Fairmont Udaipur Palace has announced the appointment of Siddhartha Mehendale as Director of Finance. Set against the Aravalli Hills, the palace strengthens its leadership team with a seasoned finance professional bringing over 25 years of experience across luxury hospitality and international markets.

In his new role, Mehendale will oversee financial planning, budgeting and forecasting, procurement, compliance and strategic resource optimisation. His mandate includes ensuring robust financial stewardship that supports the palace’s vision of timeless luxury, exceptional guest experiences and long-term value creation.

A seasoned finance business partner, Mehendale has built a distinguished career across India, the Middle East and island destinations, driving profitability, strengthening governance frameworks and enabling sustainable growth. Most recently, he served as Director of Finance at Novotel Kolkata Hotel & Residences, where he led long-term financial strategy, revenue optimisation, cost-efficiency initiatives and compliance excellence while mentoring a large finance team.

His professional journey includes senior leadership roles with Accor Group across multiple properties, including multi-property Director of Finance for Novotel and ibis Bengaluru, as well as assignments at Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre, ibis Pune and international postings in Qatar, Maldives and Bahrain. His expertise spans pre-opening operations, CAPEX planning, audit excellence, contract renegotiations and implementation of global internal control systems.

Recognised for balancing fiscal discipline with business enablement, Mehendale has been honoured with the Accor Finance Person of the Year awards in 2014 and 2024.

Commenting on his appointment, Mehendale said he looks forward to building strong financial foundations that enable innovation, excellence and sustainable growth at Fairmont Udaipur Palace.

Eight Continents Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Javed Akhtar to its Advisory Board. The move comes as the luxury hotel management group accelerates its focus on long-term growth, asset optimisation, alternative revenue streams and enhanced guest lifetime value across its portfolio.

In his advisory role, Javed will collaborate with the leadership team to guide strategic initiatives spanning loyalty-led growth, experiential revenue integration, alternative monetisation channels, AI-enabled guest engagement frameworks and global partnership expansion.

Bringing over two decades of cross-sector experience, Javed began his career in hotel operations, gaining first-hand expertise in occupancy management, distribution strategy, guest experience and asset profitability. He is the founder of TripXOXO (TravelPort Digital), one of Asia’s largest aggregators of experiences operating in over 140 countries with access to more than 50,000 attractions. He also leads RewardPort, a consumer promotions and loyalty solutions company that has partnered with more than 200 brands to design reward ecosystems and engagement programmes.

Richa Adhia, Managing Director of Eight Continents Hotels & Resorts, welcomed the appointment, highlighting Javed’s strategic leadership in hospitality and loyalty-driven revenue frameworks as key to strengthening the group’s long-term value creation strategy.

Commenting on his new role, Javed noted that the brand’s design-led and culturally rooted approach offers strong potential to integrate loyalty, experiential commerce and AI-driven engagement to unlock sustainable growth.

Founded in 2020 by Haninder Sachdeva, Eight Continents Hotels & Resorts operates across India, the UK and East Africa, with a portfolio including Ocho Homes, Hanric, Treetop and Stamps, delivering design-led boutique hospitality experiences.

Accor has announced the appointment of Amitabh Rai as chief operating officer – luxury, South Asia, strengthening its leadership team at a crucial phase of regional expansion.

In this strategic role, Rai will lead the operational and strategic direction of Accor’s luxury and lifestyle portfolio across South Asia. His mandate includes delivering distinctive guest experiences and driving sustained performance across the group’s marquee brands, Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Sofitel.

With nearly three decades of hospitality experience across India and Indonesia, Rai is recognised for building empowered teams and navigating complex business environments with consistent results. He began his career with Oberoi Hotels & Resorts after graduating from The Oberoi School of Hotel Management, going on to become one of the youngest general managers of his time.

In 2018, he joined Marriott International as General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore and later oversaw Marriott’s Hyderabad market. Most recently, he served as Multi-Property General Manager for The Ritz-Carlton, Jakarta and JW Marriott, Jakarta, further strengthening his global luxury credentials.

Commenting on the appointment, Ranju Alex, Chief Executive Officer, Accor South Asia, said, “Amitabh’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for Accor’s luxury journey in South Asia. His deep operational expertise, people-first leadership style and sharp strategic lens make him exceptionally well-suited to lead our luxury and lifestyle portfolio. Amitabh has a rare ability to balance brand integrity with commercial excellence, and we are confident he will play a defining role in shaping the next phase of growth for our luxury brands in the region.”

In his new role, Rai will define and execute Accor’s long-term strategic vision for its luxury and lifestyle brands in South Asia. His focus areas include driving financial excellence, strengthening brand differentiation, and fostering a culture rooted in learning, trust, and innovation.

Speaking on his appointment, Rai said, “It is a privilege to join Accor at such an exciting moment for luxury hospitality and Accor’s expansion plans in the region. Accor’s commitment to purposeful growth, distinctive brands, and people-centric leadership strongly resonates with my own values. I look forward to working closely with our teams to craft memorable guest experiences, nurture talent and build future-ready luxury destinations that are both meaningful and sustainable.”

With this appointment, Accor signals its intent to sharpen its luxury positioning in South Asia while accelerating growth across key markets.