Director – Hotel Openings

We are Accor. We are a worldwide Augmented Hospitality leader. We are more than 230,000 hospitality experts placing people at the heart of what we do, creating new connections & emotions for our guests, nurturing real passion for service and achievement beyond limits.

We’re so much more than hotels — we’re creating innovative lifestyle experiences , whether you live, work or play. Blaze your own trail from 40+ hotel brands, restaurants, nightclubs, spas, co-working spaces, and tech start-ups . 

Building on the strength of our teams and our strong holistic ecosystem of brands & solutions, we are breaking new ground to shape the hospitality of tomorrow and inspire new ways to experience the world.

Job Purpose:

The Director – Hotel Openings will be responsible for leading and coordinating the successful opening, conversion and rebranding of hotels across the Accor portfolio in the region. The role ensures that every project is delivered on time, within budget and in full compliance with Accor brand standards, operational requirements and owner expectations.

Working closely with Hotel General Managers, Owners, Development, Design & Technical Services, Brand, People & Culture, Finance, Commercial and Operations teams, the Director drives the entire hotel opening lifecycle—from project initiation through opening stabilization—ensuring operational readiness and a seamless transition into business operations.

Key Responsibilities

Hotel Opening & Project Leadership

• Lead the end-to-end pre-opening and hotel transition process for new builds, conversions and rebranding projects.
• Develop and manage comprehensive project plans, critical paths and opening timelines.
• Ensure all operational readiness milestones are achieved prior to hotel opening.
• Drive timely decision-making to mitigate project risks and maintain opening schedules.

Owner & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary operational representative between Accor and hotel owners during the pre-opening phase.
• Build trusted relationships with owners, investors and project consultants.
• Facilitate governance meetings and provide regular project status updates to senior leadership and ownership.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Coordinate with Development, Technical Services, Procurement, Finance, Commercial, Revenue Management, IT, Brand, People & Culture and Operations teams.
• Ensure timely completion of all operational deliverables required for hotel launch.
• Align project execution with Accor brand standards and regional business priorities.

Operational Readiness

• Oversee implementation of Accor operating standards, systems, policies and procedures.
• Ensure successful installation and testing of operational systems including PMS, POS, finance, procurement and digital platforms.
• Monitor readiness across Rooms, Food & Beverage, Engineering, Security, Finance and Heartist services.

People & Culture

• Partner with People & Culture to support General Manager selection and key leadership recruitment if required.
• Ensure hotel teams are fully prepared to deliver Accor brand standards from Day One.

Governance & Reporting

• Conduct regular project reviews and opening readiness assessments.
• Maintain project dashboards, risk registers and executive progress reports.
• Escalate critical issues and recommend practical solutions to leadership.

Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain standardized hotel opening tools, templates and best practices.
• Capture post-opening learnings and integrate them into future opening processes.
• Drive operational excellence and consistency across all hotel opening projects.

• Bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, Hotel Administration, Business Management or Project Management.
• Postgraduate qualification or Project Management certification is desirable.
• 10–15 years of progressive hospitality leadership experience.
• Minimum 5 years managing hotel openings, conversions or major operational transitions.
• Multi-brand and multi-property experience preferred.
• Experience working with hotel owners, developers and cross-functional corporate teams.
• International hospitality exposure is an advantage.

• Extensive travel across India, South Asia and other assigned markets as required.