Hotel Association of India and The Lalit Suri Hospitality School join hands to create employable, polished hospitality professionals through focused life skills training.
Strengthening its commitment to building future-ready talent for India’s hospitality industry, Hotel Association of India (HAI) & The Lalit Suri Hospitality (TLSHS) formalised a strategic collaboration with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the School’s Faridabad campus on April 22, 2026.
The MoU exchange took place in the esteemed presence of the Hon’ble Union Minister of Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, marking a significant step towards advancing skill development aligned with the Government’s vision for tourism-led growth.
This partnership introduces the ‘Image & Life Skills Lab’, a specialised 10-day Professional Presence & Communication Development Program aimed at equipping participants with essential soft skills – interpersonal and communication skills, critical for success and excellence in today’s experience -driven hospitality landscape
The initiative is structured as a non-commercial collaboration, reflecting a shared commitment to industry advancement without financial obligations between the two institutions. While HAI will drive outreach, awareness, and industry integration, TLSHS will lead program delivery, leveraging its faculty expertise, campus infrastructure, and immersive training methodologies to develop the next generation of hospitality professionals.
Participants who successfully complete the program will receive a joint certification from HAI and TLSHS, significantly enhancing their employability and professional readiness.
The ceremony was attended by senior leadership from both organisations, including K. B. Kachru, President, HAI, and Dr Jyotsna Suri, CMD, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, along with members of the HAI Executive Committee and representatives of several HAI Member Hotels. The event included a campus tour, MoU exchange, ministerial address, and interactive engagement with students and faculty.
Congratulating HAI and TLSHS for taking up such an important step, the Hon’ble Minister, said, “It is a historic event and posterity will reap the benefit of this initiative. This association is a bridge to create employable and industry-ready professionals. Hospitality remains one of the most promising sectors for employment generation, with immense potential to create meaningful livelihoods across the country.
By fostering structured collaboration, we are not only strengthening the talent pipeline but also contributing to the long-term growth and resilience of the hospitality ecosystem. Tourism and hospitality have tremendous possibilities and opportunities in India’s development story. As India progresses towards its vision of becoming a $30 trillion economy by 2047, the role of sectors like hospitality in driving employment, entrepreneurship, and economic growth will be critical.”
He added, ” While I was being taken around parts of the campus, I saw the classroom. I asked, when you look at a classroom, do you not get that old factor — that feeling? In our time, we used to sit on simple college benches. But then I told myself, this is a hospitality institute.
It reflects a changing India and a changing tourism sector. This is a reflection of a changing India and of the changing tourism sector in India. This is a great opportunity, a privilege, for those students who have had the chance to study here. I congratulate all of you.
In these last ten years, the kind of transformation that has happened in the country, the economic transformation, and along with that the kind of infrastructure development that has taken place in India, makes it clear before us today that in the coming time, tourism and the hospitality industry are going to bring very great possibilities for India.”
Commenting on the collaboration, KB Kachru, President, Hotel Association of India (HAI) and Chairman – South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, said, “Hotel Association of India, together with The Lalit Suri Hospitality School, aims to bridge vital capability gaps by equipping professionals with the interpersonal and communication skills essential in a service-driven industry. This collaboration aims to bring the program to aspiring hospitality professionals across the country and is pivotal to India’s aspiration to achieve a $3trillion tourism economy by 2047.”
Kachru further stated, “We want to make every effort to help shape the future of a young population. We want you to feel that this is a beginning for all of us. Our intent is to scale this effort by bringing more institutions and more hotels into the ecosystem, where personality development is given its true importance”
Dr Jyotsna Suri, CMD, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, speaking on the occasion, said, “At The Lalit Suri Hospitality School, we believe education goes beyond technical skills. Through the Image & Life Skills Lab, in partnership with Hotel Association of India, we aim to nurture individuals who are confident, inclusive and industry-ready for the evolving needs of hospitality.”
She noted, “I just want to share very quickly that the vision that Lalit had, and he had this vision of being able to create an institute… He used to always say, ‘Why do we have to go overseas? Why do we have to study and send our kids overseas for hospitality? But hospitality comes so naturally to us.”
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