Strengthened leadership after 25 years of growth in India
Announced on 1 October 2026, the appointment of Thomas Maechler comes at a pivotal moment for SUJÁN, which has just celebrated its 25th anniversary. The independent, family-owned group founded by Anjali and Jaisal Singh has made strengthening its leadership team a priority as it prepares for a new phase of international development.
In his new role, Thomas Maechler will oversee all of SUJÁN‘s operations and steer its global ambitions. The group intends to remain true to the principles that have defined it from the outset: conservation, local community development and sustainable luxury.
Three Relais & Châteaux camps and five Michelin Keys
SUJÁN currently operates three camps in Rajasthan, India: SUJÁN Sher Bagh, SUJÁN The Serai and SUJÁN Jawai. All three are Relais & Châteaux members and recognised by the Michelin Guide, with two Keys each for Sher Bagh and Jawai and one Key for The Serai.
In 2024, SUJÁN Jawai became the first Indian hotel to feature in The World’s 50 Best Hotels ranking. The group’s story dates back to SUJÁN Sher Bagh in Ranthambhore, founded by Jaisal Singh at the age of 21 on land rewilded in the late 1980s by his parents and his maternal uncle, the late Valmik Thapar, a leading figure in Indian wildlife conservation.
A career spanning Swiss luxury hospitality and industry governance
A graduate of EHL who also studied at Cornell University and IMD, Thomas Maechler began his career at The Peninsula Hong Kong before joining Four Seasons at The Pierre in New York, followed by the Swissôtel The Drake. He then worked as a senior consultant at the Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Hotelkredit, which specialises in financial advisory services, feasibility studies and hotel mergers and acquisitions.
From 2004 to 2020, he was owner and general manager of the Beau-Rivage Hotel in Neuchâtel, a Relais & Châteaux and Swiss Deluxe Hotels property, which he subsequently sold to a Singapore-based company. From 2020 to 2024, he led La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich, a 40-room-and-suite property redesigned by Philippe Starck.
His career also includes senior governance roles. He sat on the executive committee and board of directors of Relais & Châteaux from 2013 to 2020, serving as its treasurer, and was Vice President of Swiss Deluxe Hotels from 2010 to 2024, while also sitting on the board of Les Grandes Tables de Suisse. More recently, he was COO of Bancroft Global Management, then managing director of the Institute for Service and Leadership Excellence, parent company of the hotel ranking ‘Die 101 besten’.
Founders back an operational and entrepreneurial vision
For Anjali and Jaisal Singh, the appointment directly supports the group’s international expansion.
The founders stress that SUJÁN was built on the belief that luxury hospitality and meaningful conservation can go hand in hand to deliver a tangible positive impact. They commend Thomas Maechler for his global perspective, entrepreneurial spirit, operational excellence and in-depth understanding of luxury hospitality.
The new COO describes SUJÁN as a rare combination of conservation, culture and uncompromising hospitality. He sets out the roadmap: taking this vision into its next phase by opening new properties and developing new initiatives, while keeping sight of the group’s commitments to conservation, sustainability and responsibility towards local communities.
Zambia, the first step in an African expansion
At the end of September 2026, SUJÁN acquired two camps on the banks of the Zambezi in Lower Zambezi National Park from Chiawa Safaris: Chiawa Camp and Old Mondoro. This marks the group’s first significant move outside India. Chiawa Safaris has operated in the region for more than three decades.
The choice of Zambia comes as the destination gains momentum and seeks to strengthen its air connectivity through the Airlift Zambia programme. The high-end safari segment is also attracting a number of international operators, such as Elewana Collection in Tanzania.
Commenting on the acquisition, Jaisal Singh, founder and chairman of SUJÁN, says it represents far more than geographic expansion: it is the natural extension of a conviction the group has championed for 25 years, namely that exceptional hospitality should serve a wider purpose by protecting the natural world and strengthening local communities.
A portfolio set to double within four years
The group is exploring further opportunities on the African continent and in other regions of the world. It aims to double its portfolio over the next four years, prioritising properties and partners that share its conservation values.
Analysis – By entrusting its operations to an executive versed both in running independent luxury hotels and in governing networks such as Relais & Châteaux, SUJÁN acquires a key capability for integrating assets bought outside its home market without diluting a model built on small-scale camps.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
SUJÁN appoints Thomas Maechler as SVP & COO
Effective 1 October 2026, overseeing operations and international growth
Former owner-GM of Beau-Rivage Neuchâtel and GM of La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich
Ex-Relais & Châteaux board member and Swiss Deluxe Hotels Vice President
Portfolio: 3 Relais & Châteaux camps in India, 5 Michelin Keys in total
Africa entry via Chiawa Camp and Old Mondoro, Lower Zambezi, Zambia
Target: double the portfolio within four years
