about Deepika Rao, MD & CEO of Ginger Hotels.

Leading with Purpose: The Journey of Deepika Rao at Ginger Hotels

In the fast-evolving world of hospitality, few leaders stand out for their vision, resilience, and ability to balance innovation with operational rigor. Deepika Rao is one such leader — as the Managing Director & CEO of Roots Corporation (the company behind Ginger Hotels, a brand under IHCL), she has steered the brand through expansion, transformation, and a reimagined value offering.

From Foundation to Leadership

Deepika Rao’s professional journey is rooted in a strong foundation in leadership and cross-functional expertise. She is an alumna of the Tata Administrative Services leadership program, and began her career with Tata Motors in 2000. Over the years, she held varied roles across Tata group companies, honing her skills in operations, asset management, and strategic initiatives.

Within IHCL, she has led efforts in asset management, margin optimization, and transformation projects — proving her ability to manage both the “big picture” and the day-to-day pulse of hospitality operations. In 2017, she was appointed as MD & CEO of Ginger — becoming the first woman to head an IHCL company.

Defining Ginger’s Identity: Lean Luxe & Seamless Hospitality

Under Deepika’s leadership, Ginger Hotels has been evolving its brand philosophy around a concept called “Lean Luxe” — delivering a refined, contemporary stay experience without unnecessary frills, and focusing on efficiency, design, and smart service.

She emphasizes the importance of seamless guest experience, agile operations, and modern design — all while being cost-sensitive, since Ginger positions itself as a midscale/upper economy brand.

Expansion & Strategic Growth

A key part of Deepika Rao’s mandate has been to expand Ginger’s footprint across India’s commercial hubs, smart cities, and emerging markets. For example:

In Coimbatore, a new 72-key Ginger hotel was signed, aligning with the brand’s growth strategy in southern India.
Ginger also expanded into cities like Nagpur, Amritsar, Dehradun, among others, under her direction.

These expansions reinforce Ginger’s presence in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, helping it reach travelers in both business and leisure segments.

Leadership Style & Values

Deepika Rao’s leadership is characterized by a blend of strategic clarity and ground engagement. A few hallmarks of her approach:

Collaboration & Empowerment: She often speaks of working “with” teams not just “over” them, encouraging ownership and innovation at all levels.
Data & Analytics Orientation: Her experience in revenue management, pricing, planning, and business analytics has informed her decisions in growth, optimization, and operations.
Focus on Stakeholders: Beyond guests and investors, she values employees, partners, and local communities — ensuring that growth is sustainable and inclusive.

Challenges & Vision Ahead

Leading a hotel chain in a competitive and capital-intensive industry is never without challenges. Deepika has had to navigate:

Fluctuations in demand (economic cycles, pandemics)
Balancing investment vs. returns in new properties
Integrating technology for seamless operations and guest experience
Maintaining brand consistency across a dispersed portfolio

Yet her vision continues to be bold: to scale Ginger as India’s leading lean-luxe brand, recognized for design, service, accessibility, and consistency.

Lessons from Her Journey

For aspiring leaders and hospitality professionals, Deepika Rao’s journey offers several takeaways:

Cross-functional mastery matters — having experience in operations, finance, analytics helps in holistic decisions.
Brand clarity is critical — having a sharp positioning (like “Lean Luxe”) helps differentiate and focus investments.
Empower teams & decentralize innovation — ground teams often have the best insights for local needs.
Adapt & evolve — in hospitality, one must continuously adjust strategies (digital, sustainability, guest preferences).
Lead with authenticity — credibility builds when leaders engage transparently, stand by values, and stay accessible.