Marriott International has appointed a dedicated India-focused destination sales team for its Maldives resort portfolio, marking a strategic expansion of the company’s market approach to the region’s largest source market.
The four-member team will operate across major Indian cities to strengthen trade partnerships, enhance brand presence, and drive commercial performance for Marriott’s nine Maldives properties.
Vaishali Shah has been appointed Market Director of Destination Sales – India, based in New Delhi. Shah will lead India-wide sales strategy and work closely with key trade partners to support revenue growth across Marriott International’s Maldives resort collection.
The team includes three Account Directors positioned in key Indian markets: Rahul Gupta (Bangalore), Reena Sharma (New Delhi), and Karishma Kazi (Mumbai). The geographic distribution allows the team to maintain direct relationships with travel trade partners across India’s primary markets.
Peter Foreman, Senior Area Director, Sales, Marketing and Distribution – Singapore & Maldives at Marriott International, explained the strategic rationale: “India remains one of our most valuable source markets, and we are adopting a more strategic approach to accelerate commercial performance with the appointment of our India Destination Sales team. By establishing a dedicated market structure, we can sharpen our focus on India-wide sales, strengthen long-term trade engagement, and drive revenue growth more effectively. Each team member brings distinct expertise—from trade partnerships and market insights to revenue generation and brand positioning—and together, they will enhance our presence and deliver sustained results for our Maldives portfolio.”
Team Profiles
Vaishali Shah – Market Director of Destination Sales – India (New Delhi)
Shah brings over 23 years of Marriott International experience, beginning her career as a Reservations Associate at Marriott Mumbai Juhu before advancing to senior above-property sales positions. Her professional background includes a 15-year tenure with Marriott’s Global Sales Office (GSO), where she progressed from Sales Manager to leadership roles, developing expertise in sales strategy, market development, and trade engagement.
Rahul Gupta – Account Director, Destination Sales (Bangalore)
Based in Bangalore, Gupta brings over 15 years of hospitality experience spanning corporate, MICE, social, and leisure segments. Since 2014, he has held strategic sales positions with Marriott International across multiple brands including JW Marriott Bengaluru, The Ritz-Carlton Bengaluru, Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel, Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa, and The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort.
Gupta is a two-time recipient of the Marriott Asia Pacific excluding China (APEC) Top Performer Award, recognized for revenue growth achievement, market visibility enhancement, and development of long-term trade partnerships for luxury and premium properties.
Reena Sharma – Account Director, Destination Sales (New Delhi)
Sharma brings over 20 years of hospitality experience, including seven years with Marriott International. Her career includes senior sales leadership positions at The Westin Sohna Resort & Spa, JW Marriott Goa (pre-opening), and an above-property assignment with Marriott’s National Sales Organization.
She has extensive experience managing key intermediaries, leisure tour operators, and MICE planners across Delhi NCR and pan-India markets, with a track record in driving commercial growth and building strategic trade partnerships.
Karishma Kazi – Account Director, Destination Sales (Mumbai)
Based in Mumbai, Kazi brings 14 years of experience in the Indian travel trade with expertise in revenue generation, trade distribution, and brand performance. She has successfully represented Marriott International Maldives resorts including JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa, The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort, and Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa.
In her role, Kazi will focus on India-wide sales execution, trade engagement, and revenue acceleration strategy for Marriott’s Maldives portfolio.
Marriott International Maldives Portfolio
The dedicated India sales team will represent nine Marriott International resorts in the Maldives:
- The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands
- The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort
- W Maldives
- JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa
- JW Marriott Maldives Kaafu Atoll Island Resort
- Le Méridien Maldives Resort & Spa
- Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa
- The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort
- The Halcyon Private Isles Maldives, Autograph Collection
The portfolio represents significant operational scale and brand diversity within the Maldives market, spanning luxury, premium, and lifestyle positioning across Marriott’s brand architecture.
Market Significance
The establishment of a dedicated India destination sales team reflects India’s importance as a source market for Maldives tourism. Indian travelers represent the largest visitor segment to the Maldives by volume, making focused sales infrastructure strategically important for resort operators.
The team structure allows Marriott International to maintain consistent engagement with India’s travel trade across geographic markets while coordinating portfolio-wide strategies through centralized leadership. This approach differs from property-level sales efforts by providing cohesive representation for the entire Maldives collection.
The appointment follows broader industry trends of hospitality companies establishing dedicated destination sales teams for high-value markets. By consolidating sales efforts under specialized teams, hotel groups can provide more consistent trade partner engagement, coordinate pricing and inventory strategies, and develop market-specific programmes across multiple properties. For travel trade partners in India, the dedicated team provides centralized points of contact for the full Marriott International Maldives portfolio, potentially simplifying commercial relationships and improving information flow regarding inventory, rates, and promotional opportunities.
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