Sunjae Sharma

Sunjae Sharma has been an integral part of Hyatt’s 34-year journey in India. His leadership skills, business acumen, industry foresight, and strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders speak volumes about his professional capabilities. Before being appointed as vice president of operations for India, Sharma was the area vice president for South and West India and general manager of Grand Hyatt Mumbai, where he oversaw the strategic and financial performance of 16 hotels.

Sharma is the perfect man to lead Hyatt’s well etched out expansion plans in India. “We started 2019 with the expansion of the Hyatt Centric brand by opening Hyatt Centric Candolim Goa and the addition of two Alila properties — Alila Diwa Goa and Alila Fort Bishangarh (Jaipur) as part of our global acquisition of Two Roads Hospitality. We will be launching four more new hotels in 2019,” said Sharma.

He is the man driving Hyatt’s asset-light growth in leisure and cultural destinations with an emphasis on Tier-II and emerging cities. “Our expansion strategy will see the emergence of Hyatt properties in destinations such as Dharamshala, Alibaug, Malayatoor, Jaipur, Udaipur, Dehradun, Vadodara, Vijaywada and Trivandrum, which are important Tier-II markets.” Sharma, who has worked with Hyatt since 2014, is very perceptive about the evolving luxury market.

“Over the years, there has been a big change in the way hospitality players look at luxury suites,” he said. “The multiplying needs of the corporate sector for stays at higher price points has led to unprecedented expansion in the space. Now, the focus is on the overall experience and going beyond opulence. The designs have changed and become minimal,” he added.