Sarovar Hotels has announced the promotion of Mielle Batliwala to Vice President – Human Resources, recognising her contributions to strengthening the company’s people function since joining two years ago.
The elevation underscores the hotel group’s focus on building leadership depth and future-ready organisational capabilities. In her expanded role, Batliwala will continue to oversee group-wide talent acquisition, development and retention, employee relations, compensation and benefits, and performance management from the company’s corporate office.
Batliwala brings more than two decades of experience in hospitality human resources. Prior to joining Sarovar Hotels, she held various leadership positions at Marriott International, managing the human resources portfolio across multiple properties including JW Marriott Mumbai, Goa Marriott Resort, JW Marriott Pune and JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity, as well as the company’s corporate offices.
Since her appointment as Assistant Vice President in late 2023, Batliwala has played a pivotal role in stabilising and strengthening the HR function, streamlining organisational processes and enhancing service delivery standards. A key highlight of her tenure has been driving automation and digitisation initiatives across HR and Learning & Development, enabling greater transparency, improved compliance and operational efficiency whilst laying a foundation for scalable growth.
Her career achievements have earned significant industry recognition, including being named among the 100 Top HR Minds in India (2018), receiving the Alice S. Marriott Award for Excellence in Community Service (2015), the Continent Human Resources Leader of the Year – Asia Pacific (2011), and Global Human Resources Manager of the Year (2007).
Ajay Bakaya, Chairman of Sarovar Hotels, commented on the promotion: “Mielle’s elevation is a recognition of her strong leadership, strategic mindset, and ability to build resilient systems that support our people and our growth ambitions. At Sarovar, we strongly believe in nurturing women leaders and creating equal opportunities for talent to thrive. Her journey reflects our commitment to inclusive leadership and developing capable leaders from within the organisation.”
Beyond her professional achievements, Batliwala is associated with philanthropic and charitable organisations, volunteering actively with Earth Saviours Foundation in Haryana.
The promotion comes as Sarovar Hotels pursues ambitious expansion plans. The company currently operates more than 150 hotels across India, Nepal and Africa, with close to 80 additional properties under development. The group, which is part of the French Louvre Hotels Group, has been expanding its footprint across leisure destinations, pilgrimage hubs and tier-two and tier-three markets, whilst also targeting highway hotels and resort properties near major cities.
Sarovar Hotels operates properties under several brands including Sarovar Premiere for the upscale segment, Sarovar Portico in the three-to-four-star category, Golden Tulip, Royal Tulip and Tulip Inn. The company has signed 20 new properties pan-India in 2025 and is targeting 12–17 per cent revenue growth for the year.
