Royal Orchid Hotels has appointed Keshav Baljee to the position of Executive Director, formalizing his leadership role in driving the company’s growth strategy and brand expansion.

Keshav Baljee, who has been a Board member since 2019, has been instrumental in shaping strategic initiatives, strengthening the asset-light model, and refining the company’s brand presence across markets. The company said his elevation “aligns responsibility with the impact he has already been driving.”

Keshav Baljee, who has founded Kensington Villas, a luxury villa development company with projects in Alibaug. He previously founded and led Spree Hotels, building it into a pan-India hotel management chain operating under the “Zip by Spree” and “Spree” brands. Spree also operated in facilities management and clubhouse management. He later sold Spree to Ease My Trip, a listed travel conglomerate.

During his earlier stint as President of Royal Orchid Hotels from 2007 to 2011, the company expanded from four to 24 hotels in under five years, with over 1.2 million square feet of hospitality assets jointly developed. He handled investor relations, private equity and debt engagements, and institutionalized governance processes during that high-growth phase. He also spearheaded the asset-light strategy and signed the company’s first management contracts—a division that now has over 100 operational third-party management contracts.

In his new role, he will lead the overall growth strategy of the group.

A graduate of the Indian School of Business and the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology at the University of Pennsylvania, Baljee started his career in investment banking with Lehman Brothers and UBS, focusing on M&A before returning to India.

The Board expressed confidence that “his entrepreneurial approach, financial discipline and operational clarity will position Royal Orchid Hotels strongly for its next chapter of growth.”