The Hotel Association of India (HAI), the apex body for the nation’s hospitality industry, has rolled out an industry-first, structured mentoring initiative exclusively tailored for the hotel sector. This landmark program comes amid strong growth in hospitality, especially across tier-2 and tier-3 cities, covering roughly 50 locations nationwide.
The initiative is designed to tackle the growing talent gap in the Indian hotel industry while fostering sustainable sector growth. Its core focus areas include leadership development, career advancement, organizational culture enhancement, and strategies to attract, retain, and engage skilled employees. The program’s operational framework was crafted by a panel of domain experts from HAI member hotels.
Calling the program a transformative move for Indian tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, The Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, said during the launch: “The Hotel Association of India’s innovative program marks a significant step towards establishing India as a global tourism powerhouse, with an ambitious goal of creating a USD 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 program will develop professionals prepared to lead the future of tourism and hospitality, setting a high standard that inspires excellence beyond our borders.”
HAI President and Radisson Hotel Group Chairman – South Asia, KB Kachru, highlighted its uniqueness: “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 100,000 middle to senior management hotel managers to the existing pool.”
HAI plans to collaborate with its member hotels to integrate this program into their brand culture, aiming to empower future leaders and solidify India’s standing as a premier global hospitality destination.
