Sarovar Hotels Announces Senior Leadership Appointments to Support Expansion

Sarovar Hotels has announced a series of senior leadership appointments as part of its broader strategy to strengthen operational depth and support its expansion across India, Nepal, and Africa. The appointments reinforce key functions including institutional hospitality, pre-opening operations, and design services, all critical to scaling the group’s multi-market hotel portfolio.

As part of the leadership enhancement, Pavan Kumar has been appointed Director – Institutional Hospitality, Sonuraj K. R. takes on the role of General Manager – Pre Openings, and Anuj Sharma joins the Corporate Development team as Director – Design Services. The additions are aimed at strengthening functional leadership and improving execution across development, operations, and technical services.

Commenting on the appointments, Jatin Khanna, CEO, Sarovar Hotels, said, “Strong leadership remains central to Sarovar’s growth and operational excellence. These appointments bring deep domain expertise, fresh perspectives, and proven execution capabilities. As we enter a new phase of expansion, enhancing our leadership bandwidth will help us deliver consistent outcomes across development, operations, design, and guest experience.”

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

Sonuraj K. R., appointed General Manager – Pre Openings, will be responsible for ensuring launch readiness and seamless operational execution for upcoming properties. His experience spans assignments with Cloud9 Sarovar Premiere Palolem, Sobit Sarovar Portico, DLF Mall Chennai, Hyatt, Hilton, and The Park Chennai, equipping him to manage multi-city hotel openings effectively.

Anuj Sharma, who joins as Director – Design Services, brings over 17 years of experience in hospitality design and project delivery. His expertise in concept development, design coordination, and end-to-end execution will support Sarovar’s ongoing investments in infrastructure and new hotel development.

These leadership appointments come as Sarovar Hotels continues to expand its footprint in emerging markets while strengthening systems and processes across its existing portfolio. The move underscores the group’s focus on building internal capabilities to manage scale, enhance execution timelines, and ensure consistency across brands and geographies.