Marriott International's Sanjay Sharma Takes Voluntary Retirement to Become Entrepreneur; Anuraag Bhatnagar to Succeed Him

IN THE past two years and a half, Sanjay Sharma, Marriott International's Market Vice President, North India, Nepal and Bhutan, has been working relentlessly on 40 hotel projects, which means he has been living out of a suitcase for 15-20 days in a month.

It's no longer going to be so in a month or two when he formally takes voluntary retirement from the company and hands over the baton to Anuraag Bhatnagar, Multi-Property Vice President, Mumbai and Goa. Sharma, who studied hoteliering in Austria, has spent the 32 years of his working life entirely in Marriott International and, before their merger, in Starwood.

A reputed hotelier known for his organisational skills, personal warmth and an impeccable sartorial sense, Sharma said in a chat with BW Hotelier that he needed to take a break from his demanding schedule and also to dip his feet into entrepreneurial waters (like his former boss, Dilip Puri, Founder and CEO of the Indian School of Hospitality). Most likely, his wife and he will move to Bengaluru, where their son studies in an international school.

About his plans, Sharma did not divulge much but said he would remain in the hospitality space and, along with a partner, operationalise a concept he has been keen to see get off the ground. There's no investor in the picture at the moment. "We will seek investments after we have a working proof of concept," Sharma said.

Sharma's designated successor, Anuraag Bhatnagar, an IHM-Pusa graduate and an old Marriott/Starwood hand, is overseeing the Mumbai and Goa markets for his company. In his previous avatar, as head of the Marriott International's luxury properties, he was responsible for prestigious St Regis Mumbai, W Goa and Ritz Carlton Bengaluru. He also set in motion four uber-luxury hotel projects in key cities across the country.