Board of Advisors
Bipan Kapur is a seasoned international hotelier with over four decades of hands-on leadership experience across the Asia-Pacific, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Educated at Cornell University’s Paris Campus (IMHI) and the Oberoi School of Hotel Management, New Delhi, he brings academic rigour and field-tested wisdom to every endeavour. His career spans landmark properties in Australia, Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore — navigating the full spectrum of hospitality challenges from pre-openings and repositioning assignments to operations in conflict zones, post-tsunami recovery, and pandemic-era strategic planning.
Bipan has held the role of General Manager and Managing Director at some of Asia’s most iconic properties, including the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore — where he presided over the hotel’s most successful financial year in its history and served as host to world leaders including US President Obama, President Putin, and the historic 2018 USA–North Korea Summit. As Managing Director of The Westin Resort Nusa Dua Bali & Bali International Convention Center, he spearheaded a landmark expansion that grew Gross Operating Revenue by over 40% and negotiated an US$8.5 million IMF Annual Meeting buyout. He also holds the distinction of launching the very first Westin-branded hotel in India in 2007.
Across his career, Bipan has been a steadfast champion of talent development — mentoring hotel managers through Starwood’s careers programme, serving on the Global General Managers Advisory Board for Brand Westin, and building high-performing teams that consistently earned “Best in Class” recognition for associate satisfaction. His philosophy aligns closely with the mission of Asianhotelier.Org: that world-class knowledge, mentorship, and opportunity must be made accessible to every hotelier across Asia, regardless of geography or background.
Today, Bipan brings this wealth of experience to the Asianhotelier.Org Advisory Board, where his insight into luxury operations, multi-brand management, and people-first leadership serves as a guiding compass for the platform’s mission to empower the next generation of Asian hoteliers.