Restaurant India News: Courtyard by Marriott Tirupati Appoints Prasanna Thiruvenkadam as Director of Sales

Courtyard by Marriott Tirupati has appointed Prasanna Thiruvenkadam as Director of Sales as the hotel looks to strengthen its commercial operations in Tirupati’s growing hospitality and spiritual tourism market.

Prasanna brings more than a decade of experience in hospitality sales, business development, and revenue management across multiple hotel brands. In his new role, he will oversee sales strategy, commercial growth, and market positioning for the newly opened property.

His responsibilities will include driving business across key hospitality segments such as spiritual tourism, leisure travel, corporate bookings, MICE, weddings, social events, and travel trade partnerships. He was also part of the hotel’s pre-opening team and contributed to building its initial sales and business development framework ahead of launch.

Industry analysts note that Tirupati is emerging as an important hospitality market due to rising pilgrimage travel, improving infrastructure, and increasing demand for organised hotel accommodation across business and leisure categories.

Before joining Marriott International, Prasanna held leadership roles with Accor, where he managed cluster sales operations and developed market expertise across South India, particularly in Chennai and Coimbatore. He has also worked with Hilton and Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts in sales-focused roles.

Prasanna Thiruvenkadam, Director of Sales, Courtyard by Marriott Tirupati, said, "Tirupati is a truly unique and dynamic market, with strong demand spanning spiritual travel, family stays, corporate movement, and social events. I am delighted to join Courtyard by Marriott Tirupati at such an important stage of the hotel's journey. My focus will be on building meaningful partnerships, deepening our presence across key segments, and ensuring that the hotel becomes the preferred destination for guests and business partners across the region."

Samata Danday Chand, Hotel Manager, Courtyard by Marriott Tirupati, said, "We are very pleased to welcome Prasanna to our leadership team. His extensive knowledge of the South Indian market, combined with his relationship-driven approach to sales and his ability to identify and convert new business opportunities, will be a significant asset as we establish Courtyard by Marriott Tirupati in this vibrant market. We are confident that his leadership will contribute meaningfully to the hotel's commercial success and long-term growth."

Hospitality consultants say experienced commercial leadership is becoming increasingly important for newly launched hotels as operators compete for market share across religious tourism, destination events, and corporate travel segments.