BENGALURU, 3^rd SEPTEMBER 2026 – Shabana Raj has been appointed as Learning & Development Manager for Grand Mercure Bangalore, Grand Mercure Mysore and ibis Styles Mysuru. In her new role, Shabana will oversee the learning and development function across the three properties, driving initiatives that strengthen employee capabilities, support leadership development and foster a consistent culture of service excellence.

With over 20 years of hospitality experience, Shabana has worked across leading hotel companies including Accor, Marriott and ITC Hotels. Most recently, she served as Cluster Learning & Development Manager at ibis Hotels Mumbai, where she led L&D strategy across multiple properties, designing structured training calendars covering guest experience, culinary excellence and operational effectiveness, while driving service culture programmes such as the SMILE framework. She managed the complete training lifecycle, from needs analysis and content development to facilitation and impact measurement, giving her a strong understanding of both learning and development and hotel operations.

Across the three properties, Shabana will work closely with the leadership and departmental teams to identify capability gaps, strengthen functional and leadership skills, and create development pathways for employees across different levels. She will also focus on strengthening internal talent pipelines and enabling high-potential team members to take on larger responsibilities, while ensuring that learning initiatives remain closely aligned with business objectives and guest expectations.

“As our teams continue to grow and evolve, a strong learning culture is essential. Shabana’s experience will help strengthen capabilities, support leadership development and further our commitment to service excellence across the three properties.”

Parag Shah, General Manager, Grand Mercure Bangalore

 “People development is at the heart of strong hospitality teams. Shabana brings valuable L&D experience along with an understanding of hotel operations, and we look forward to her strengthening our talent pipeline and creating meaningful growth opportunities for our teams.”

Manali Gupta, Cluster General Manager of Grand Mercure Mysore and ibis Styles Mysuru

“Effective learning begins with understanding people, their aspirations and what they need to succeed. I look forward to creating relevant learning opportunities, strengthening our talent pipeline and empowering our teams to take greater ownership of their roles.”

Shabana Raj

With Shabana leading learning and development across Grand Mercure Bangalore, Grand Mercure Mysore and ibis Styles Mysuru, the three properties continue to place people development at the heart of their growth. Her appointment will further support the development of capable, future-ready teams and a strong culture of continuous learning and service excellence.