IHA 2024 celebrates the pinnacle of hospitality industry

The two-day extravagant BW HOTELIER Indian Hospitality Summit and Awards 2024 (IHA-2024) concluded on Tuesday, October 22, the event, themed “Revolutionising Indian Hospitality,” brought together industry stalwarts to discuss the future of hospitality, travel, tourism, and F&B in India. Nearly 100 keynote speakers engaged in various sessions and insightful panel discussions, focussing on the latest trends reshaping the industry. 

Day 1 began with introductory remarks and a welcome address by Bhuvnesh Khanna, CEO, BW Communities, Business World followed by the lighting of the ceremonial lamp. Later on, the stage was set by GS Shekhawat, Hon'ble Minister of Culture and Tourism, who delivered a keynote on the role of government policies in shaping hospitality development. The day was themed upon “Investments & Development” – Exploring how India can become the most preferred global destination for hospitality investment and development whereas Day 2 started, with a theme of “ Operations & Talent Pool” – Achieving operational excellence and developing a world-class talent pool. The panel discussions for the second day concluded with a special session by Maharaj Kumar Sahib Dr Lakshyaraj Singh Ji Mewar of Udaipur on preserving heritage properties highlighting the balance between tradition and modernity in hospitality.

The highlight of Day 2 was the much-anticipated Gala Awards night. Graced by Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Brajesh Pathak as the Chief Guest, the night saw the best of the hospitality industry being recognised for their skill, talent and innovative approach over the last one year. The awards, which included felicitations for General Managers, Hotel Managers, Executive Chefs, Directors of Sales and Marketing, Human Resources Managers, Executive Housekeepers and Spa Managers, among others, also included a Hall of Fame Award 2024 and Lifetime Achievement Award 2024 to honour industry veterans who have made significant contributions to the industry.

The winners of these awards were finalised through a jury process. One national jury, chaired by Kul Bhushan Kachru, Chairman - South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, was accompanied by four regional juries – North, West, East and South, chaired by Suresh Kumar, Founder, KUE Management Services and Founder & Mentor, ROSAKUE Hospitality; Farhat Jamal, Chairman – Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Committee, IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Sandip Mukherjee, Professor Emeritus & Advisor, Hospitality Academics and Veer Vijay Singh, CEO & MD, Trance Hotels, respectively.

Apart from the National Jury Chair and the four Regional Jury Chairs, the national jury comprised Rajiv Kaul, Former President, Leela Hotels; Dilip Puri, Founder & CEO, Indian School of Hospitality; Diwan Gautam Anand, Founding Trustee, Cuisine India Foundation; Rattan Keswani, Former Dy Managing Director, Lemon Tree Hotels; Mandeep Lamba, President (South Asia), HVS Anarock; Jaideep Dang, Managing Director, Hotels & Hospitality Group, JLL; Rahul Pandit, CEO, Horizon Industrial Parks; Yateendra Sinh, Principal YS & Associates, Sarl, Switzerland and Kamal Kant Pant, Principal & Secretary, IHM Pusa, New Delhi. The jury was assisted in its process by IHA-2024 by Knowledge Partner, Indian School of Hospitality.

Additionally, there were two special recognitions at IHA 2024 that included BW Hall of Fame which was given to Dr Jyotsana Suri, Chairperson & Managing Director, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group and BW HOTELIER Lifetime Achievement Award 2024 which was presented to Aman Nath, Founder & Chairman, Neemrana Hotels.

Full list of IHA-2023 winners:

Heads of Banquets Sales & Operations

●   Dharmendra Mishra, Crowne Plaza New Delhi MayurVihar Noida (National Winner)
●      Sonu Kumar Pandey, Le Lac Sarovar Portico Ranchi  (East Zone)
●      Akshay Shetty, JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu (West Zone)
●      Abhigyan Sinha, Taj Lands End (West Zone)
●      KaminiAhlawat, Hilton Bangalore Embassy Golf Link (South Zone)

Heads of Accommodations

●     BhargavHegde, The Crown IHCL SeleQtions, Bhubaneswar (National Winner)
●      Poojil Arora, Grand Mercure Vadodara Surya Palace (West Zone)
●      Gaurav Tokas, Kochi Marriott Hotel (South Zone)
●      Abhineet Chandra, Crowne Plaza New Delhi MayurVihar Noida (North Zone)

Head of Housekeeping

●      SaistaKhanum, Taj Wellington Mews Chennai (National Winner)
●      Debojyoti Deb, Holiday Inn Express, KolkataAirport  (East Zone)
●      Janaki Das, Trident Nariman Point (West Zone)
●      Vijay Kumar, Fortune Select Forest Hill, MahiyaKasauli (North Zone)

Heads of Human Resources

●      Prabhakar Kumar Singh, Taj Bengal Kolkata (National Winner)
●      SanyuktaMilindGholap, Novotel Pune Nagar Road (West Zone)
●      Srinivasa Rao Appala, Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn Bengaluru Embassy Manyata Business Park (South Zone)
●      Divya Gupta, Taj Palace Delhi (North Zone)

Heads of Spa

●      ShericDorairaj, The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore (National Winner)
●      Dr Rajneesh Kumar, Taj Exotica Resort and Spa Goa (West Zone)
●      LalnunMawii, Pullman & Novotel Hotel (North Zone) (National Winner)

Heads of PR & Marketing Communications

●      Pooja Nambiar, The St. Regis Mumbai (National Winner)
●      SoumiSanyal, The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata (East Zone)
●      Aully Banerjee, Taj Coromandel (South Zone)
●      Simmi Sood, Radisson Blu Plaza Delhi Airport (North Zone)

Head of Culinary

●      Sumalya Sarkar, Vivanta Kolkata, EM Bypass (National Winner)
●      Sendil Kumar KS, ITC Fortune Resort Benaulium Goa (West Zone)
●      MD Shahid Hossain, Taj Cidade de Goa, Horizon (West Zone)
●      Gaurav Paul, Hilton Bangalore, Embassy Golflinks (South Zone)
●      Pankaj Singh Panwar, The Westin Resort and Spa Himalayas (North Zone)

Head of Sales & Marketing

●      Rahul Nair, The Oberoi Grand (National Winner)
●      Nilesh GhanashyamKapadask, Ginger Goa Madgaon (West Zone)
●      Abhinav Singh, ITC Kohenur (South Zone)
●      Aditya Monga, Radisson Blu Hotel New Near PaschimVihar (North Zone)

Head of Revenue

●      DebashreeBhattacharjee, The Leela Palace Udaipur (National WInner)
●      Charanjeet Singh, Peerless Hotel Kolkata (East Zone)
●  VishveshMadhavan, Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn Bengaluru Embassy Manyata Business Park Bangalore (South Zone)
●      Vishwajeet Singh Shekhawat, Rambagh Palace, Jaipur (North Zone)

Head of F&B

●      Nabajyoti Kaushik, Fairfield by Marriott, Kolkata (National Winner)
●      PeeyushBhushan, JW Marriott, Pune (West Zone)
●      TariqueRafiqueHerekar, Novotel Pune (West Zone)
●      Prateek Gulati, The Oberoi Bengaluru (South Zone)
●      Sunil Kumar, The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore (South Zone)
●      Mohit Bhargava, Crowne plaza Mayurvihar (North Zone)

Head of Engineering

●      Namish Shetty, The Oberoi Bengaluru (National Winner)
●      RashmiRanjanMohanty, Ginger Bhubaneswar (East Zone)
●      Sumit Dhaka, The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur (West Zone)
●      Pranav Gosain, ITC Rajputana, Jaipur (North Zone)

Head of IT

●      Saravanan B Ayyappan, Park Hyatt Chennai (National WInner)
●      Avik Paul, Ibis Kolkata Rajarhat (East Zone)
●      Narendra Kumar, Grand Mercure Vadodara Surya Palace (West Zone)
●      Pankaj Sharma, Wildflowerhall Shimla (North Zone)

Head of Procurement

●      AlwinVimal Prakash R, The Leela Palace, Bengaluru (National Winner)
●      Praween Kumar Singh, ITC Royal Bengal & ITC Sonar Kolkata (East Zone)
●      VirendraRamane, Ibis Pune Viman Nagar &Hinjewadi (West Zone)
●      Siddhartha Das, The Oberoi New Delhi (North Zone)

General Manager (Luxury)

●      Ritesh Sharma, The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Mumbai (National)
●      Sunil Kumar, JW Marriott Hotel Kolkata (East Zone)
●      Shilpa Rameja, Taj Wellington Mews Chennai (South Zone)
●      Ronan Patrick Fearon, JW Marriott Bengaluru Prestige Golfshire Resort & Spa (South Zone)
●      Gaurav Issar, The Oberoi Sukhvilas Spa Resorts (North Zone)
●      Sharad Datta, JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity (North Zone)

General Manager (Upper Upscale)

●      Jatish Ghai, Radisson BLU Hotel & SPA Nashik (National)
●      Devidyuti Ghosh, Mulberry Shades Bengaluru Nandi Hills (West Zone)
●      Amardeep Singh, The Westin Resort and Spa Himalayas (North Zone)
●      Sonali Chauhan, The Connaught, IHCLSeleQtions (North Zone)

General Manager (Upscale)

●      Arjun Kaggallu, Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences (National)
●      Rahul Janve, Courtyard by Marriott Mahabaleshwar (West Zone)
●      Vikas Parimoo, VivantaNavi Mumbai, Turbhe (West Zone)
●      Venugopal, Courtyard by Marriott Tiruchirappalli (South Zone)
●      AnujSoin, Radisson Sector 29, Gurugram (North Zone)

General Manager (Midscale)

●      VinayakPatnekar, Fairfield by Marriott Goa Benaulim (National)
●      ManojJangid, Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata (East Zone)
●      Harish Venkatasubramaniam, Mantra Koodam, A CGH Earth Experience (South Zone)
●      Arun Khurana, ShyamaSarovar Portico Orai (North Zone)

General Manager (Budget/Economy)

●      RaaviVenkata Rao, Best Western Plus Tejvivaan (National)
●      SonalSajwan, NirwanaHometel Jaipur (North Zone) 



IHA-2024 is more than just an awards ceremony. Through collaboration and insightful dialogue, the event aims to create a roadmap for future growth, ensuring that Indian hospitality continues to rise and make its mark on the global stage.  It set the stage for India’s hospitality sector to push boundaries and exceed global expectations.