The International Hospitality Council (IHC) London observed International Hospitality Day through a prestigious award ceremony held on 18th July 2022. The International Hospitality Day Awards, Mumbai paid tribute to a number of people who have contributed immensely to the Hospitality industry through their hard work, innovation and ideas.
The most prestigious award of the series, the Lifetime Achievement Award, went to Chef Satish Arora, Director, Food Production at Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces. Chef Satish became the world’s youngest executive chef to handle a Five Star’s kitchen at the age of 26, casting a magical spell with his culinary talent on guests at the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. From Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles to former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Chef Satish has mesmerised many global personalities with his extraordinary culinary skills. His guests include heads of states like Bill Clinton, Indira Gandhi and Neil Armstrong. While receiving his award, he said, “This award is the icing on the cake because a dream that Dr Suborno Bose saw about two decades ago is showing great results and is a boon to the hospitality industry. When I was executive chef, the industry was starved of good professionals. We had to do extensive training. But today, Dr Bose and IIHM are doing a wonderful job of helping us. IIHM students are at par with national standards. I thank IHC for this memorable award.”
The International Hospitality Day Awards recognise the hard work and tireless contribution of hospitality professionals who have put in their best efforts to revive the industry after the two-year lull brought on by the pandemic. Dr Suborno Bose, the CEO and Convenor of the International Hospitality Council (IHC) said, “The International Hospitality Day Awards, Mumbai truly signify the bounce back of the industry. The hospitality industry was one of those that was badly hit during the pandemic. But the way it had come back with a vengeance, the figures of sales and profits are equal to 2019 figures, is amazing. The industry has rediscovered and reimagined itself is truly commendable. The awards ceremony organised jointly by IHC and IIHM, India’s largest hotel school chain, is a celebration of the bounce back of the hospitality industry after the Covid-19 pandemic. I take this opportunity to congratulate all my friends in the hospitality industry in India and the world who have worked tirelessly with huge passion, enthusiasm and hope and we see the results in the form of huge success of the industry.”
Over 100 young hospitality professionals working in hotels and other sectors across India received the IHC Best Hospitality Professional Award. They were selected on the basis of merit and performance by the organisations they work for.
A special awards segment included the IHC Hospitality Leadership Awards that recognised the significant contributions of hospitality leaders and trendsetters. “We are here today to recognise all the outstanding and wonderful achievements of these icons and entrepreneurs. We must also thank all the professionals in the industry who have supported us during these difficult times. We are honouring the icons and entrepreneurs of the industry who are the artists of the industry. We must be very proud of our industry and its people,” said Prof David Foskett, MBE, Chairman of IHC.
Several personalities from the industry who have made a difference through their unique ideas received the IHC Outstanding Contribution to the Hospitality Industry Award. Those receiving this award included:
- Atul Bhalla, Area Manager for ITC Hotels in West and East India and General Manager, ITC Maratha Mumbai.
- Sanjay Sethi, CEO and Managing Director, Chalet Hotels also received the award.
- Ranvir Bhandari, Senior VP and GM, Trident Nariman Point.
- Sharad Datta, General Manager, The Westin Mumbai Garden City.
- Manish Gupta, CEO, Taj SATS Air Catering Limited.
- Anuraag Bhatnagar, COO, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts.
- Param Kannampilly, Chairman and MD, Concept Hospitality Pvt Ltd, The Fern Hotels & Resorts.
- Shib Sankar Mukherji, Executive Vice Chairman, The Oberoi Group.
- Puneet Dhawan, Senior VP, Operations, Accor India & South Asia.
- Jyoti Mayal, President, Travel Agents Association of India.
- Nikita Ramchandani, General Manager, JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu.
Tourism is an integral part of hospitality industry and IHC took the initiative to award those who try to promote tourism in the country. The IHC Outstanding Contribution to Development of Tourism Award went to Carl Vaz, Chairman and CEO, Chairperson Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd.
IHC has always respected and applauded women achievers in the hospitality sector. These award went to some amazing women who have contributed immensely to the industry.
- Ananya Banerjee, Chef, Consultant, Author, Globetrotter, Artist.
- Sonal Holland, Master of Wine and wine professional. Sonal is India’s first and only Master of Wine, and also the country’s most accomplished wine professional.
- Shatbhi Basu, India's first Woman Bartender and consultant, brand ambassador and mixologist.
The IHC Outstanding Hospitality Influencer Award went to Bibhor Srivastava, MD, ITP Media India. Bibhor has over two decades of work experience in Senior Management roles in publishing, audience development and media related events and exhibitions, marketing and sales management and business development.
Hospitality’s contribution to society was recognised through the IHC Hospitality for a Cause Award. The award went to the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust (TPSWT) that was set up in December 2008, in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks. Inspired by the resilience of the survivors and the courage of those who came to their aid, they reach out to people affected by disasters with support to rebuild their lives. They also have a special mandate for the welfare of injured and disabled members of the armed forces. Since their inception, they have worked for relief and rehabilitation initiatives across the country, with a strong commitment to helping survivors regain their confidence and independence.
Hospitality entrepreneurs are making a huge difference to the industry and IHC acknowledged their contribution through the Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which was awarded to Sidharth Gupta, Co-founder at Treebo, Hotel Superhero. Treebo Hotels and Hotel Superhero were Sidharth Gupta’s brainchild. Treebo is a technology-enabled hotel brand operating in the budget segment and is present in over 800 locations across 150 cities with a network size of 15,000 rooms. Hotel Superhero is a comprehensive hotel management software thatallows hotels to manage their business on a cloud-native SaaS platform.
Finally, the IHC Rising Star of the Year Award went to Anant Leekha, Cluster General Manager at Accor. Anant has a rich experience of over 16 years with groups like Lemontree and Accor.
This article has been produced on behalf of IIHM by ABP Digital Brand Studio.
