Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata and Ozone Convention Center have announced the appointment of Prasanta Nandi as the new Director of Food & Beverage. With more than 15 years of experience across luxury and upper-upscale hospitality brands, Prasanta brings extensive expertise in operational excellence, guest experience, commercial performance, and strategic Food & Beverage leadership.

Prasanta started his hospitality journey in operations, building hands-on experience across guest service, restaurant operations, bars, banqueting, and outdoor catering. This operational foundation continues to influence his leadership approach, giving him a balanced understanding of both guest-facing experiences and backend management.

Over the years, he has worked with some of the hospitality industry’s leading brands including Hyatt, Marriott, Starwood, and The Leela Group. His professional experience spans restaurant management, beverage operations, large-format banqueting, outdoor catering, sales strategy, and departmental leadership.

Before joining Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata, Prasanta served as Director of Food & Beverage at Hyatt Centric Ballygunge Kolkata, where he managed the hotel’s restaurants, bars, banquets, and overall dining strategy. During his tenure, several of the hotel’s dining concepts received industry recognition. Cal-On and YAYAvar were honoured at the Times of India Food and Nightlife Awards in 2025 and 2026 respectively, while YAYAvar also received recognition at the Telegraph Food Awards 2026.

Cal-On further earned accolades including Best Microbrewery/Taproom in the People’s Choice category by 30 Best Bars and ET F&B Leaders East, along with recognition from the NDTV Food Awards and The Economic Times Restaurant and Nightlife Awards in 2025.

Throughout his career, Prasanta has led multi-outlet Food & Beverage operations, managed large-scale banqueting and high-profile events, improved operational efficiencies, and delivered strong commercial performance. His contributions have also been recognised with awards including the BW Hotelier National Zone Winner – Head of F&B 2024–25 and the F&B Manager Award by IHC London and IIHM in 2023.

Outside of work, Prasanta enjoys travelling across rural India, where he draws inspiration from regional cuisines, local cultures, and culinary traditions. He believes hospitality is shaped through meaningful human connections, storytelling, and memorable food experiences alongside operational excellence.

In his new role, Prasanta will focus on strengthening the Food & Beverage offerings at Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata through enhanced guest experiences, operational consistency, market-relevant dining concepts, and improved commercial performance. His vision is to position the hotel as a dependable and approachable dining destination for both hotel guests and the local Kolkata audience.

At Ozone Convention Center, he will work towards strengthening the venue’s positioning as a preferred destination for weddings, conferences, corporate events, and social celebrations. Leveraging his expertise in large-scale banqueting and event management, he aims to create seamless and memorable experiences through thoughtful planning and personalised service.

“We are delighted to welcome Prasanta Nandi to Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata and Ozone Convention Center. His extensive experience across leading hospitality brands, combined with his strong operational expertise and progressive approach towards Food & Beverage, will further strengthen our dining and events landscape. We are confident that his leadership will bring fresh perspectives, elevate guest experiences, and contribute significantly towards positioning Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata and Ozone Convention Center as preferred destinations for both dining and celebrations in the city,” said Somrup Chanda, General Manager, Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata and Ozone Convention Centre.

United Hospitality Management India has announced the appointment of Ricardo Leal as Vice President Operations – India & Southeast Asia, further strengthening its leadership structure across key growth markets in the region.

Based in India, Ricardo will oversee operational performance across all company-managed properties in India and Southeast Asia. He will report to Deepika Arora while also taking responsibility for Southeast Asia operations under the leadership of Klaus Assmann.

The appointment comes as UHM India continues to expand its footprint across high-growth hospitality markets. The company is focusing on strengthening operational performance, improving guest experiences, and building long-term value for stakeholders as India remains a major focus market for the group.

Ricardo Leal brings more than 20 years of international hospitality leadership experience across luxury and ultra-luxury segments. Over the course of his career, he has worked across multiple global markets with expertise spanning hotel feasibility studies, design planning, pre-opening strategies, repositioning projects, and large-scale operational management.

In his new role, Ricardo will focus on driving operational consistency, improving property performance, and aligning hotel operations with the company’s long-term growth strategy across India and Southeast Asia.

Speaking about the appointment, Deepika Arora described Ricardo’s addition as an important step in the company’s next phase of expansion, highlighting his combination of global experience and operational leadership.

Commenting on his new role, Ricardo Leal shared that he is excited to join UHM during a key growth phase and looks forward to working closely with teams across the region to strengthen operational standards and guest satisfaction.

With this leadership appointment, United Hospitality Management India continues to reinforce its focus on strategic growth, operational excellence, and delivering strong hospitality experiences across its expanding regional portfolio.

Kochi Marriott Hotel has announced the appointment of Sri Ram Kumar V as its new Director of Engineering.

With more than 14 years of experience in hospitality engineering operations, Sri Ram Kumar brings expertise in hotel pre-openings, project management, preventive maintenance, energy conservation, and technical operations across luxury hospitality brands in India and the Middle East.

In his new position, he will lead all engineering and maintenance functions at Kochi Marriott Hotel. His responsibilities will include overseeing preventive maintenance systems, supporting sustainability initiatives, ensuring engineering compliance, and maintaining smooth operational support to strengthen guest experience and hotel efficiency.

He will also collaborate closely with the hotel’s Loss Prevention team on safety protocols and emergency preparedness measures.

Recognised for his technical knowledge and practical leadership approach, Sri Ram Kumar has consistently focused on improving engineering standards, enhancing energy efficiency, and ensuring reliable operational performance throughout his career.

Speaking about his appointment, Sri Ram Kumar shared that he is honoured to join Kochi Marriott Hotel and looks forward to building efficient and sustainable engineering operations while working closely with teams across departments.

With this appointment, Kochi Marriott Hotel continues to strengthen its operational leadership while focusing on reliability, sustainability, and guest-centric service standards.