Sonali Merchant Chavan

Inquirer
DISC Type : dc

Director of People and Culture for Fairmont Mumbai & Roswyn , A Morgans Originals hotel at Fairmont Mumbai

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Overview

Sonali Merchant Chavan is a Director of People & Culture with over 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry, specializing in pre-opening luxury hotels. A graduate of the Swiss Hotel Management School, she currently leads HR for Fairmont Mumbai and the first Roswyn hotel in India. Colleagues describe her as passionate, focused, and a great listener.


Sonali was recognized as the "Talent & Culture Head of the Year" at the Accorhotels India Awards in 2017.

Personality Overview

Judgemental

Hard To Convince

ROI Conscious

They can be nudged to make faster decisions by offering what they value.  They don’t always try to control the conversation but neither do they like yielding it fully. They respond well to confident salespeople.

Topics They Care About

Hotel Pre-openings
She has extensive experience leading the HR function for pre-opening hotels, including Novotel Mumbai International Airport and her current project, Fairmont Mumbai.
Luxury Brand Launches
She is instrumental in launching Accor's luxury brands in India, currently adding Roswyn, A Morgans Originals Hotel, to her portfolio alongside Fairmont Mumbai.
Talent & Culture
Her entire career is focused on human resources in hospitality, with a stated passion for creating positive, inclusive, and engaging work environments.

Media Appearances

Sonali has no verified media appearances

Work History

1-2026
Director of People and Culture for Fairmont Mumbai & Roswyn , A Morgans Originals hotel at Fairmont Mumbai
6-2024
Director of People & Culture for Fairmont Mumbai & Roswyn,A Morgans Originals hotel at Accor
6-2022 - 6-2024
Director of Talent & Culture at Novotel Mumbai International Airport at Accor
6-2024 - 12-2025
Director of Talent & Culture at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
3-2021 - 6-2022
Director of Human Resources at The Westin Mumbai Garden City

Education

9-2004 - 6-2005
Postgraduate Diploma from Swiss Hotel Management School
2004 - 2005
PGDHM from Swiss Hotel Management School

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 5 Location : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director of People and Culture for Fairmont Mumbai & Roswyn , A Morgans Originals hotel at Fairmont Mumbai
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Insights For Selling To Sonali

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Make sure that you you respond to any queries from them quickly
  • Ask them questions confidently while doing discovery, don’t be apologetic
  • Get to the point quickly instead of spending too much time on pleasantries

DONT's

  • Avoid repeating yourself or making generalizations
  • Do not give up if they are not convinced, try again with a different approach
  • Don’t try to be an alpha salesperson, give them equal space

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Sonali is

  • Conviction in the product matters to them, followed by proof points and strong testimonials.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Sonali

  • They may not be very forthcoming, but they will say no if needed.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Sonali move?

  • They are neither the fastest decision makers nor the slowest.
  • Can Sonali take some risk or not?

  • They can take risks but after weighing up the pros and cons.

You And Sonali

Personality Compatibility


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