Shakawath Hossain, Ashwani Nayar hailed as Hoteliers of the Year

Dhaka : Shakawath Hossain, CEO of Unique Hotel and Resorts PLC, and Ashwani Nayar, General Manager of InterContinental Dhaka, both won the Hotelier of the Year award, respectively, at the gala ceremony of Bangladesh Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Awards 2024 held at an elite hotel in the capital on October 5.

Peter Semone, Chairman of Pacific Asia Travel Association; Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, Board Chairman of Biman Bangladesh Airlines; Abu Taher Md Jaber, CEO of Bangladesh Tourism Board; Nazeem A Chowdhury, Deputy Managing Director, Prime Bank PLC; Akhtaruzzaman Khan Kabir, Chairman of the award's Jury Committee; and Kazi Wahidul Alam, Editor of The Bangladesh Monitor, the organiser, handed over the trophies to Shakawath Hossain and Ashwani Nayar.

Hossain is the only hotelier working as a CEO of a pioneering private sector hotel group in Bangladesh. With over 20 years of experience, he currently looks after three operational hotels-The Westin Dhaka, Sheraton Dhaka and Hansa Premium Residence-as well as three upcoming hotels.

Earlier, he worked as a General Manager and various senior leadership roles at The Westin Dhaka. He was appointed the youngest Resident Manager of Marriott.

Hossain is also the only hotelier in Bangladesh who is an industry professional, academician and a researcher at the same time. He is an adjunct faculty of DU, SEU and AIUB. The CEO of Unique Hotel and Resorts is also pursuing a PhD in tourism and hospitality management at the University of Dhaka.

Shakawath is also affiliated with several committees working in the country's tourism and hospitality sector.

On the other hand, Ashwani Nayar boasts an experience of three decades in the global hospitality industry. Besides his role of General Manager at InterContinental Dhaka, he is also working as the Area General Manager of IHG South West Asia currently. This marks his seventh assignment in such a post after joining IHG Hotels. Earlier, he worked in other senior leadership roles for 15 years.

Under his leadership, InterContinental Dhaka achieved 120 per cent revenue growth and 400 per cent operating profit in 2023, compared to 2021. The hotel's food and beverage department marked 100 per cent revenue growth last year, compared to 2021-till now highest in Bangladesh.

During his tenure, InterContinental Dhaka has implemented sustainable hospitality, formed key strategic partnerships, launched a new service culture, renovated Balaka Lounge at Dhaka Airport, opened luxury salon at hotel premise, recruited differently abled persons and executed several CSR activities.