An appointment at the intersection of marketing, distribution and brand strategy
With the arrival of Sahaj Agarwal, Accor is strengthening its commercial and marketing organisation in India and South Asia.
Based in Gurugram, in the Indian state of Haryana, the new Director – Digital, Marketing & Brand will oversee three closely connected areas: digital marketing, e-commerce and brand strategy.
His appointment, effective 12 October 2026, is intended to increase the group’s online visibility, strengthen consistency across its communications and support regional growth.
Beyond communications campaigns, his responsibilities have a clear commercial performance dimension: optimising digital customer journeys, improving booking conversion and coordinating marketing initiatives across the group’s various brands.
The role therefore combines brand awareness development with a direct contribution to hotel revenue.
At Hilton, a revenue-focused destination marketing strategy
Before joining Accor, Sahaj Agarwal had served as Regional Director – Destination Marketing, South Asia, at Hilton since September 2022.
In this position, he oversaw regional marketing strategies in collaboration with commercial and operational teams.
His remit included defining customer segments, developing multichannel campaigns, acquiring members for the Hilton Honors programme and growing direct sales.
According to the results outlined in his professional profile, his initiatives contributed to a 12% annual increase in direct digital revenue and a 21% rise in Hilton Honors membership across his area of responsibility.
He also reports a ten-percentage-point increase in occupancy attributable to loyalty programme members.
These results, as stated in his professional profile and not independently verified, illustrate the emphasis placed on measurable commercial performance in his responsibilities.
His remit also included developing wedding and events business, promoting food and beverage operations and making targeted use of online booking platforms.
Marriott International: digital strategy for a portfolio of more than 120 hotels
Between May 2017 and September 2022, Sahaj Agarwal served as Director Digital Consulting, South Asia, at Marriott International.
He led digital marketing initiatives across a portfolio of more than 120 properties.
His responsibilities included building and managing a specialist team, supporting hotels with their digital strategies and integrating the Marriott and Starwood portfolios following their merger.
He also contributed to the regional rollout of Marriott Bonvoy, with the objective of increasing guest engagement and bookings.
His experience at Marriott included providing marketing support for more than 40 hotel openings and managing digital initiatives with an annual budget exceeding $10 million.
These initiatives covered room revenue as well as meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), food and beverage, weddings and loyalty programmes.
He also worked on relationships with online travel agencies, notably MakeMyTrip, a major player in India’s travel distribution market.
International experience gained at Ritz-Carlton and Sofitel
Sahaj Agarwal’s career also includes several years in the Middle East in digital distribution and marketing roles.
From December 2013 to April 2016, he was Field Digital Manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.
Based in Dubai, he supported a portfolio of 23 luxury hotels, particularly in their online sales strategies, repositioning projects and openings.
His responsibilities included optimising sales through direct channels, managing relationships with distribution platforms and implementing digital campaigns tailored to local markets.
Previously, between June 2010 and December 2013, he had served as eCommerce Manager for the Middle East, Africa and the Indian Ocean at Sofitel.
He was notably involved in developing digital marketing strategies, managing online reputation and deploying customer relationship management tools.
This experience marks an earlier chapter within the Accor group, to which he now returns in a broader regional role.
A career that began in commercial operations and hotel development
Before specialising in digital marketing, Sahaj Agarwal held commercial positions with Hilton in India.
He was notably part of the opening team for a Hilton property in New Delhi before joining a sales team responsible for corporate accounts.
His career also includes a hotel development internship at Accor Hospitality in Paris in 2008, focusing particularly on emerging market analysis and the group’s development prospects.
He holds an MBA in International Hospitality Management, specialising in e-commerce, from ESSEC Business School, as well as a degree in Hotel Administration from Indira Gandhi National Open University.
Accor: strengthening the connection between brands, distribution and commercial performance
In his new role, Sahaj Agarwal will coordinate Accor’s digital and marketing strategies across India and South Asia.
This responsibility comes at a time when hotel groups must balance several distribution channels: proprietary websites and applications, loyalty programmes, booking platforms and customer acquisition through digital advertising.
The effectiveness of these channels depends on their ability to generate bookings while keeping acquisition costs under control.
Growing direct sales, strengthening loyalty and making effective use of customer data are therefore major drivers of commercial performance.
Sahaj Agarwal’s experience with multi-brand organisations, loyalty programmes and regional digital strategies is closely aligned with these priorities.
Accor has not disclosed any quantified targets or specific budget associated with his appointment.
LTH Analysis | Digital distribution as a driver of hotel profitability
Sahaj Agarwal’s appointment reflects the growing convergence between brand marketing and distribution performance. In a market such as India, where booking journeys are highly digitalised, visibility alone is no longer sufficient: it must translate into incremental revenue at a controlled acquisition cost. His experience at Marriott and Hilton, particularly in direct sales and loyalty programmes, represents an asset for Accor. The challenge will be to increase the contribution of proprietary channels without overlooking third-party platforms, which remain essential for certain customer segments. Over time, the effectiveness of this organisational approach can be assessed through changes in distribution mix, booking acquisition costs and revenue generated per customer.
At a Glance
Appointment: Sahaj Agarwal named Director – Digital, Marketing & Brand, India & South Asia, at Accor.
Effective date: 12 October 2026.
Location: Gurugram, India.
Responsibilities: Digital strategy, e-commerce and brand marketing across India and South Asia.
Previous position: Regional Director – Destination Marketing, South Asia, at Hilton.
Career background: More than 18 years in hospitality marketing, including Marriott International, Ritz-Carlton and Sofitel.
Track record: Digital marketing leadership for a portfolio of over 120 hotels at Marriott International.
Education: MBA in International Hospitality Management from ESSEC Business School.
Strategic focus: Direct bookings, digital visibility, brand consistency and commercial performance.
