RAJESH GOPALAKRISHNAN has been appointed as the General Manager for Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach and Varun Bheemli Resort. In this role, he will be responsible for spearheading the overall operations of both the properties, which are owned by Varun Hospitality Pvt Ltd. Rajesh has been associated with AccorHotels since 2005 and was the General Manager of Grand Mercure Vadodara prior to this move.
Fascinated with the hospitality industry since his early years, Rajesh has worked at various positions in the hospitality industry across India, the Middle East and the Maldives. He started his hospitality journey as a trainee chef with Taj Coramandel, Chennai and eventually worked his way up as a Sous Chef at The Leela Mumbai and Grand Hyatt Mumbai.
Rajesh began his association with AccorHotels as the Executive Chef at Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre (NHCC) and Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC). His journey includes diverse roles within the group leading to a transition from the food & beverage team to a Resident Manager of the Novotel Hyderabad Airport. To gain further experience, Rajesh joined the International Hospitality Management Program (IHMP) from AccorHotels Academy Asia in 2010.
Rajesh has an MBA in International Hospitality Management from GLION University, Switzerland and a Diploma in Hotel Management from National Council for Hotel Management, New Delhi. He still loves to go back to the kitchen and cook for his family and friends. In his spare time, Rajesh likes to unwind with some good music and play tennis.