Minor Hotels has entrusted Ravi Ganglani with the joint leadership of Idyllic Resort and Iravae Resort, two properties on the island of Koh Lipe, in Satun province, Thailand. Appointed Cluster General Manager effective 21 September 2026, he is tasked with overseeing the entry of both properties into Colbert Collection, the group’s premium soft brand.
Ravi Ganglani himself outlines three priorities: integrating the two resorts into the collection, building their market positioning, and working alongside both the teams and the owners. He sees it as an opportunity to “create something truly unique in Koh Lipe”.
A career built at Minor Hotels since 2012
This appointment extends a career that began within the group in 2012, when Ravi Ganglani joined Minor International as Area Director of Sales, responsible for the MICE segment across a cluster of fourteen hotels in Thailand and one property in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Over six years, he led MICE sales strategies for each hotel and for the cluster, managed key accounts and represented the group at international trade shows and roadshows. He also oversaw the sales teams responsible for directing qualified business to properties across the portfolio.
He then became Director of Sales and Marketing at Avani Sukhumvit Bangkok from 2018 to 2020, followed by Avani+ Hua Hin Resort until 2023. Earlier in his career, he had been Senior Sales Manager at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Bangkok, after starting out as Events Manager at Diethelm Events.
From sales to operations
The operational turning point came in March 2023, when he was appointed Resort Manager of Avani+ Hua Hin, a position he held for more than three years. In June 2026, Minor Hotels assigned him a Task Force General Manager mission at Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort, which he carried out until taking up his post in Koh Lipe.
A hospitality management graduate of the International College of Hotel Management, Ravi Ganglani supplemented his training in 2025 with two eCornell programmes dedicated to organisational design and organisational assessment. He is also certified under the Horizon General Manager Excellence Programme.
The same pattern of internal promotion can be seen elsewhere in the group’s Asian network, as illustrated by the recent appointment of Patrick Manthe to lead Avani+ Luang Prabang, in Laos.
Colbert Collection continues its rollout
Unveiled in March 2026, Colbert Collection brings together independent hotels around cultural discovery, culinary expression and social connection. The brand made its debut in Asia with the signing of the future Colbert Collection Koh Samui with Rasa Group, before continuing its growth in Europe and the Middle East.
The group has since signed a project in a former convent in San Gimignano, Tuscany, followed by Ampersand Beach House on Dubai Islands, the brand’s first purpose-built property. In London, the pre-opening of WestDill Mayfair has been entrusted to Marco Ercolano.
Analysis – With Koh Lipe, Minor Hotels adds a second Thai island to its soft brand’s footprint, after Koh Samui. The choice of a home-grown profile, grounded in sales before moving into operations, reflects the challenges of integrating existing assets: establishing a new brand identity and building a market positioning for two resorts run under joint leadership.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Minor Hotels appoints Ravi Ganglani as Cluster General Manager, Colbert Collection Koh Lipe
Role: Cluster GM of Idyllic Resort and Iravae Resort, Colbert Collection, Koh Lipe (Satun, Thailand), effective 21 September 2026
Mission: bring both resorts into Colbert Collection and build their market positioning
Background: with Minor Hotels since 2012, from Area Director of Sales MICE (14 hotels in Thailand, 1 in Siem Reap) to Resort Manager of Avani+ Hua Hin
Latest role: Task Force General Manager, Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort (June-September 2026)
Brand context: Colbert Collection, launched in March 2026, now spans Thailand, Italy, the UK and the UAE
