Tag Archives: Minor Hotels

Global hotel owner and operator Minor Hotels has appointed Puneet Dhawan as Head of Asia as the group plots its growth in Asia and India. From July, Dhawan will be responsible for the performance of all Minor Hotels properties in Asia, working in close collaboration with the Minor Hotels senior leadership team and will report to Minor Hotels CEO Dillip Rajakarier. Dhawan, a seasoned professional with a 30-year hospitality career spanning Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, brings a wealth of experience to his new role. His most recent role as Senior Vice President of Operations – India & South Asia at Accor saw him lead the group’s business development, owner management, hotel operations and commercial team, driving Accor’s growth in the region. Notably, he oversaw the opening of the first Raffles hotel in India. His 25-year tenure at Accor also included time as the group’s Vice President of Operations, Middle East, and several General Manager roles. Dhawan’s journey in the hospitality industry began with the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, where he held positions at its properties in the Philippines and Hong Kong. Dhawan holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He will be based in the group’s Bangkok Corporate Office when he joins Minor Hotels in July. 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.” In January, Minor Hotels unveiled its target to add more than 200 new openings to its …

Minor Hotels has announced its stake in the Global Hotel Alliance, (GHA). Following this shareholder announcement, Dillip Rajakarier, CEO, Minor Hotels, will now join the GHA Board of Directors. The investment is worth a total of $3.2million, representing a 10 per cent share of the Global Hotel Alliance. First entering with the Anantara brand, Minor Hotels have been longstanding members of the GHA since 2007. As the GHA will enter its 15th year in 2019, Minor Hotels took the opportunity to support the alliance which is currently investing in new CRM and shared technology to build on the success of the Discovery loyalty programme. Dillip Rajakarier, CEO, Minor, commented, “Since joining the GHA in 2007, we have grown and developed our own brands and continue to acquire new ones, and membership of GHA fits well with our multi-brand strategy. GHA has consistently demonstrated the value of global customer reach and a strong CRM and loyalty programme for our hotels, and so we are delighted to be able to take our place as a shareholder in the business, with the opportunity to help guide its growth over the coming years.” He added, “The 13 million Discovery members will produce US$1.7 billion in room revenues in 2018, of which around US$125 million is from customers moving between our member brands. We plan to double those numbers in the next few years, as independent brands look to collaborate with each other to share the common challenge of competing with the ever-consolidating major brands and third party distribution providers.

Australian accommodation provider Oaks Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of Oaks Bodhgaya, marking the brand’s debut in India. Part of Minor Hotels portfolio of brands, the group has partnered with GP Group and Top Travel & Tours to open the new hotel, which represents an overall investment of $6.7m. The 78-room hotel includes 74 deluxe rooms offer 30 square metres of space and feature twin beds, a walk-in shower and some have a bathtub. Three suites, each offering 66 square metres of space, feature a king size bed, two bathrooms with a bathtub, a lounge and dining area. Designed specifically with disabled access, a deluxe suite of 40 square metres is equipped with two bathrooms featuring walk-in showers, along with well-planned living and dining areas. Business and event guests can take advantage of the banquet hall. “We are very excited to announce the opening of Oaks Bodhgaya which represents Minor Hotels’ debut in India,” said Thomas Meier, Minor Hotels Senior Vice President Operations – Asia. “Minor Hotels has been looking for the right opportunity to expand its footprint into India and we are pleased to have partnered with GP Group and Top Travel & Tours Pvt. Ltd to launch our Oaks brand in this new market which has huge potential.” Sanjog Modgil, Vice President Hospitality, of GP Group, commented, “The GP Group has long recognised the potential of the Indian Buddhist Circuit and we are delighted to partner with Minor Hotels and Top Travel & Tours Pvt. Ltd to launch Oaks Bodhgaya, which marks the first step in establishing our presence on this world famous circuit in India.” Home to Mahabodhi Temple, where Buddha is said to have …