In a hospitality landscape dominated by scale and standardisation, Indeva Hotels & Resorts is charting a more deliberate course. With just three operational properties, the brand has prioritised focus, operational depth and guest experience over rapid expansion. Backed by India Exposition Mart Limited, Indeva is building a diversified hospitality ecosystem that spans convention-led hotels, lifestyle stays and retreats—each guided by a clear brand philosophy.

In this conversation, Barun Gupta, Chief Operating Officer, Indeva Hotels & Resorts, shares the vision behind the brand, his hands-on leadership approach, and how Indeva is shaping premium hospitality experiences for the modern Indian traveller.

Indeva Hotels & Resorts is still a tight, focused brand with just three properties. What was the original vision behind creating the brand?

From the outset, the vision behind Indeva Hotels & Resorts was unmistakable, not to replicate international hotel chains, but to build a truly Indian lifestyle hospitality brand that understands India in all its diversity, aspirations, and evolving travel behaviours.

Conceived as a unit of India Exposition Mart Limited, Indeva Hotels & Resorts was designed with deep sensitivity to the modern Indian traveller, business leaders and MICE delegates, families, celebration seekers, millennials, long-stay guests, and experience-driven explorers. The brand is inherently inclusive, contemporary, and versatile, serving multiple customer segments with equal relevance from value-conscious travellers to discerning luxury seekers without compromising its core identity.

Indeva’s ambition is bold yet purposeful—to expand to 50 hotels across South Asia by 2030. Each destination will be thoughtfully crafted to reflect local context, contemporary design, and the warmth of Indian hospitality.

With a small portfolio, attention to detail becomes even more critical. How personally involved are you in shaping day-to-day operations across the hotels?

I am personally and deeply involved in the day-to-day operations across all properties. I work closely with on-site leadership teams, regularly review performance metrics and guest feedback, and stay actively engaged in key operational, commercial and development decisions to ensure standards, consistency, and quality are upheld at every level.

While each property benefits from strong on-site management, accountability and strategic direction ultimately rests with me. This hands-on approach ensures operational discipline, brand consistency, and continuous improvement across the portfolio.

Each Indeva property has its own personality. How do you balance individuality with a consistent brand experience?

Each Indeva property is intentionally designed to reflect its location and character, which is a core part of the guest experience. At the same time, consistency at the brand level is non-negotiable. We define clear brand standards around service culture, operational discipline, design principles, and guest expectations, and those standards apply across every property.

Individuality comes through in the architecture, design details, and local storytelling, while the fundamentals on how guests are welcomed, how teams operate, and how quality is delivered, remain consistent.

What does luxury or premium hospitality mean to you in today’s Indian travel landscape?

Luxury and premium hospitality in today’s Indian travel landscape is less about excess and more about intention, authenticity, and consistency. Guests increasingly value thoughtful service, a strong sense of place, and experiences that feel personal rather than standardised.

My approach has always been customer-first. To me, premium hospitality means anticipating guest needs, delivering seamless and genuinely warm service, and maintaining uncompromising standards across every touchpoint. It also means respecting the local context through design, culture, and cuisine while consistently providing the comfort, reliability, and operational excellence that discerning travellers expect.

In a market as dynamic and diverse as India, true luxury is ultimately defined by attention to detail, credibility, and the ability to deliver a refined experience consistently.

From an operational standpoint, what are some small but impactful details that truly elevate a guest’s stay?

It’s often the smallest, most consistent details that have the greatest impact on a guest’s experience. Things like the quality and timing of the welcome, seamless check-in and check-out, and a room that feels intuitively prepared. Lighting set correctly, amenities thoughtfully placed, and everything functioning exactly as expected, set the tone immediately.

Equally important are behind-the-scenes disciplines: proactive maintenance, attention to cleanliness, and teams that communicate well and anticipate needs before they’re voiced. Remembering guest preferences, responding quickly especially to feedback, and ensuring service feels warm rather than scripted all contribute to a stay that feels effortless and considered. When these details are executed consistently, they elevate the experience from satisfactory to memorable.

Food and beverage often becomes the soul of a hotel. How important is F&B in defining Indeva’s identity?

At Indeva Hotels & Resorts, it plays a central role in defining who we are. F&B is not treated as an add-on, but as a core expression of our brand, one that reflects authenticity, quality, and a strong sense of place.

Our culinary philosophy is anchored in thoughtfully curated menus, locally influenced flavours, and well-executed concepts that resonate with both in-house guests and the local community. While consistency in quality, service, and execution is non-negotiable, creativity is actively encouraged. This ensures that each property’s F&B offering feels distinctive, destination-led, and memorable.

How do you build a strong service culture on the ground?

A strong service culture is built through clarity, consistency, and leadership by example. It starts with setting clear expectations around service standards and behaviour, and ensuring teams understand not just what we do, but why we do it and how we do it. Training is continuous and practical, focused on real guest interactions rather than scripts.

Equally important is empowerment and accountability on the ground. Teams are encouraged to take ownership, make decisions in the guest’s best interest, and take pride in their work, while leaders remain visible, engaged, and supportive. By recognising good performance, addressing gaps quickly, and staying closely involved in daily operations, we create a culture where service excellence is not an initiative, but a habit.

What are some guest behaviours or expectations you’re seeing more frequently across Indeva’s hotels (Plume & ExpoInn Suites and Convention) ?

Across Plume and ExpoInn Suites & Convention, we’re seeing guests become more discerning and more intentional about their stays. There is a strong expectation for efficiency which includes smooth arrivals, quick service response, and well-coordinated operations particularly at a convention-focused property like ExpoInn, where time and scale are critical.

At the same time, guests increasingly value personalisation and warmth. Whether it’s business or solo travellers or event and group guests at ExpoInn or Plume, they appreciate being recognised, having their preferences remembered, and experiencing service that feels thoughtful rather than transactional. Cleanliness, comfort, and reliability remain non-negotiable, while the quality and flexibility of food and beverage especially for meetings, events, and group dining play a growing role in overall guest satisfaction.

We’re also seeing guests engage more actively with feedback, both during and after their stay, reinforcing the need for teams to be responsive, empowered, and operationally sharp.

Looking ahead, what excites you more—deepening the Indeva experience at existing properties or thoughtfully adding new ones when the time feels right?

Our focus remains on deepening the Indeva experience across our existing properties, while staying open to thoughtful expansion when the timing and strategic fit are right. Strengthening operations, service culture, and the overall guest experience at our current hotels is always the priority because scale only works when the foundation is strong.

We are already in the process of expanding across South Asia, along with destinations in India such as Jaipur, Palampur, Nashik, Ahmedabad, Raipur, Guwahati, Agra, and Ghaziabad in the pipeline.