Ankur Panchal

Dynamic hospitality operations leader with 20+ years of international experience across luxury hotels, resorts, and globally recognized hospitality brands including Marriott, Hyatt, Minor Hotels, Accor, and Best Western. Begun hospitality career development through Hyatt Hotels and luxury brand learning environments, building strong foundations in luxury guest experience, operational excellence, service culture, and people leadership. Proven expertise in hotel operations, food & beverage management, guest experience enhancement, revenue optimization, luxury service standards, P&L management, sustainability initiatives, and cross-functional leadership.

Strong track record of improving profitability, increasing guest satisfaction scores, stabilizing operations with inexperienced teams, developing LSOPs/SOPs, and driving operational transformation within fast-paced luxury hospitality environments.

Director of Food & Beverage at The Royal Livingstone Zambia (2025-08 – Present)

Lead strategic and operational management of all Food & Beverage functions across restaurants, bars, banqueting, events, and in-room dining within a luxury hospitality environment.

• Collaborate closely with Rooms Division, Spa, Recreation, Engineering, Finance, and Sales teams to deliver seamless luxury guest experiences and operational efficiency.
• Successfully transformed operational performance and achieved the hotel's highest LQA score in the past 3 years through enhanced luxury service standards, training initiatives, and operational consistency.
• Developed and implemented new LSOPs and operational standards that strengthened service delivery, accountability, and guest satisfaction.
• Drove highest departmental revenue performance through menu engineering, strategic promotions, upselling initiatives, and enhanced guest engagement programs.
• Introduced sustainability-focused promotions and innovative herb garden cocktail concepts utilizing fresh local ingredients and eco-conscious operational practices.
• Managed and stabilized operations while successfully developing inexperienced operational teams into confident and service-focused hospitality professionals.
• Lead departmental P&L management, budgeting, forecasting, procurement optimization, payroll efficiency, and cost control initiatives.

General Manager – F&B Operations / Hospitality Consultant at Truffledust Hospitality Consultant (2024-02 – 2025-08)

• Conduct comprehensive F&B operational audits covering service standards, menu performance, pricing strategy, and guest satisfaction to identify revenue and efficiency opportunities.
• Design and implement strategic initiatives to enhance profitability, operational efficiency, service quality, and overall luxury guest experience.
• Collaborate with Executive Chefs and culinary teams to develop and optimize menus aligned with market trends, guest preferences, brand positioning, and revenue goals.
• Lead training and development programs to strengthen service excellence, leadership capability, operational consistency, and compliance with luxury hospitality and H&S standards.
• Drive financial performance through cost control, budget management, inventory optimization, and strategic pricing to improve overall F&B profitability.
• Analyse market trends, competitor activity, and guest feedback to introduce innovative dining concepts, promotions, and revenue-generating guest engagement strategies.
• Oversee multi-outlet F&B operations including restaurants, bars, banqueting, events, and in-room dining while ensuring brand compliance, cross-functional collaboration, and seamless guest experiences.

General Manager at Protea Hotel by Marriott Kampala (2020-09 – 2024-01)

• Drove a 19% year-on-year increase in overall hotel revenue through strategic operational and commercial initiatives.
• Improved hotel MCP performance from 34.5% to 39.7% in 2023 through enhanced cost control and revenue optimization strategies.
• Successfully achieved outstanding results in Brand Standard Audits, ensuring full compliance with international hospitality standards.
• Increased Food & Beverage revenue through innovative promotions, enhanced guest experiences, and consistent service quality delivery.
• Secured major corporate, banking, NGO, and tour operator contracts generating over 5,300 room nights annually, including key accounts averaging 300–400 room nights per year.
• Led the hotel to receive the prestigious "Best Business Hotel Kampala 2021" recognition at the Global Awards.
• Awarded "Best Young General Manager in Africa 2021" at the International GM Awards for operational excellence and leadership contribution.
• Increased hotel occupancy levels from 15% to 35% month-on-month through targeted business development and market penetration strategies.
• Strengthened the hotel's digital presence, increasing social media engagement and following by over 300%.
• Achieved the highest staff retention rate within the organization over a two-year period by fostering a strong people-focused culture and employee engagement initiatives.

Director of Food & Beverage at Protea Hotels by Marriott Kampala Skyz (2018-03 – 2020-08)

• Managed operations across 2 restaurants, 2 bars, 12 banquet venues, 3 kitchens, and room service operations.
• Led over 95 front and back-of-house employees while improving service quality and operational productivity.
• Developed promotions, wedding packages, and entertainment concepts that increased F&B sales and customer engagement.
• Implemented operational controls, recipe standardization, and sanitation procedures to improve consistency and quality.

Food & Beverage Manager at Best Western Nairobi & Forty Thieves Beach Bar (2017-02 – 2018-02)

• Delivered double-digit revenue growth through innovative promotions and beverage programs.
• Successfully led pre-opening operations for a new bar concept from setup to launch.
• Managed monthly P&L, budgeting, marketing plans, and operational process improvements.

Bachelor Degree of Science – Mumbai University

Post Graduate Diploma in Hotel Management – Metropolitan Institute

Diploma in Human Resource Management – Welingkars Institute