Udaipur Marriott GM Vaibhav Sagar on Balancing Scale, Culture, and Sustainability
At Udaipur Marriott, scale meets soul — from grand weddings and MICE to authentic Rajasthani experiences, all wrapped in sustainability and luxury
From a commerce graduate and banker to a hotelier leading one of Udaipur’s largest luxury properties, Vaibhav Sagar’s journey is anything but conventional. As General Manager of Udaipur Marriott Hotel, he blends financial acumen with operational expertise to create a destination that balances grand weddings, MICE events, cultural immersion, and sustainable hospitality—making the hotel a preferred choice for both travellers and locals alike.
Excerpts from an exclusive interview
Tell us about your background. How did hospitality happen for you?
I am originally from Faridabad, near Delhi. My academic background is in commerce—I did my B.Com (Hons.) from Delhi College of Arts and Commerce. I didn’t pursue hotel management. Instead, I began my career as an intern in the accounts department at the Grand Hyatt, Vasant Kunj, which is now The Grand New Delhi.
That’s how I first got introduced to hospitality. I worked in finance for two to three years, after which I pursued an MBA in Finance and Marketing. My campus placement took me into a government bank, where I spent four years. Eventually, my heart drew me back to hospitality, this time in sales and marketing.
Over the years, I spent about a decade in sales and marketing, and the last seven years in operations as a General Manager. My journey has taken me through finance, sales, marketing, and revenue—each step contributing to the leader I am today.
Vaibhav Sagar, General Manager, Udaipur Marriott Hotel (1)
Do you feel your background in finance has helped you as a GM?
Absolutely. Finance is the backbone of any business. As a GM, you aren’t just managing operations—you are leading a business. Having that financial acumen allows me to balance revenue with profitability without compromising brand standards or guest experience. In fact, most hotel brands today encourage their GMs to gain exposure to finance, because it’s critical for long-term sustainability.
What sets Udaipur Marriott apart from other properties in the city?
Our biggest differentiator is scale. We have 227 rooms and over 25,000 square feet of indoor banqueting space. That makes us one of the largest hotels in the city in terms of inventory and event facilities.
This has allowed us to bring MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) business to Udaipur on a scale that wasn’t happening before. Weddings have always been Udaipur’s strong suit, but now MICE has become a significant segment for us as well, and that’s something we are very proud of.
How do you bring local flavours into a global brand like Marriott?
Local experiences are an integral part of our offering. At breakfast, we have a live flute performance. Guests are welcomed with traditional Rajasthani music on most days. In the evenings, we host cultural performances like the famous Kalbeliya dance and puppet shows.
Of course, cuisine plays a big role as well. Our menus feature authentic local dishes alongside global flavours, giving guests the best of both worlds.
What about your restaurants—do you see more walk-in or in-house guests?
Interestingly, our restaurants picked up faster than our rooms when we opened. Being the closest five-star hotel to the city (just 12–15 minutes from Celebration Mall), we see a lot of walk-ins from residents of Udaipur, not just tourists. Our dining outlets have been extremely popular because of their accessibility and the alfresco dining experience, which is a huge draw given Udaipur’s weather and scenic surroundings.
Udaipur is synonymous with weddings. What kind of venues does the Marriott offer?
When you talk of Udaipur, you immediately think of destination weddings, and that’s exactly what our hotel is built for. We have multiple venues that lend themselves beautifully to big celebrations. At the lobby level, we have an outdoor space of 12,000 square feet. Then we have another large outdoor courtyard and lawn area below the lobby level, which is also 14,000 square feet—together, these can easily accommodate 400 people for any meal period, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner. On top of that, our large terrace—also 12,000 square feet—is a dedicated sundowner space, and it has been designed with performances in mind. The way it is structured, artists can perform from a designated area, while guests enjoy the event around the pool or poolside. If the clouds allow, the sunset from there is just breathtaking.
Our rooms and suites are also designed keeping weddings and buy-outs in mind. We have 227 rooms, and one-third of our inventory—87 rooms—are twins, which is a huge advantage for MICE and weddings. For a wedding, the suites are the biggest differentiator. We have 24 suites in total, four on each floor, and they’re not concentrated only on one or two levels like many hotels. Here, every floor has suites. This makes it extremely convenient when we have a wedding buy-out, because then each floor can be assigned as a bride’s floor or a groom’s floor. The key family members and close relatives can all be accommodated right there and upgraded to suites. It really works beautifully in terms of planning and comfort for both families.
Among the suites, our luxury suite is 1,000 square feet, and we have 12 of them—two on each floor. Then we also have deluxe and premium suites that are 550 and 650 square feet respectively. With this kind of spread across all floors, we are able to make sure that both bride and groom sides have equal access to premium spaces. Along with our large base category rooms of 40 square meters, every bathroom with a four-fixture set-up and a bathtub, and the greenery of the forest land surrounding our property, it adds to the overall experience of leisure and exclusivity. That is why we believe we are perfectly placed in Udaipur as a preferred wedding destination.
Sustainability has become a big part of hospitality. What initiatives have you adopted?
Sustainability is at the heart of our operations. We are a zero-waste hotel—everything produced here is consumed or reused within the property. Like all Marriott hotels, we have eliminated single-use plastic in guest rooms, replacing them with dispensers.
We have already planted 2,000 trees and saplings on the property and are in the process of adding another 1,000. By the end of this year, we should have around 3,000 trees, contributing to the natural forest cover around us. We are also working on setting up a bottling plant and EV charging stations, ensuring that our luxury offering is also responsible.
What’s your vision for Udaipur Marriott?
Our vision is to be the most preferred event and leisure hotel in Udaipur. What makes us unique is our location—we are surrounded by forest, offering privacy and serenity, yet we are still close to the city and airport.
Other luxury hotels in Udaipur are either in the old city or far out in the hills, but we are right at the start of Tiger Hills. That balance of accessibility and exclusivity is our biggest strength, and it will continue to set us apart in the years to come.
