It was an evening to remember. All roads in Delhi led to JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity where the 14th Annual Hotelier India Awards 2023 culminated in a grand celebratory event.
Industry leaders, hospitality professionals, budding hoteliers – all assembled to witness the biggest awards’ event in the hospitality industry. An event that rewarded the finest talents in the industry. An event that celebrated not just young hoteliers and General Managers but also Housekeepers and Chief Engineers. And an event that brought together the entire industry under one roof to celebrate the hard work and commitment of its contributors.
JURY, JUDGING & GRILLING
This edition, Hotelier India received a record 1,800 plus entries across 18 categories, making it tough for the esteemed jury members to sift, assess and judge. But the jury’s enthusiasm remained sky-high when they assembled in Mumbai last month to shortlist the winners at the Jury Meet at JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar.
They remained equally exuberant when they arrived in Delhi early morning on the day of the awards’ show on December 11th, 2023, to select the winners for the ‘GM of the year’ category – the most coveted category of the lot. This selection process, which happened during the day at JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity, included the shortlisted GMs coming down to the venue from across the country to get grilled by the Grand Jury over multiple rounds of interviews…
WELCOMING ONE AND ALL
5 p.m and the Grand Crystal Ballroom of the hotel was abuzz with hospitality professionals from across the country meeting and greeting each other. Host Sangeeta Singh, in her vibrant beautiful self, started the awards’ night with a glowing introduction of the awards. She also added how in its 14th edition, the Hotelier India Awards has only grown from strength to strength, promising to raise the bar with every passing year.
She then requested Bibhor Srivastava, Managing Director, ITP Media India, to present a welcome address. Srivastava, thanking everyone present in the audience, said, “It warms my heart to see a hall full to its capacity. I understand from Marriott associates that we are 700 plus here today on a Monday evening. All of you have really shown your love for ITP Media and Hotelier India. However, at ITP, we don’t just measure numbers, we treasure you. We treasure each and everyone here inside this hall and outside, who are supporting us by watching us live.”
FELICITATIONS GALORE
The Guest of Honour for the evening, His Excellency Mohamed Maliki, Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco, who was accompanied to the event by Ar Dikshu Kukreja, Honorary Consul General for the Republic of Albania, was invited on the stage for a special felicitation.
This was followed by felicitation of the host hotels – JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar for partnering to host the Grand Jury meet, and JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity for hosting the 14th Hotelier India Awards – without whom the event wouldn’t have been so grand and successful. Sharad Datta, General Manager, JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity, and Kunal Chauhan, General Manager, JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, were invited on stage to receive special plaques.
Rajesh Mehra, Director and Promoter of Jaquar Group, then captivated the audience with his compelling vision, after which Syed Ishtiyaq, General Manager, Howell India, took centrestage with an insightful industry address.
THE SPECIAL AWARDS
And then started the awards… Among the very special ones that kickstarted the momentous night, the first one was the Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award which was bestowed upon the Late Shri PRS Oberoi, and which was graciously accepted by Arjun Oberoi, Executive Chairman, EIH Limited. With his passing away last year, the Indian hospitality industry lost one of its founding fathers. A man who created an empire that redefined luxury and left behind a legacy that will inspire generations to come. Hotelier India paid tribute to the Late Shri PRS Oberoi by bestowing the Posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award upon him, which was graciously accepted by Arjun Oberoi, Executive Chairman, The Oberoi Group.
In a heart-warming address to a packed audience, Arjun expressed his gratitude to Hotelier India and said, “I thank you so much for honouring Mr Oberoi this evening. We’ve run out of superlatives to appreciate the contribution he has made to the industry. He raised the bar for our industry to challenge itself and India really shines today because of his incredible determination and commitment. We stand here to carry his legacy forward in the same spirit he would like us to.”
A tribute video was then played, which moved the audience and made them all stand up to give a standing ovation to a legend in the world of hospitality.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was then presented to Dr Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson and Managing Director, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, who, in her warm acceptance speech, said, “I couldn’t have done it without the support of my wonderful team and family. I feel really privileged to receive this award.”
The Hall of Fame Awards were given to Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Founder, Food Food TV and WonderChef, and Harshavardhan Neotia, Chairman, Ambuja Neotia Group. In his cheerful speech, Chef Kapoor, thanking the magazine for the honour, said, “This industry has given me everything. Though I have dabbled in other industries too, my heart still beats for this one. I have been lucky to get so much love and affection from this industry, and I hope I continue to get that. I promise I will continue to give whatever I have to this industry.”
Neotia, in his warm address, stated, “I am a very late entrant into hospitality. Funnily enough, my very first project, about 40 years ago, was a small club in Kolkata, which I set up when I was 25 years old. But then life took me in a different direction, and I spent a great amount of time in building the family business in cement and real estate. The hospitality bug, however, was always there. I am touched, being conferred with this very prestigious award.”
WINSOME!
The winners for the 18 categories were then declared one by one by the host, and the evening was brimming with happy cheers and resounding applause. Veterans and industry leaders presented the trophies to the chosen ones, whose excitement knew no bounds as they strode towards the stage.
The awards’ night ended with the winners, industry veterans and delegates bonding over sizzling cocktails, a sumptuous and lavish spread specially curated by the F&B team of JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity, and exciting photoshoots.
The 14th Annual Hotelier India Awards – the pride of Hotelier India and the pride of the Indian hospitality industry – shone with the brilliance of individual and group achievements, and celebrated excellence in its true glory!
