Aided by more than 16 years of luxury hospitality experience, Varun will reinforce the award-winning resort’s strong track record in operational excellence, strategic leadership and exceptional guest experiences.

Singapore (26 October, 2026) – JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa has appointed Varun Babbar as Hotel Manager, effective from 1 September 2026. Bringing more than 16 years of experience in luxury hospitality, including leadership positions across multiple JW Marriott properties and four pre-opening assignments in India and Sri Lanka, Varun joins the resort with extensive expertise in hotel operations, guest experience and team development.

Varun’s career with Marriott includes key roles at JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, JW Marriott Jaipur Resort & Spa and JW Marriott Goa. During his tenure as Director of Rooms at JW Marriott Goa in its opening year, he helped lead the hotel’s rise from #67 to #5 on TripAdvisor within six months. Under his leadership, the team also achieved the highest Intent to Recommend score in the Asia Pacific region, consistently exceeding 90%, demonstrating a strong focus on service excellence and guest satisfaction.

Prior to joining JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa, Varun served as Director of Operations at Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams in Sri Lanka, a USD 1.4 billion integrated resort featuring 800 rooms. Having joined the pre-opening team as Director of Rooms in January 2024, he was promoted to Director of Operations in September 2025. In this role, he oversaw more than 400 associates across Rooms, Spa and Guest Experience, while helping establish operational readiness through more than 4,000 critical-path tasks, standard operating procedures and brand standards.

Under his leadership, Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams achieved the #1 position on TripAdvisor in its first year of operation and consistently recorded guest satisfaction scores above 95% on its Guest Review Index (GRI). He also delivered sustained commercial performance, exceeding revenue and upselling targets month after month.

Varun’s professional achievements further include two nominations for the EDGE Rooms Front of the House category at the Global Discipline Awards during his time at JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, where he was also recognised as the hotel’s Guest Voice Champion.

Commenting on his appointment, Varun Babbar, Hotel Manager, JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa, said, “I am delighted to join JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa and return to a brand that has played an important role in my professional journey. I look forward to working closely with our talented associates to strengthen our culture of service excellence, create meaningful experiences for our guests and continue building on the resort’s reputation as a leading luxury destination in Thailand.”

Abhimanyu Singh, Area General Manager, Southern Thailand and General Manager, JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa, added, “We are delighted to welcome Varun to the team. His extensive background in luxury hospitality, particularly in hotel openings and operational excellence, brings valuable expertise to the resort. His commitment to developing strong teams and upholding the highest standards of service aligns closely with our values, and we look forward to his leadership in further enhancing our guests’ stays.”

With his wealth of international hospitality experience and people-centred leadership approach, Varun will play an important role in supporting the resort’s continued operational excellence and delivering the thoughtful, personalised service that defines the JW Marriott experience.