Written by An alumni of the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Chadha joined ITC in 1992. Barring a brief hiatus of a couple of years, he has spent his entire career with the brand, heading key properties in New Delhi, Agra, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai.
ITC Hotels adopted the ‘asset right’ management contract model three years ago to scale its growth. According to Chadha, this shift in strategy has worked in the company’s favour. The four recent launches under the Welcomhotel brand, in Shimla, Katra and Chail and Bhubaneswar respectively, have met with encouraging response, prompting the company to introduce Storii and Mementos.
In the past, he held key positions, including General Manager of ITC Maurya, Vice President, Operations at Hotels Division, Vice President, Southern Region ITC Hotels and General Manager ITC Grand Chola. As Vice President South and General Manager, he was responsible for the expansion of WelcomHotel and Luxury Collection brands across southern India, establishing properties including WelcomHotel Coimbatore and WelcomHotel Kences Palm Beach, Mahabalipuram.
In another major move, ITC Hotels has introduced two new brands – Storii and Mememtos for the premium and luxury segment – is in line with its larger strategy to offer differentiated experience to travellers. “In the next five years, we plan to double our tally of hotels which stands at 100 plus hotels with 10,000 plus keys presently,” said Chadha. He added that the Storii would comprise boutique properties with 15 to 50 rooms, while Mementos hotels will have a minimum of about 100 rooms.