Anuraag Bhatnagar, is the Chief Executive Officer at The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts. He currently oversees 12 uber luxury iconic hotels in some of the most alluring destinations in India.

He joined The Leela in 2020. Under his aegis the brand has established itself as a leader in every market in which it operates, winning the coveted accolade as the World’s Best Brand by Travel + Leisure World’s Best Survey 2020 and 2021 twice in a row. The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts also opened 4 luxury hotels and has launched new initiatives such as The Leela Palace Services, Ceremonial Rituals, Tishya by The Leela, Aujasya by The Leela and Icons of India by The Leela to further elevate its positioning as an epitome of true Indian luxury.

Prior to joining The Leela Anuraag was the Multi-Property Vice President at Marriott International for Mumbai, and Goa overseeing 12 hotels. He has worked across brands like St. Regis, W Hotels and The Ritz- Carlton. He has over 3 decades of experience in running luxury hotels and businesses, including a decade at Oberoi Hotels & Resorts.

Anuraag believes that luxury is all about authenticity, anticipation, innovation, and personalization. With his commitment to building a performance driven and people centric culture, The Leela brand today, is strongly poised to embrace the next new phase of its journey.
Anuraag is one of the most felicitated and awarded hoteliers in India. He was recognized as the COO/VP of the Year – International by ITP, Hotelier India in 2018 and as CEO of the Year Hotels by PATWA International at ITB Berlin in 2022.

He is an alumnus of Delhi University, and a hospitality graduate from IHM Pusa New Delhi. Anuraag has also done Management and Leadership courses from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, and the University of North Carolina.