Dr. Sanjay Sethi was conferred an Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa) by Manav Rachna Educational Institutions (2024) for his outstanding contributions to hospitality and real estate. He holds a Diploma in Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition from IHM Pusa, is a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) from the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute, a Certified Independent Director and holds a Certificate in Corporate Governance, both from the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA).
Dr. Sethi brings over 37 years of distinguished leadership across India’s hospitality industry. He served as Managing Director & CEO of Chalet Hotels Limited from 2018, leading the company’s successful public listing in February 2019. Under his stewardship, Chalet was transformed into one of India’s most respected integrated hospitality platforms – delivering industry-leading financial performance and operational efficiency, while setting benchmarks in guest satisfaction, employee engagement, and workplace culture. His tenure was equally defined by a strong commitment to ESG leadership, embedding sustainability and responsible business practices at the core of the organisation’s growth agenda. By the time of his retirement in January 2026, he had grown the company to a market capitalisation of over $2 billion.
Prior to Chalet, he founded Keys Hotels & Resorts in 2006 in partnership with Berggruen Holdings, New York – conceptualising the brand from the ground up and scaling it into a recognised multi-city national hospitality brand. He earlier spent fourteen years with the Taj Group of Hotels across property and regional leadership roles.
Throughout his career, Dr. Sethi has been an active participant in policy advocacy through his tenures with the Hotel Association of India, the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India, FICCI, and CII – championing industry status for hotels and broader reforms for the hospitality sector.
As Non-Executive Director, Dr. Sethi brings to the Chalet board a rare combination of entrepreneurial vision, operational depth, governance expertise, and a proven record of building and leading high-performing hospitality enterprises.
