Novotel Hyderabad Airport Appoints Dharaniswar Das As Director of People And Culture To Enhance People-Centric Hospitality

Published on December 14, 2025

Novotel Hyderabad Airport, located at the center of India’s aviation hub, is firmly committed to customers, teams and culture with the appointment of Dharaniswar Das as the new Director of People and Culture. The hotel is situated in the midst of the ever-flourishing tourism and business travel in Hyderabad, and this decision clearly shows their commitment to human-oriented hospitality.

For guests arriving from around the world and corporate travellers alike, Novotel Hyderabad Airport has long been more than just a transit stop, it represents comfort, creativity and community near Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA). As the property expands its role in the city’s tourism narrative, its people strategy is now taking centre stage.

Steering the Human Side of Hospitality

Dharaniswar Das joins Novotel Hyderabad Airport with over 20 years of experience across the Accor hotel group, bringing expertise in talent development, employee engagement and organisational culture.

In his new capacity, Das will lead the hotel’s human resources strategy, a vital function for any travel-focused destination hotel that relies on high-quality service delivery across multiple guest touchpoints. His responsibilities include:

• Shaping talent acquisition and workforce planning
• Strengthening employee development and leadership pipelines
• Driving people-centric policies and inclusivity programmes
• Enhancing engagement across departments to support guest satisfaction and operational excellence

Those familiar with Das’s work note his ability to create environments where teams feel both supported and challenged, an asset in the fast-paced, guest-facing world of hospitality.

A Career Built on People and Purpose

Das’s journey within the Accor family has seen him take on leadership roles at several prominent properties across India, including Grand Mercure Bengaluru at Gopalan Mall, Novotel Guwahati, and Ibis Novotel Bengaluru ORR. His contributions in previous roles ranged from introducing performance enhancement frameworks to championing diversity initiatives and implementing HR automation tools, all designed to improve the workplace experience.

Sources close to the hotel said that his appointment was made with the future in mind, aiming to develop talent pathways that benefit the hotel’s local workforce while supporting Novotel’s global standards of hospitality excellence.

Aligning People Strategy with Guest Experience

Novotel Hyderabad Airport’s leadership emphasises the strategic importance of this appointment. According to General Manager Sukhbir Singh, Das’s deep experience fits the hotel’s ambition to build an engaged, resilient workforce aligned with evolving guest expectations. Indirectly relayed comments from Singh suggest that this appointment is seen as a catalyst for ongoing innovation in service delivery and team growth.

For a hotel that blends resort-style leisure with efficient business travel facilities including expansive meeting spaces and wellness offerings for guests, the people behind the brand are integral to delivering on that promise. Novotel Hyderabad Airport’s location only minutes from RGIA makes it particularly sensitive to the rhythms of global travel, making engaged teams essential to creating warm, reliable experiences for travellers.

Novotel’s Role in Hyderabad’s Travel Landscape

Since opening in 2008, Novotel Hyderabad Airport has been a landmark destination for international and domestic travellers passing through Hyderabad. The property boasts roughly 290 guest rooms, flexible meeting venues covering close to 70,000 square feet, multiple dining options and leisure facilities, all within a short drive of the airport.

Beyond comfort and convenience, the hotel has also carved a niche as a sustainable and community-engaged hospitality hub, being among the first in South India to earn eco-friendly credentials under recognised programmes.

Travel writers and guest reviewers alike often highlight the property’s blend of international standards with local warmth, a balance that Das is now set to nurture from within.

The Human Touch in a Global Gateway

For many travellers, the true difference between a good hotel and an exceptional one lies in the intangible qualities: the warmth of a greeting, the confidence of a well-trained team, and the sense of being valued as a guest. As Novotel Hyderabad Airport looks to the future, Das’s leadership in people and culture is expected to enrich these softer elements of the travel experience.

In welcoming him, industry insiders observe a concerted effort to not only retain existing talent but to build new pathways for local hospitality professionals who contribute to Hyderabad’s allure as a travel destination.

In numerous aspects, the narrative of Novotel Hyderabad Airport’s recent leadership shift is not only about reorganizing but also about making sure that the core of hospitality, which is human, is very much alive in one of India’s busiest travel intersections.

Image Credit: Novotel Hyderabad Airport