Restaurant India News: Sarovar Hotels Strengthens Leadership Team Amid Expansion Plans

Sarovar Hotels has announced a set of senior leadership appointments as part of its broader plan to strengthen operational capabilities and support portfolio expansion across India, Nepal and Africa. The appointments focus on institutional hospitality, pre-opening operations, and design services, areas that are critical to scaling hotel operations in multiple markets.

The company has named Pavan Kumar as Director – Institutional Hospitality, Sonuraj K. R. as General Manager – Pre Openings, and Anuj Sharma as Director – Design Services within the Corporate Development team. The additions are intended to deepen functional leadership and improve execution across development, operations, and technical services.

Jatin Khanna, CEO, Sarovar Hotels, said, “At Sarovar, we believe that strong leadership is at the core of sustained growth and operational excellence. These strategic appointments bring invaluable experience, fresh perspectives, and deep domain expertise into the system. As we step into a new chapter of expansion, strengthening our leadership bandwidth ensures that our teams are well-equipped to deliver exceptional outcomes across development, operations, design, and guest experience.”

In his new role, Pavan Kumar will oversee institutional and bulk hospitality operations. He brings prior leadership experience from ISS and Sodexo Facility Management, along with operational exposure across Radisson Hyderabad, The Lalit, ITC Hotels, Taj Hotels, and The Oberoi. His appointment aligns with Sarovar’s focus on strengthening large-format and institutional hospitality services.

Sonuraj K. R., appointed General Manager – Pre Openings, will be responsible for driving launch readiness and operational execution for upcoming properties. His professional background includes assignments at Cloud9 Sarovar Premiere Palolem, Sobit Sarovar Portico, DLF Mall Chennai, Hyatt, Hilton, and The Park Chennai, positioning him to manage multi-city hotel openings.

Anuj Sharma joins the Corporate Development team as Director – Design Services, bringing over 17 years of experience in hospitality design and project delivery. His expertise spans concept development, design coordination, and end-to-end execution, supporting Sarovar’s ongoing investments in infrastructure and new hotel development.

These appointments come as Sarovar Hotels continues to expand its presence in emerging markets while strengthening operational systems across its existing portfolio. The leadership restructuring reflects a focus on building internal capabilities to manage growth, improve execution timelines, and maintain consistency across brands and geographies.