Le Méridien — Appointments

Palthi brings nearly two decades of culinary experience across luxury hotels and resorts, with expertise in regional Indian, Continental and Asian cuisines.

Le Méridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa has appointed Harinath Palthi as Executive Chef. With nearly two decades of culinary experience across five-star hotels, resorts and high-volume hospitality operations, he will oversee the resort’s culinary operations, menu development and kitchen teams.

His responsibilities will include maintaining food quality and safety standards, ensuring consistency across dining operations and developing menus to enhance the guest dining experience.

Culinary experience across hospitality properties

Palthi most recently served as Executive Chef at Four Points by Sheraton, Kochi. His previous experience includes leadership roles at Encalm Hospitality by GMR, Hyderabad Airport; Fairfield by Marriott Belagavi; Radisson Blu Resort Visakhapatnam; The Fisherman’s Wharf Hyderabad; The Gateway Hotel MG Road Vijayawada; and Hyderabad Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre, among other hospitality establishments.

Expertise in regional and international cuisines

Palthi has a strong foundation in Indian and South Indian cuisines, alongside experience in Continental and Asian cooking. His knowledge spans regional culinary traditions, including Andhra, Telangana, Goan, Mangalorean, Udupi, Chettinad and Malabar cuisines.

His experience also covers pre-opening operations, menu engineering, cost and inventory control, culinary team management, vendor management and FSSAI compliance.

Focus on menu development and dining experiences

Commenting on the appointment, Abhirath Sah, General Manager, Le Méridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa, said, “We are delighted to welcome Chef Harinath to Le Méridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa. His extensive experience across luxury hospitality, strong understanding of regional Indian cuisines and proven expertise in culinary operations make him a valuable addition to our leadership team. We look forward to his culinary vision and believe his approach to menu innovation, quality and consistency will further enhance the dining experiences we offer our guests.”

In his new role, Palthi will focus on developing menus that draw on seasonal ingredients and regional culinary traditions. His plans include themed brunches and curated culinary experiences, alongside maintaining operational efficiency and consistency across the resort’s food and beverage operations

Divya brings 12 years of experience across Marriott brands and multiple hotel pre-openings to her new role

Le Méridien Gurgaon announces the appointment of Divya Dabral as Director of Human Resources.

Career and experience

Divya’s career in Human Resources began twelve years ago as a Management Trainee with the erstwhile Starwood Hotels, where she built a strong foundation in recruitment, employee engagement and performance management. Since then she has grown into a seasoned HR leader, holding key roles across Marriott brands including Sheraton, JW Marriott, Westin, Le Méridien and Marriott Executive Apartments. She has successfully led multiple hotel pre-openings, most recently Marriott Executive Apartments Bengaluru, UB City, in her last assignment.

Divya is passionate about talent acquisition, diversity and inclusion, and employee engagement. Away from work, she is a keen explorer of new food and beverage spots, enjoys discovering different cuisines, and unwinding with friends over good food and great conversation.

Suman Gahlawat, General Manager, Le Méridien Gurgaon “We are delighted to welcome Divya to the leadership team. Her depth of experience and her genuine belief in nurturing talent will be invaluable as we continue to invest in our people and our culture.”

Divya Dabral on her appointment

On her appointment, Divya Dabral said “I am thrilled to join Le Méridien Gurgaon. I look forward to working closely with the team to build on the hotel’s reputation as a rewarding place to grow a career.”