Patu Keswani is a prominent Indian entrepreneur and the CEO of Lemon Tree Hotels & Resorts. He was born in Lucknow on February 9, 1959. Keswani’s father was an Indian Railway Service official, and his mother was an Indian Army doctor.
Keswani graduated from St. Columba’s School in New Delhi. In 1981, he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, and in 1983, he earned a postgraduate diploma in business management from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta. Sharanita was his wife. They have two children, Aditya, a son, and Nayana, a daughter. Patu is a resident of New Delhi.
Mr Keswani shares office space with Sparky Keswani, the corporate mascot and food reviewer who reflects Lemon Tree’s marketing values of freshness, fun, and lively energy.
Keswani joined the TATA Administrative Service (TAS) in 1983 and spent over 15 years with the TATA Group. His most recent position was that of senior vice president and chief operational officer for the Taj Group of Hotels. He joined management consulting company A.T. Kearney Inc. as a director in their New Delhi office in the mid-2000s.
Lemon Tree Hotels was founded in 2002 by Keswani, and he is the Chairman and Managing Director of the company, which owns and runs 84 hotels in 52 locations, with 8,300 rooms and over 8,000 workers. (as of April 2020). On April 9, Lemon Tree Hotels went public on the National Stock Exchange of India.
Keswani has prioritised providing possibilities for Indians with impairments. This disadvantaged group accounts for 20% of Lemon Tree’s workforce (1000+ persons). Lemon Tree Hotels received the President of India’s National Award for ‘Best Employer of Persons with Disabilities’ in 2016 and 2011, as well as a third National Award in 2012 for being a ‘Role Model in Offering a Barrie-Free Environment to Persons with Disabilities.’
Keswani also serves as the Chairman of the Disability Skills Council. (SCPwD). He is also a member of the Hospitality, Travel, and Tourism Sector Skills Council (NSDC) and the Hospitality, Travel, and Tourism Industry Sector Mentor Council. (Ministry of Labor and Employment). Keswani was also a member of the University Grants Commission and the Board of Governors of IIT Delhi until recently.
Keswani received the Distinguished Alumni Award from both of his alma maters, IIT Delhi in 2011 and IIM Calcutta in 2012.
In 2010, Keswani was admitted into the FHRAI (Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India) Hall of Fame, and in 2012, he was inducted into the “Hotelier India” Hall of Fame.
The Great Place To Work Survey of 2018 named the Lemon Tree Hotels 12th among the top large workplaces in Asia.
He was named one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality by the International Hospitality Institute in June 2022.
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