Saurabh Chawla (IMHI 2006) is the Chief Executive Officer of Selina and was kind enough to answer some questions for us.

AAIMHI: Hello Saurabh, please can you tell the readers what are you doing now? And an overview of your career after IMHI.

Saurabh: I am heading the Global Real Estate division of ‘Selina’ (NASDAQ:SLNA) since January 2021. Selina is a young hotel brand for Millennials with over 140 hotels in 28 countries, and a disruptor of many sorts to the traditional hotels. It is truly captivating both to work in a ‘Start-Up’ culture and to grow a brand like no other. What a fascinating story as well which saw the first hotel opening in 2015, and seven years later a company listed on NASDAQ with US$1 Billion Valuation and with over 100 trading hotels.

Immediately after IMHI, in 2006, I started my career with HVS (London Office) – one of the major hospitality advisory firms, as a Consultant and then eventually grew into a Partner. This is where I was able to convert my freshly attained knowledge from IMHI to the real world. HVS was also an incredible school, and almost felt like an extension to IMHI, thanks to the large IMHI Alumni working there.

In 2012, and after having evaluated over 500 hotels across EMEA, I joined Groupe du Louvre in Paris first as Director for International Development to broaden my exposure to International markets. I eventually took over the role of Chief Development Officer, where I oversaw Growth, M&A, Asset management and International Operations. We grew the company from 60 new hotels a year to over 250 new hotels, through organic development and as well through several strategic M&A. It was an incredible role with a wide mandate and extensive learning.

AAIMHI: What made you join IMHI? Would you say that IMHI had an impact on your career?

Saurabh: Before joining IMHI, I had spent some years in hotel operations and had reached that ‘Glass Ceiling’, not only from a career advancement perspective but also from a learning perspective. It is when that need for further education originated. From there on the decision to join IMHI was easy as there were only a few schools offering me the transformation in career that I was seeking. 

All decisions we take in life have a sort of impact, however certain decisions are ‘Game-Changers’, and joining IMHI was one of them. Not only the learning was exponential, but thanks to IMHI I was also able to shape my career into the field of hospitality investment with ease (Something that I couldn’t have imagined without IMHI).

AAIMHI: Could you share an achievement you are particularly proud of?

Saurabh: When at Groupe du Louvre, we tried penetrating the Indian market organically for several years but without much luck. Given the size and importance of the market we decided to acquire a local business of scale. An obvious choice was to acquire Sarovar, which was one of the largest domestic hotel brand, co-founded by Ajay Bakaya, an alumni of IMHI. Thanks to the IMHI network, I was able to connect with Ajay, and several weeks later (including fending off a serious bid from another competitive group), we successfully closed this ‘one of its kind’ transaction in India. Thanks to this transaction Groupe du Louvre is now the market leader in India.

AAIMHI – Are there any lesson you learned that you would like to share with younger graduates?

Saurabh: The lesson I learned is to not be afraid to challenge the old habits. Remember that a clever/creative idea is not only worth a lot more but it’s much simpler to bring it to reality in today’s world thanks to the growing start-up culture.

It took me years to learn and experience (especially thanks to Selina) that our industry still has plenty of room for evolution. The world is changing rapidly, guests don’t want just a nice hotel, they want experiences, and they want to connect with both locals and other guests. Hotels, Hostels, Apartments, co-works are all blending into one with buzzing F&B outlets. If you have a dream, an idea, or you question why things are done a certain way, don’t hold yourself. Citizen M, Hoxton, Mama Shelter, Selina are a few examples of companies created by an entrepreneur with a different thinking on hospitality. 

AAIMHI: Do you believe the IMHI network  AAIMHI is important?

Saurabh: Absolutely! As said, our industry is very small and a good network is important to succeed. In this small industry IMHI alumni play a very large role. Access to such a network is extremely valuable. In the last 16 years I have not only worked with many IMHI Alumni but have also done several deals with the Alumni, thanks to the IMHI network. Don’t forget that apart from the professional competencies, a strong network goes a long way!

AAIMHI: Thank you Saurabh for your time!