IFC – a member of the World Bank – is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries. A part of the global Tourism, Retail and Property (TRP) team, I am responsible for evaluating project investments, supporting portfolio operations, advising on sector strategy, and sharing key sector knowledge and trends.o Participating in business origination activities, building client networks, and maintaining client relationships.o Appraising the technical and commercial feasibility of potential projects and companies that are seeking an investment from IFC (including analysis of key areas such as business model, hotel market, management and operations capacity, operating agreements, and capex, as well as preparation of comprehensive financial projections).o Participating in portfolio management of existing projects and driving value-addition by providing expert advice to clients on key aspects of their operations and performance.o Supporting the development and implementation of IFC’s Tourism sector strategy both globally and regionally.o Contributing to the development and internal and external dissemination of information, knowledge and benchmarking relevant to the tourism sector.

As a sub-regional team lead, I was heading hotel underwriting, brand strategy, and business intelligence for providing support to hotel development, conversion, and renovation/repositioning opportunities for all Marriott lodging products in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and in the Maldives. My responsibilities included:o Conducting market research and competitive assessment through fieldwork, site inspection and interviews for formulating brand & facility program recommendations, preparing financial projections and authoring feasibility reports.o Carrying out renovation and repositioning analyses for existing hotels.o Customising responses to RFP’s and providing collaborative solutions.o Supporting new brand launches and setting development strategies in APAC through competitive landscape research and providing brand positioning recommendations.o Tracking competition by market and company and gathering owner and real estate intelligence.o Managing the Gurgaon-based team, assigning projects, training, reviewing deliverables and coordinating with key stakeholders in the region.

Led the Revenue Management function for Hyatt Hotels and Resorts in India. o Oversaw and developed revenue processes to ensure effective market pricing, distribution and channel management and evolution of revenue management best practices for current and future Hyatt hotels.o Applied company policies on revenue management relating to strategic interaction and implementation to ensure that the India hotels are aligned to overall company objectives.o Delivered India revenue performance goals – evaluated performance and initiated ideas on revenue generation that underpinned hotel revenue objectives and operational requirements.o Worked closely with the Sales and Marketing function for providing ongoing analysis and feedback to hotels on effectiveness of past and future market penetration strategies.o Evaluated supply and demand dynamics reflective of the aligned competitive hotel environments to aid hotels in establishing strategic annual business plans.o Led positioning workshops for hotels (existing and proposed) to define their market positioning and long term penetration.o Supported revenue clusters in ideating and implementing initiatives to drive ROI from clusters.o Formulated and implemented market entry strategies for new hotels in the country.o Supported recruitment and training of revenue management personnel.

o Oversaw operations of the South Asia Consulting and Valuation Team.o Led studies, portfolios and conducted strategic advisory assignments across South Asia and Asia Pacific Regions. o Provided strategic advice and asset management services to under-performing hotel assets with emphasis on topline (total revenue) maximisation.

o Led studies, portfolios and conducted strategic advisory assignments across South Asia.o Carried out business development activities and lead conversion.o Drove and motivated team members towards execution and closure of consulting assignments while adhering to standard operating procedures.o Mentored analysts and aided their growth and development in the company.o Participated in planning and executing hotel investment conferences in the South Asia region.

o Conducted Feasibility Studies, Market Area Analyses and Valuations independently.o Supervised analysts and coaching them on models and boilers.

o Conducted Feasibility Studies, Market Area Analyses and Valuations under supervision.o Preparation of vanilla and complex proposals for leads and opportunities.

Was heading the revenue management function at the Taj Palace, New Delhi prior to which was assigned to the Taj President, Mumbai. Additionally, oversaw the South India Leisure cluster of hotels for a short duration. o Was responsible for optimising departmental revenues (predominantly rooms and catering) at the hotel. Daily tasks revolved around rate strategies including all packages and promotions, distribution strategies, content management, and implementing strategic and tactical promotions and alliances with GDS and OTA partners. o Actively participated in the annual budgeting process.o Provided technical and training support to reservations and front office on up-selling and negotiation techniques.

The Taj Club is the elite category of rooms at the Taj Luxury Hotels, which aims at providing its guests with a unique ‘Hotel within a Hotel’ experience. o Was responsible for overall departmental revenue maximisation and guest experience.o Managed room requirements for heads of states visits, corporate and leisure groups.o Coordinated with support departments such as reservations, butler services and housekeeping to ensure optimal guest satisfaction.

Was a member of the pre-opening team in the Housekeeping division at the first Shangri-La hotel in India. o Was actively involved in pre-snagging, snagging and set up of guest floors and other front as well as back-of-the-house areas.o Helped to formulate standard operating procedures through a combination of time and motion studies and corporate guidelines.o Designed the floor pantries on the guest floors and determined the par stock levels for linen and supplies.