• Taj Palace New Delhi   

As India stepped into the 'Amrit Kaal' on the country's 75th Republic Day and embarked upon the journey of realising the vision 2047 for a 'New India', the Hotel Association of India (HAI) has geared up to host the 6th edition of its signature event, the HAI Hoteliers' Conclave on 12 February 2024 at The Taj Palace New Delhi. Titled 'Hospitality – The Engine for GDP Growth and Employment', the daylong conference will be attended by hospitality professionals, including hotel owners and CEOs, policymakers and professionals from all across the country.

The conclave will be addressed in different sessions by Smt. Smriti Irani – Hon'ble Minister of Women and Child Development, Government of India, lieutenant Governor of Delhi Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, Shri Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, former CEO Niti Aayog, Ms. V. Vidyavathi IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. The event will be led by Puneet Chhatwal, President, HAI and Managing Director & CEO, IHCL, and Mr. KB Kachru, Vice President, HAI and Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor (South Asia), Radisson Hotel Group.

Mr. Rohit Khosla, Conclave Convenor and Executive Vice President – Operations, North and West India, IHCL said, "The programme has been curated with the objective of bringing key decision makers in the hospitality sector together on a single platform to debate lessons learnt, assess future problems and opportunities, and determine a progressive growth path for the industry. The year has started well mostly on account of Events and domestic and we are really excited to discuss and grow together."

The inaugural address will be delivered by Shri Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa, former CEO Niti Aayog and the architect of the brands God's Own Country and Incredible India. In addition to delivering a keynote address, Ms. V. Vidyavathi, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India will interact with industry leaders in a plenary session. The grand finale will be a keynote address by Guest of honour, lieutenant Governor of Delhi Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena.

Commenting on the event, Mr. Puneet Chhatwal, MD & CEO of the Indian Hotels Company Limited and President of HAI, stated, "The 6th HAI Hoteliers' Conclave is a convergence of industry leaders and visionaries, charting the course for India's hospitality sector. It's an opportunity to unlock the immense potential of our tourism industry and set the stage for unprecedented growth."

Mr. MP Bezbaruah, Secretary General, Hotel Association of India, said, "The sector has already crossed the pre pandemic levels and with domestic tourism on all-time high, the sector will play a key role in India's Vision 2047. All indicators of growth suggest that the momentum will be maintained and improve in 2024.As the industry welcomes the New Year, the platform will provide a great opportunity to discuss, share collaborate and reach greater heights as an Industry."

The session titled 'The View from the Top' during the event will be moderated by Mr. Nakul Anand, former- Executive Director of ITC Ltd. Esteemed panellists for this discussion will feature hotel veterans Dr. (Ms.) Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson & Managing Director of Bharat Hotels Ltd, Mr. Vikram Oberoi, CEO and Managing Director, The Oberoi Group, Mr. Patu Keswani, Chairman & Managing Director of Lemon Tree Hotels Ltd, and Sanjay Sethi Managing Director and CEO, Chalet Hotels Limited.

The Plenary sessions will highlight topics such as Operational excellence. Technology's role in the industry will be discussed in a fireside Chat with the CEO and Co-founder of MakeMyTrip and Mr. Patu Keswani, Chairman & Managing Director, Lemon Tree Hotels Ltd.; Mr. Ajay Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd. will moderate on employment challenges in hospitality with domain experts from hotels, skill council, hospitality institutes and human capital advisory. The States' Perspective will be presented by Mr. Achin Khanna, Managing Partner – Strategic Advisory, Hotelivatein a dialogue with state tourism officials and leader of regional hotel body. Mr. Harmeet Singh Bedi, Senior director, Hotels & Hospitality Group India Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (JLL) will provide a future industry outlook in a cutting-edge presentation.

The much-awaited sessions of the day will be the conversations with Smt. Smriti Irani – Hon'ble Minister of Women and Child Development, Government of India Shri. Puneet Chhatwal – Managing Director and CEO, The Indian Hotels Company Limited to be moderated by Smt. Navika Kumar - Group Editor-in-Chief, Times Now and Times Now Navbharat.

The Event will conclude by Vote of Thanks by Secretary General, HAI.

HAI has been highlighting industry issues and has constantly striven to enable favourable policy interventions not just with the Central Govt. but across States. HAI has played an instrumental role in some key policy announcements and worked closely with other Industry bodies including CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, FAITH, WTTCII, etc. The Conclave will also provide partner companies and solution providers an opportunity to network closely with Indian Hotel Industry's corporate decision makers and explore possibilities of developing long term business relationships.