Rishabh Thapar

Experience

Rishabh is an Associate Director with HVS ‘s MEA team and is responsible for conducting consulting and valuation assignments in Sub-Saharan Africa. Over the past two years he has worked on over 12 different hotel markets across East, West and Southern Africa. Having worked with HVS’s South Asia office previously he has more than five years of hotel consulting and development experience, having worked on several projects ranging from market studies to commercial due diligence, transaction advisory and operator searches. Before joining HVS, Rish worked with Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces in India and facilitated the construction and expansion of his family’s hotel business. He graduated from the Taj Management Training Program in 2008 and holds a BBA degree and a BA Honors degree in Hotel Management from the Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad (University of Huddersfield, UK).
 
 

Employment History

January 2017 to January 2018
HVS Hospitality Services
Cape Town, South Africa
Senior Consultant

March 2016 to December 2016
HVS Hospitality Services
New Delhi, India
Senior Associate

April 2015 to March 2016
HVS Hospitality Services
New Delhi, India
Associate

September 2013 to April 2015
HVS Hospitality Services
New Delhi, India
Analyst

February 2009 – August 2013
Thapar Hotels Pvt. Ltd.
Ludhiana, India
Business Development & Project Management

March 2008 – November 2008
Vivanta by Taj, Whitefield
Bengaluru, India
Restaurant Manager (Pre-opening)

August 2006 – February 2008
Indian Hotels Company Limited
New Delhi & Mumbai, India
Management Trainee

October 2004 – January 2005
The Oberoi Hotels & Resorts
New Delhi, India
Operational Intern

My Articles

Zimbabwe – Vote for Tourism

As Zimbabwe undergoes a historic election, tourism is a key industry that could drive the country’s makeover.

• August 2, 2018 By Rishabh Thapar

• Hotel Investments & Ownership , Travel & Tourism , Economic Trends and Cycles , Resorts

Cape Town Calling: Undoing the impact of ‘Day Zero’ on Tourism

With dam levels rising in Cape Town and the city becoming water-wise the threat of ‘Day Zero’ has been pushed out to 2020 or potentially ‘never’. The city now needs to market its comeback and set benchmarks for sustainable tourism destinations.

• July 4, 2018 By Rishabh Thapar

Learnings from and for Africa’s Game-Lodge Industry

As tourist and investor interest grows in the game-lodge industry and wildlife destinations around the world, the article brings to light some peculiarities and challenges of the lodging industry and lists some lessons/best practices for developers.

• July 19, 2017 By Rishabh Thapar

• Hotel Investments & Ownership , Hotel Operations , Development & Construction , Valuations & Market Studies , Travel & Tourism

India - 2016 Hotel Development Cost Survey

The survey provides benchmarks of hotel development costs across different positioning based on a sample set of 180 hotels. It also defines the profile of hotels by key attributes & presents a breakup of development costs into major categories.

• November 9, 2016 By Rishabh Thapar , Achin Khanna

FHRAI Indian Hotel Industry Survey 2014-2015

The survey, representing 1,358 hotels in various cities across different star categories in India, presents key statistics for the industry. It provides information about financial performance, marketing media usage patterns, guest segmentation, etc.

• January 18, 2016 By Rishabh Thapar , Achin Khanna , Shunit C Roy

In Focus: Bangladesh - The Dark Horse

The article evaluates the performance and potential of some key hotel markets in Bangladesh and highlights the opportunities and challenges of making hotel investments in the country.

• November 29, 2015 By Rishabh Thapar , Diksha Chopra , Shamsher Singh Mann

Investing in Leisure: Exploring the Untapped Potential

The article evaluates the past performance and potential that leisure destinations hold for hotel development, and why hotel investors must look at investing in leisure destinations across India more actively.

• August 3, 2015 By Rishabh Thapar , Achin Khanna

Awakening of the Buddhist Circuit

The article provides a background on tourism along the Buddhist Circuit, barriers that have prevented its growth and the opportunity that lies for the tourism and hospitality industry in light of recent developments and focus on tourism in India.

• April 27, 2015 By Rishabh Thapar , Shamsher Singh Mann

FHRAI Indian Hotel Industry Survey 2013-2014

The survey, representing 1,295 hotels in various cities across different star categories in India, presents key statistics for the industry. It provides information about financial performance, marketing media usage patterns, guest segmentation, etc.

• January 26, 2015 By Rishabh Thapar , Achin Khanna , Tulika Das