kuckreja, Chef Manjit Gill, Mr Naveen Jain, Mr
Sanjay Sharma, Mr Sunil Gupta and Mr Rifaquat Ali Khan
Mirza, who have not only excelled in their respective
fields/ functions but have also collaborated so
beautifully to ensure that the process continued to
remain objective and unbiased.

I would also like to compliment Mr Bhuvanesh Khanna
and his team as also Mr Dilip Puri and his team at Indian
School of Hospitality (ISH) and not to miss all the jurors
for putting this huge show together so as to ensure that
we continue to recognise and reward the stars in the
industry and more so in these new and unpredictable
times.

BW HOTELIER continues to set the bar high for
industry thought, trends, knowledge and quality and I
wish BW HOTELIER, ISH, all the jurors and particularly all
the nominees the best for the Summit and Awards.

SURESH KUMAR

Mentor, ROSAKUE Hospitality
Founder, KUE Management Services



MESSAGE

It has been a pleasure and honour to be associated with
BW HOTELIER Indian Hospitality Summit & Awards. The
jury process of the 6th edition has been truly exciting
and I have enjoyed the journey to spot the young,
promising and bright stars of the hospitality industry
along with the very distinguished bunch of jury
members in the Western region as well at the National
level.

At the outset, it was heartening to see the
encouraging response that BW HOTELIER received by
the sheer number of potential candidates aspiring for
the awards. This also made the job of the initial scrutiny
by Dilip Puri and ISH team that much more complex,
demanding and challenging. Having said that they rose
to the occasion brilliantly.

The key objectives that we had spelt out with the jury
in the West was to be fair, objective, authentic and
honest in our evaluation process and follow the laid out
guidelines. Our deliberations were healthy, intense,
frank and also fun. Every jury member got a fair
opportunity to voice their opinions and point of views to
eventually recommend our collective evaluation on the
chosen few to the National level. And what a
rollercoaster this has been! Much gratitude, love and
appreciation to the West Jury industry stalwarts – Chef
Hemant Oberoi, Antoine Lewis, Rakhee Lalvani, Timmy
Kandhari, Jehangir Aibara and Kunal Vijayakar and
National Sub Jury champions – Yateendra Sinh, Deepa
Harris to have spared their valuable time, burning the
midnight oil to meet our deadlines for submissions.

I sincerely thank each aspirant who threw his or her
hat in the ring and for their active participation to fulfill
the entire criterion and application process. I know it is
not easy because it demands skills, ability, time and
sincere commitment. Trust me, each one had a little
winner in their story and I have taken away much
learning and wisdom from these experiences.

Hope is the cornerstone of all achievements and
recognitions. For all those who may not be on the
podium this time around don’t give up but commit
yourselves for doing your best at all times. It is the spirit
of participation and self confidence that’s most
important in life.

Lastly, heartiest congratulations, much gratitude and
huge appreciation for Bhuvanesh Khanna and BW
HOTELIER team for their enormous dedication and
efforts to showcase Indian hospitality’s best talent and
provide a very credible platform over two days for
leaders to deliberate the challenges and opportunities
faced by the industry. BW HOTELIER IHA 2022 has also
given me immense faith in India’s talent in hospitality
which looks very encouraging and promising.

FARHAT JAMAL

Chairman - Travel,
Tourism & Hospitality Committee,
IMC Chamber of Commerce & Industry



MESSAGE

I would like to express my appreciation to the entire BW
HOTELIER team and the leadership provided by
Bhuvanesh in organising the 6th edition of BW HOTELIER
Indian Hospitality Summit & Awards, IHA-2022, slated
from October 31 to November 1, 2022.

Though the awards are happening after a gap of two
years, I am sure these will play an extremely important
role to help in boosting the morale in the entire industry.
The comparison with the previous years has been
challenging and the benefits is most seen by the resorts
vis-à-vis the city hotels and one saw a good pick up by
the domestic travellers, as now popularly called
‘Revenge Tourism’. However, the questions and criteria
paid emphasis on individual contribution towards
fighting the challenges faced during the Covid19,
supporting CSR activities and yet increasing revenues
by finding innovative ideas for generation of alternate
avenues for revenues.

I was fortunate to be heading the Southern Jury of a
very experienced team of hoteliers such as PK
Mohankumar, who has been a passionate hotelier with
the Taj Group of Hotels where he headed the Gateway
Hotels and the Ginger Hotelsl Dhanji Khavarana and
Anand Rao have had a chequered career with ITC
Hotels; Chef Srinivas Chalapathi Rao, a MasterChef and
Restaurateur having a successful venture in Hyderabad
called Simply South; Andrew Saldanha from Nexysy
Consulting Group; Biswajit Chakravorty, MD, South India
Hotelivate and last but not the least, Chef Vijay
Bhaskaran who has been with the Taj and other hotel
chains and is now Gen Secretary for the Chefs Guild of
India.

The process was meticulously executed by BW
HOTELIER and Indian School of Hospitality. Kudos to
Bhuvanesh Khanna and Dilip Puri. During the process of
assessment, there were healthy debates and
deliberations on how to make the process fool-proof
and select the best as the winner. I must reiterate that
the process was entirely transparent and the team was
to select a worthy winner and in some cases, the scores
were neck-to-neck.

During this period, we found that the number of
participants has reduced. It should be our endeavour
that we should get a larger participation from various
chain hotels and standalone properties for the next
awards and this could be done by contacting the head
of HR, advertising, etc.

In my opinion, everyone who participated is a winner
and these are very tough times and urge all hoteliers to
keep the spirits high and continue to motivate work
force as one can see the next year brings in a lot of cheer
to the hotel industry.

VEER VIJAY SINGH

CEO & MD,
Trance Hotels



MESSAGE

After a break due to the pandemic, BW HOTELIER
announced the much-awaited Indian Hospitality Summit
and Awards 2022, this year once again. As always the
detailing for the coveted award was seamlessly put into
place by a much organised BWH team, headed by the
affable and disciplined Bhuvanesh Khanna.

The Regional and National juries were carefully
chosen and comprised industry veterans headed by Mr
KB Kachru as its Chairman. Bhuvanesh was very clear
that despite all challenges this pandemic has generated,
our colleagues in the industry who have tirelessly and
selflessly drove excellence in operations and
administration must be recognised and awarded for
their work thereby engaging and rewarding high
performance for individuals. The development of the
brilliant questionnaire cutting across categories,
backend works relating to screening and bringing to
acceptable levels of nominations, setting the vision for
the award process and deploying it in a seamless
manner was ably partnered by Dilip Puri of ISH and his
team.

In the East with me as the Chairman of the Jury, we
had to manage information virtually over video and
audio calls as our august team was diversely spread. But
there was significant commitment that was exhibited at
all times. Data and information – as received vide
numerous applications was pored over in great details
and I must say with delight as success stories, human
angle snippets, post Covid19-era generosity, striving for
excellence despite difficulties – came tumbling out from
the reverts by applicants. This delighted us but made
our work doubly difficult in choosing the best out of the
best!

Since I was on the National Selection Team as well, it
was interesting to note different points of views of our
selector-veterans and the healthy debate that ensued.
All of these were effectively moderated by Bhuvanesh to
reach an amicable solution, at every instance. The entire
process has been fairly executed and we wait eagerly
for the various keynote speakers and other participants
delivering their valued thoughts at the event.

Our team from the East takes a bow to all the winners.

SANDIP MUKHERJEE

Professor Emeritus &
Advisor Hospitality Academics
IHM Kolkata, IHM Hajipur and IIHM

MESSAGE

Hotel Association of India would like to compliment and
congratulate BW HOTELIER for organising the 6th
edition of its flagship event, Indian Hospitality Summit
and Awards – an event that the industry keenly looks
forward to. The time of the event is of great significance,
when the resilient industry coming out of the worst ever
experience in its history is trying to pick up the threads
of resurgence in a totally different environment.

The summit should be an opportunity to carefully
assess the lessons learnt during the dismal days, look at
the prospects and problems, opportunities and
challenges in a fast-changing world. As the industry
steps into the much-deserved sunny days, it must keep
reflecting on how a small virus had exposed its utter
vulnerability and how the industry should be playing a
role with the rest of the world to at least minimise that
vulnerability in future. And the time to build the
foundation of a new future is now.

Media, and therefore, BW Hotelier, should play, in this
scenario, the role of a conscience keeper, of a guiding
lighthouse. The world had just celebrated the World
Tourism Day on the theme of “Rethinking Tourism”. The
summit should be an important beginning of that
process of rethinking.

The rethinking is to put people and planet first,
encourage and motivate all the stakeholders
–government, business and communities together in
making tourism more sustainable, inclusive, responsible
and resilient and emphasising that tourism is a means to
a better quality of life for all people, and not an end in
itself.

There are many challenges to worry about.
Technology is changing the way of doing business,
empowering but fast changing technology with each
new change compounding the speed and reach of
everything that came before puts challenges of skilling
and capacity creation. Volatile labour market has been a
wakeup call.

This year, HAI also celebrates its glorious 25 years of
service to the industry. In this journey, HAI has been
witness to and been part of many a momentous
occasions shaping the history of the industry. HAI
continues to create awareness about the role of the
industry that contributes so much to employment and
GDP and pursues collaborative partnership and strong
advocacy to bring tourism and hospitality industry to
new heights @47.

With epoch-making initiatives on the anvil like the
Tourism Policy, setting up of National Tourism Authority
and National Tourism Board these are exciting times.
With so much happening, the BW HOTELIER Summit
should never have a dull moment and HAI wishes it all
success.

MP BEZBARUAH

Secretary General, Hotel Association of India

MESSAGE

It has always been an honour and a privilege to be a part
of BW HOTELIER.

We have always eagerly waited for the announcement
of the Indian Hospitality Summit and Awards that
acknowledge and recognise the brightest of talents in
our industry. For the last few years, the annual event has
been “The Magic Carpet” of events that we require to be
a part of for networking, learning and sharing new
trends, witnessing latest innovations and connecting
people with demand and supply.

As the last two years were challenging for almost
everyone in the industry, it is apt that the theme for
IHA-2022 is A Story of Resilience. It is beyond doubt that
each one of the individuals in the hospitality as well
travel and tourism plus F&B industry has shown
tremendous determination, courage and patience to
navigate through the tough times of the pandemic.

In its last edition too, IHA gave us hope in those
uncertain hours and inspired every hospitality
professional. I, as the President of IFCA, feel incredibly
proud to be a part of this event that represents our
network of chefs. Our association, IFCA, has been
concentrating on experienced and young chefs alike in
their career growth and development.

Now that life has returned to normal across the globe,
we eagerly look forward to this year’s event, a
much-needed morale booster for us. We await to be a
part of those invigorating discussions with the stalwarts
of the industry and the recognition (the awards) is
exciting too. Not-to-be-missed surely will be the
exclusive panels of speakers sharing their expert views
on carefully planned subjects. I am sure the two-day
event at the Taj Palace Hotel will be a dream come true
celebration, for the participants, the panellists and the
hosts.

As can be expected from the best, BW HOTELIER
IHA-2022 awards will be extraordinary and will surely
surprise one and all!

CHEF DR MANJIT GILL

Founder-President, IFCA

MESSAGE

The Indian Culinary Forum has always been privileged to
be associated with one of the country’s most
prestigious hospitality magazines, BW HOTELIER during
the course of its activities. A must-read magazine, BW
HOTELIER keeps one abreast with the latest trends,
developments and issues concerning the hospitality
industry.

The Indian Culinary Forum greatly appreciates BW
HOTELIER for instituting the IHA Awards six years ago to
motivate and inspire the industry. The selection process
deserves special commendation as it ensures the
selection of the best and the most deserving
candidates. I, on behalf, of ICF, compliment the BW
HOTELIER team for making the selection methodology
fair and very objective.

In fact, the awards function has always been
organised by BW HOTELIER in grand style with a gala
dinner which is attended by the who’s who of the
hospitality industry. I wish the team all the best for the
two-day event which is being done in a phygital format
this year.

Much like BW HOTELIER Summit and Awards, we, at
ICF, too give awards every year to deserving chefs and
also organise chef summits for exchange of ideas and
information. With over 2000 members Pan-India, ICF
was formed in 1987 to raise the culinary standards in
India and it also serves as the platform to promote the
development of Indian culture and cuisine on a global
scale. ICF also encourages and inspires young chefs
through training and competitions as also encourage
Indian youth to consider pursuing a career with the
hospitality industry.

We are thinking about 2030 and beyond, at an
international level, and not resting on our past laurels.
We're focussing on issues of prime importance in the
world, the problems that we can solve unanimously, be
it hunger, nutrition, cleanliness, food safety, or
sustainability. We are creating blueprints for many such
programmes to be spearheaded and launched by us in
the coming years.

In the coming years, ICF will be organising many
interventions to attain the goal of a healthy future. I’m
positive we will receive the continued and increasing
support that we have been receiving over the years.
The mantra now is Rise, Rise, and Rise a lot more!

CHEF DAVINDER KUMAR

President, Indian Culinary Forum

MESSAGE

I am pleased that the 6th edition of BW HOTELIER Indian
Hospitality Summit & Awards are being held on October
31 and November 1, 2022, at Taj Palace New Delhi. And
these are coming this year after a small gap of time in a
new avataar to surprise the industry big time!
HOTREMAI has been supporting The BW HOTELIER
Indian Hospitality Summit & Awards since its inception
and shall continue to do so. HOTREMAI always extends
its support by participating in reputed events by BW
Hotelier and would specially like to thank it for the
innumerable series of online webinars and events which
have kept HOTREMAI members abreast with industry
situations, especially during the pandemic.

HOTREMAI has members from Pan-India and overseas
as well and it negotiates its best in favour of its
members. We extend our support and facilitate our
members to get them to understand the Industry
happenings like these so that they can prepare
themselves to understand the ever changing space in
the hospitality sector.

HOTREMAI is moving ahead in a planned manner to up
its role both for the fraternity and its members. We hold
associate memberships in bodies like the FICCI,
ASSOCHAM and PHD Chambers of commerce where the
Government interactions are made easy on the
association level. It, in turn, keeps all its members
abreast with the happenings and the suggestions from
the members are conveyed to the respective bodies so
as to enable a two-way communication, directly with a
member. This brings productive results for our industry,
especially during Budget suggestions and recommends
towards other Government policies while being drafted.
An individual member on his own cannot get this kind of
reach.

With Covid19 behind us and the industry looking
forward march on, I congratulate the BW HOTELIER
Indian Hospitality Summit & Awards team and wish them
success not only this year but in years to come too. Also,
many thanks to the editorial team of BW HOTELIER for
always bringing out a very comprehensive hospitality
industry related magazine which also proves useful for
all HOTREMAI members.

I, along with the Executive Committee of HOTREMAI,
extend my best wishes for the success of BW HOTELIER
Indian Hospitality Summit & Awards 2022!

ANIL MALHOTRA

President, HOTREMAI

MESSAGE

Hospitality Purchasing Managers Forum (HPMF) has
been associated with BW HOTELIER for almost a
decade. In the last several years, BW HOTELIER as a
publication and Indian Hospitality Summit & Awards
(IHA) has been doing a wonderful job which has scaled
new heights in the hospitality industry. Our relationship
with the entire team and Mr Bhuvanesh Khanna has been
like a family. We are definitely very proud of the
tremendous work they have done collectively to raise
the standard of the event.

Indian Hospitality Summit & Awards (IHA) is an
incredible hospitality trade show. Its relevant content
and scale have strengthened my belief that it is a
platform where you can identify new trends, witness
latest innovations as well as network effectively with the
decision makers of the hospitality industry. It is an ideal
opportunity for supply partners to showcase products
from across the world to the widest market participants
from India. The event is always well-organised and
conceptualised. It is a leading knowledge and business
platform to exchange ideas, witnessing new trends,
networking and business development.

My personal best wishes to the team for the
forthcoming BW HOTELIER IHA-2022. I am sure it will be
a super-hit like all the previous versions!

DR NITIN SHANKAR NAGRALE

Founder and General Secretary
Hospitality Purchasing Managers Forum

MESSAGE

BW HOTELIER is an incredible platform delivering
exceptional work. It brings the best in hospitality – be it
the latest industry updates, trends, news, soundbites
and views of the industry leaders. During the lockdown
too, they played a vital role in connecting various
stakeholders, demonstrating solidarity and garnering
support within the industry developing plans and
strategies to navigate through the tough times. Their
webinars were much sought-after among the larger
audience. They have been the voice for the industry and
their work has been praiseworthy across the different
media channels – be it print, digital, events or awards.
We congratulate BW HOTELIER on the upcoming 6th
edition of BW HOTELIER Indian Hospitality Summit &
Awards.

Indian Women in Hospitality (IWH) is proud and
honoured to be the supporting industry partner with
BW HOTELIER. We have had a great relationship with
the Group. They have always provided us with
empowering opportunities and constant support.

IWH has Indian women professionals from around the
globe as its members. The key objectives are clearly
mentioned in the vision and mission of IWH:
• Be the global voice for Indian Women in Hospitality.
• Amplify the IWH platform for Indian women working in
the hospitality industry globally to reach their fullest
potential by sharing knowledge and mentoring future
leaders.
• Collaborate to strengthen women’s roles in all spheres
of their lives – personal, professional and the community
through self-reliance, dignity and equality.
• Support social causes for women to play pivotal roles
as change-makers and path breakers”.

There is a need for a mindset shift in the hospitality
industry as many hurdles are stacked against women.
The industry needs to create equal opportunities for
women team members too. There has been a positive
change and things are happening but at a snail’s pace.
Hotels are making many changes in their HR policies and
functions which are very encouraging. Women in
hospitality can contribute too and create great value for
their organisations with right mentorship and if they are
given the right opportunities. Only 12 per cent women
are in the top management roles today though their
participation is much higher.

Organisations need to focus on the career path and
succession planning for their women employees. IWH
urges the hospitality industry to take leadership stance
and help build confidence, extend support and provide
opportunities so that the women team members can
reach their true potential. Gender diversity and inclusion
is the key for equality.

LAXMI TODIWAN

Founder
Indian Women in Hospitality (IWH)

MESSAGE

On behalf of all Global Hospitality Technology Profes-
sionals (GHTP) members, I would like to convey greet-
ings and best wishes for the 6th edition of BW HOTELIER
Indian Hospitality Summit & Awards grand event to be
held on October 31 and November 1, 2022 at Taj Palace
New Delhi.

I am delighted to know that BW HOTELIER rewards
dynamic hospitality mavens across all the departments
in the hospitality industry. Our industry shines due to
outstanding persistent efforts and contributions of these
champions. These awards, presented to individuals who
embody the spirit of hospitality, set the standard for the
superfine customer service, will certainly boost the
morale of employees when industry is facing acute
shortage of trained employees.

In the past – April 2020 onwards – travel and the
hospitality industry has been going through quite a
tough time. No other unforeseen event in these decades
has influenced the hospitality industry as much as
Covid19. It has substantially affected all businesses and
individuals across the globe. Hospitality industry
learned about collaboration and work from home and
work from anywhere in the last two-and-a-half years.

I am also sure that travel and hospitality professionals
will learn a lot from the wide range of well-curated panel
discussions. Global Hospitality Technology Professionals
(GHTP) is glad to support and associate with Indian
Hospitality Summit and Awards and is happy to collabo-
rate with BW HOTELIER and together, we can show the
way forward for the hospitality industry to survive,
revive and grow. I compliment BW HOTELIER for focus-
sing on the hospitality sector and the initiatives for its
development and innovations.

BW HOTELIER’s events have an amalgamation of
experienced industry veterans that allows for
thought-provoking discussions. It also gives a great
platform to hospitality business partners to display their
products and solutions to hospitality industry experts.
GHTP extends best wishes to BW HOTELIER for the
grand success of its upcoming event and for all their
future endeavours.

HARISH CHANDRA

Founder,
Global Hospitality Technology Professionals
(GHTP)

MESSAGE

It’s our privilege to associate with BW HOTELIER for the
6th edition of Indian Hospitality Summit and Awards
2022. Mr Bhuvanesh Khanna is doing an extremely
commendable job at the helm of this prestigious
hospitality magazine. Under his leadership, I sincerely
wish that BW HOTELIER reaches greater heights. We, at
Professional Housekeepers Association (PHA), wish him
and the organisation all the very best!

PHA, launched on May 15, 2015, is a non-profit
organisation which provides a platform to housekeeping
professionals from hotels, retail, facility management
companies, healthcare, engineering industry,
educational institutions, training institutes who share
their experiences, best practices, and thereby facilitate
the industry’s immediate requirements.

With more than 250 members from all sectors of the
hygiene and cleaning industry – hospitality, retail,
healthcare, facilities, and educational institutions across
the country, PHA has active operational chapters in
Karnataka, Telangana, Goa and North India.

JAYASHREE NAGARAJ

Founder President and Chairperson
Professional Housekeepers Association

MESSAGE

BW HOTELIER, published by the BW BUSINESSWORLD
Group is evidently one of the hospitality industry’s finest
publications. Over the course of my professional journey
spanning almost three decades, I have witnessed BW
HOTELIER’s pioneering approach in terms of outreach,
one that is both multi-platform and revolutionary in
every sense.

To be able to successfully steer the industry’s
conversations and updates through high quality and
content focussed print media as well as digital and
social channels is highly commendable. From
supporting the industry by covering news, features and
trend stories to bringing passionate professionals
together on virtual platforms and summits, the
publication’s efforts have contributed significantly to
growing the morale of the industry and its people.

I take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt
compliments to Dr Annurag Batra and dear friend,
Bhuvanesh Khanna, who with their passionate team
work tirelessly to bring the industry the limelight it truly
deserves. Needless to say, the BW HOTELIER Indian
Hospitality Summit & Awards that recognise the talent of
our industry is something every industry professional
looks forward to every year.

This year, it is even more special for us with Taj Palace,
New Delhi at it is the venue for the IHA-2022. Taj Palace,
New Delhi shares a very special relationship with BW
Hotelier – and we are grateful for all the support that we
have received thus far and look forward to greater
synergies in the times to come.

BW HOTELIER and AWESOME (North) have been
working closely for supporting engineering and services
fraternity for some years. I wish the BW HOTELIER team
all the best for the upcoming event, the 6th edition of
Indian Hospitality Summit & Awards.

ROTHIN BANERJEE

Area Engineering Director Delhi NCR,
Punjab, Himachal Pradesh,
J&K (Taj - IHCL) and President,
Awesome

MESSAGE

On behalf of iPHA, India, I express my gratitude to the
BW HOTELIER team on the sixth edition of BW HOTEL-
IER Indian Hospitality Summit & Awards. May the
synergy you have generated grow from strength to
strength. Over the years, BW HOTELIER’s performance
has been consistently raising the bar for the industry to
follow. Dedicated and focussed approach from the top,
starting with Bhuvanesh Khanna and other motivated
team members, they have acted as a catalyst in ensur-
ing the growth of the larger community. Your pre-event
promotions have created a lot of excitement and we
are sure that under your spirited leadership, the event
is going to rock.

iPHA India is honoured to have been a partner with
the BW HOTELIER family in this remarkable journey. We
take utmost pride in being associated with them along
with the other housekeepers. I-Professional Housekeep-
ers’ Association was founded in October 2014 and
launched on January 17, 2015. It is an avenue to provide
a channel for personal and professional growth and
also build confidence among housekeeping profession-
als. We are committed towards creating leaders,
promoting education and innovation, gaining recogni-
tion and ensuring sustainability in the hospitality
industry.

Best wishes for grand success of the sixth edition of
BW HOTELIER Indian Hospitality Summit & Awards.

VAISHALI P SINHA

Founder & General secretary
i - Professional Housekeepers Association



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