OF THEIR OWN ACCORD

Pivoting from traditional business plans, Puneet Dhawan and Kerrie Hannaford adopted a flexible approach allowing Accor to be in sync with changing guest choices and government policies

- VINITA BHATIA

For as long as he can remember, Puneet Dhawan nursed a desire to join the hospitality business. This was stoked by a zeal to travel, an eagerness to experience new adventures and explore the world.

After completing his education in César Ritz Colleges Switzerland and University of Massachusetts Amherst, he dived straight in the industry as an F&B management trainee in Philippines' Mandarin Oriental. But his career-defining movement occurred when he joined Accor in 1998 as F&B Director of Novotel Century Hong Kong. He has been with the European hotel chain since then, managing key positions in Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, the UAE and India.

When Jean-Michel Cassé retired as Accor’s COO for India and South Asia, Dhawan succeeded him as Senior VP-Operations, India and South Asia. There was just one hiccup in what should have otherwise been a smooth transition – the country was in lockdown phase, which had hit the hospitality industry really hard. It was hardly the expected reception while taking the helm.

However, to tackle this challenge head on, Dhawan got busy building a resilient communication strategy with guests, owners, partners and teams. “After landing in India, my priority was to meet all owners to understand their evolving needs, as well as hotel teams across locations to formulate a recovery plan in detail and assist hotels in their reopening and sustainability approach. During this time, I visited majority of our 52 hotels in India, ensuring the teams of their wellbeing and safety,” he recalled.