There are award ceremonies, and then there is the Hotelier India Awards. There is a solid reason why the latter is highly respected by the entire hospitality community in the country. Not only does it follow a democratic selection process, it also involves the entire industry in its workings.
The 12th Hotelier India Awards received over 1,400 nominations for 20 categories, each of which were diligently curated to recognise leadership traits and celebrate excellence amongst hospitality professionals. This year, two new Awards categories were introduced – Young Hotelier of the Year and Green Hotelier of the Year – to resonate with evolution underway in the industry.
What was even more invigorating was the wholehearted engagement from across all segments. In addition to participation of hoteliers from top brands – including Marriott International, IHCL, Leela Palaces Hotels & Resorts, Accor, The Oberoi Hotels, Lemon Tree, Radisson Hotel Group, Hyatt, Intercontinental Hotel Group and The Park Hotels – professionals from several standalone and independent hotels also uploaded their nominations, to showcase their achievement to their peers.
The Grand Jury, comprising leading hotel owners, operators consultants, met at Hotel JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar on 29th November, 2021 and spent the entire day sifting through these nominations in a bid to identify the best talent. These winners were felicitated at a grand celebration fest on 16th December 2021 at JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity.
RECOGNISING TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Since 2009, Hotelier India Awards has laid the foundation for building a community of leaders, chosen by their own peers. Over the years, this prestigious event has only grown in stature and is today the epitome for celebrating excellence. It has emerged as the most coveted award in the country today – one which many a winner proudly sports on their resume and their professional profiles.
The 12th Hotelier India Awards was a star-studded congregation where the industry’s crème de la crème assembled to laud the best amongst them! Following government protocols, this time around, the event adopted a hybrid approach with around 300 people attending the event on site, while numerous more watched it online on Youtube and Instagram.
Bibhor Srivastava, MD, ITP Media India flagged off the 12th Hotelier India Awards with a rousing welcome speech, where he congratulated all stakeholders for persevering, and succeeding, in a tough year.
Chief Guest Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog followed this up by sharing his opinions on how the tourism sector is truly the country’s sunshine industry. He also outlined how the government is doing its best to support them through various initiatives.
In his keynote speech, Rajesh Mehra, Director and Promoter, Jaqaur Group spoke about the brand’s rich heritage and strong association with the hospitality industry. He also revealed the company’s plans to collaborate closely with hoteliers to promote design-led opportunities that can meet evolving customer preferences.
Vinita Bhatia, Editor of Hotelier India then elaborated on the Awards nomination process to the audience. She shared further details about the two new award categories – Green Hotelier Of the Year and Young Hotelier Of The Year – which were included based on industry feedback.
Rima Mohapatra, Additional Secretary of Odisha Tourism gave a special address where she spoke about the lesser known travel destinations in the state. She also mentioned how the state government is promoting eco- and rural tourism by aligning with travel and hospitality players in the region.
The Grand Jury was then felicitated for devoting their time and effort in selecting the upcoming leaders in the industry. Each member of the 20-member jury applied their diverse experience to choose winners who prevailed against all odds in a year like no other.
This set the stage for the much-awaited awards ceremony.
The hour-long event, which was packed to the rafters, brought together existing and upcoming industry leaders under one roof. Every time a winner’s name was announced with fanfare, the entire room broke out to a chorus of claps, acknowledging the outstanding work they had done in their respective departments.
All in all, the evening was a resounding success and remains a talking point in the industry. Winners went all out on social media – be it Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat or LinkedIn – posting photos, videos and stories of themselves with the coveted Hotelier India Awards trophy.
This once again highlighted how Hotelier India will always act as the industry’s lodestone in unearthing the best talent, wherever they might be.
