The Hotel Association of India (HAI), the apex body representing the Indian hospitality industry, has unveiled a landmark initiative — an industry-first, structured mentorship platform designed exclusively for the hotel sector. This programme comes at a time when the industry is witnessing significant growth, especially in the tier II and III cities i.e. covering about 50 locations.
This initiative aims to address the widening talent gap in the Indian hotel sector and support its sustainable growth. The focus is on leadership development, career progression, organisational culture, and improving employee attraction towards the sector and their retention and engagement. A team of domain experts from HAI member hotels has designed the operational framework.
Hailing the initiative as a game-changer for the Indian tourism landscape,while launching the programme, the Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of Tourism, said, “The Hotel Association of India’s innovative programme marks a significant step towards establishing India as a global tourism powerhouse, with an ambitious goal of creating a US$ 3 trillion tourism economy by 2047. As the demand for tourism continues to surge, the need for talented and visionary leaders in hospitality has never been greater. This programme will develop professionals prepared to lead the future of tourism and hospitality, setting a high standard that inspires excellence beyond our borders.”
KB Kachru, President, Hotel Association of India, Chairman, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, added, “This is a one of its kind initiative by industry experts – rooted in the guru-shishya parampara, to provide expert mentorship, and inspire a lasting commitment to the future of hospitality leadership in India. The government and industry have set a target of creating around million branded hotel rooms to achieve the India Tourism vision 2047. This will require an addition of around 1,00,000 middle to senior management hotel managers to the existing pool.” HAI will work with its member hotels to adopt this programme and embed it into their brand culture, empowering future leaders and strengthening India’s position as a world-class hospitality destination.
