Swati Haridas Deshani
Summary
Hospitality academic, researcher and industry professional with more than thirteen years of combined experience in higher education and hotel operations. Currently employed as Assistant Professor – Senior Scale at the Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India.
Experienced in undergraduate teaching, practical hospitality instruction, curriculum development, assessment design, student mentoring, research supervision and academic administration. Teaching experience encompasses accommodation operations, food and beverage service, business communication, skill enhancement and digital literacy.
Research interests include hospitality education, Generation Z workforce expectations, hotel internships, sustainable hospitality, artificial intelligence and robotics in hospitality, employee wellbeing, experiential learning and digital transformation. Scholarly contributions include peer-reviewed journal articles, academic book chapters, conference proceedings and intellectual property relevant to hotel operations.
Prior hotel-industry experience includes reservations, front-office operations, revenue optimisation, yield management, in-room dining, guest service and team supervision with ITC Hotels, Accor, Radisson and SAMHI Hotels.
Overview
3
3
Languages
1
1
Certification
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR – SENIOR SCALE
WGSHA, , Manipal Academy of Higher Education
MANIPAL, INDIA
09.2022 - Current
- Deliver undergraduate & Graduate teaching in hospitality operations, communication, and digital literacy.
- Design and review curricula, assessments, and learning resources aligned with industry standards.
- Integrate learning technologies and AI-enabled tools to enhance teaching and student engagement.
- Supervise student projects, industrial training, and academic progression.
- Mentor students in professional development, employability, and career planning.
- Coordinate academic, pastoral, and co-curricular activities within the School.
- Contribute to research, scholarly publications, and academic conferences.
- Collaborate with industry partners to strengthen experiential learning and curriculum relevance.
- Participate in departmental committees, quality assurance, and institutional initiatives.
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Vivekananda Institute of Hotel and Tourism Managem
Rajkot, India
07.2018 - 09.2022
- Delivered theory and practical teaching in accommodation operations and hospitality management.
- Developed course materials, lesson plans, assessments, and practical learning activities.
- Supervised student internships, projects, and industrial training programmes.
- Mentored students in academic development and hospitality career readiness.
- Organised academic events, workshops, seminars, and industry interactions.
- Participated in curriculum implementation, examinations, and academic administration.
- Established industry collaborations to support internships and graduate placements.
- Contributed to institutional quality initiatives and student engagement activities.
RESERVATION EXECUTIVE
Hotel Fortune Park JPS Grand (ITC Group)
Rajkot, INDIA
09.2017 - 07.2018
- Managed individual, corporate, and group reservations using the Property Management System.
- Coordinated with operational departments to ensure seamless guest arrivals.
- Assisted with room inventory control and revenue optimisation.
- Responded to reservation enquiries and managed booking modifications.
- Maintained reservation accuracy and adherence to ITC Hotels' service standards.
RESERVATION SUPERVISOR
Caspia Hotel (SAMHI Group)
Ahmedabad, INDIA
05.2015 - 09.2017
- Supervised daily reservation operations and room inventory management.
- Coordinated with Sales, Front Office, and Housekeeping to optimise occupancy.
- Managed corporate, group, and online reservations.
- Prepared reservation and occupancy reports for management.
- Trained reservation associates and ensured compliance with hotel standards.
ROOM SERVICE ORDER TAKER
Novotel By Accor
Ahmedabad, INDIA
09.2013 - 04.2014
- Processed and coordinated in-room dining orders in line with Accor service standards.
- Delivered personalised guest service by handling menu enquiries and special requests.
- Coordinated with operational departments to ensure timely service.
- Maintained order accuracy, billing, and food safety standards.
- Supported departmental service quality and guest satisfaction.
ROOM SERVICE ORDER TAKER
Radisson Resort & Spa Kandla
Gandhidham, INDIA
07.2012 - 07.2013
- Managed in-room dining orders while ensuring prompt and accurate service.
- Coordinated with Kitchen and Food & Beverage teams for efficient order delivery.
- Assisted guests with menu selections and special requests.
- Maintained billing accuracy and service quality standards.
- Contributed to guest satisfaction through effective communication and service recovery.
Industrial Trainee
Taj Lake Palace
Udaipur, India
06.2011 - 11.2011
- Completed rotational training across Front Office, Housekeeping, Food & Beverage Service, and Food Production.
- Assisted in delivering luxury guest experiences in accordance with Taj Hotels' service standards.
- Gained practical exposure to hotel operations, SOPs, and interdepartmental coordination.
- Developed professional skills in guest service, teamwork, and communication.
- Awarded Best Trainee for outstanding performance.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy - Hotel & Tourism Management
Vivekananda Global University
Jaipur01-2026
Master of Business Administration - Hospitality Managment
Amity University
Noida, IN-UP01-2022
Bachelor of Arts - Hotel & Tourism Management
Anand Institute of Management Science (AIMS)
Anand01-2012
Skills
Research and analysis
- Hospitality systems
- Teaching and learning technologies
- Digital skills
- IBM SPSS statistics
- NVivo and MAXQDA
- Quantitative data analysis
- Qualitative data analysis
- Thematic coding
- Survey data management
- Literature searching and synthesis
- Opera property management system
- IDS hotel software
- Hotel reservation systems
- Room inventory management
- Revenue management systems
- Canvas learning management system
- Microsoft Teams and Zoom
- Digital assessment tools
- Online learning platforms
- Microsoft Office suite
- Generative AI applications
- Prompt engineering fundamentals
Languages
English
Advanced
C1
Hindi
Proficient
C2
Gujarati
Proficient
C2
Certification
1). Certification of ISO audit awareness training.
2). Certificate of Proficiency in SECURITY for seafarers.
3). Food & Basic Hygiene Training (HACCP) – Novotel Hotel.
4). Certificate of Excellence in Pre-Opening Team Support – Radisson Hotel Kandla.
Accomplishments
1). First rank in paper presentation at National Conference – Vivekananda Global University (2023).
2). Trainer of ITC Infotech “Hospitality 201” (2024).
3). Team member, G20 Delegates Hospitality, ITC Hotels (09/01/23).
4). Best Employee of the Month (Radisson Hotel Kandla & Caspia Hotel).
5). Certification in Hospitality Training for Class III Indian Government employees.
6). Best Trainee, Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur (08/01/11).
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Hospitality education; Generation Z in hospitality; industrial training and internships; experiential learning; sustainable hospitality; artificial intelligence in hospitality and tourism; service robotics; accommodation operations; employee wellbeing; hospitality technology; digital transformation; curriculum innovation; guest experience; front-office operations; revenue management.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Courses Taught
- Accommodation Operations
- Food and Beverage Service
- Business Communication
- Skill Enhancement
- Digital Literacy
- Accommodation and housekeeping operations
- Front-office and rooms-division operations
- Food and beverage service
- Hospitality management
- Business and professional communication
- Digital literacy
- Professional and employability skills
- Practical hotel operations
- Experiential learning
- Competency-based education
- Industrial-training preparation
- Student career development
CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT EXPERIENCE
- Curriculum and syllabus development
- Unit and lesson planning
- Learning-outcome development
- Practical-class design
- Assessment and marking-rubric design
- Competency-based assessment
- Learning management system administration
- Digital and blended learning
- Experiential-learning activities
- Student feedback and academic advising
- Industry-aligned curriculum development
- Student-project and research supervision
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
- Quantitative research
- Qualitative research
- Mixed-methods research
- Systematic literature reviews
- Scoping and conceptual reviews
- PRISMA-based evidence reviews
- Questionnaire development
- Survey research
- Interviews and focus groups
- Thematic analysis
- Conjoint analysis
- Descriptive and inferential statistics
- Reliability and validity assessment
- Academic writing and publication
- Conceptual-framework development
- Student research supervision
Research Profile ID's
Orcid ID -0009-0006-5016-2683
SCOPUS ID 59931235900
RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS
Research Paper
1). Deshani, S. H., Rana, V., & Agrawat, P. (2025). Navigating green hospitality: Gen Z’s role in shaping sustainable hotel practices through conjoint analysis. International Journal of Management and Sustainability, 14(3), 803–813. https://doi.org/10.18488/11.v14i3.4410
2). Deshani, S., Rana, V., & Agrawat, P. (2026). Redefining hospitality internships for Generation Z: An ADO-Based Systematic Review in the Indian context. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 18. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/403002331_Redefining_Hospitality_Internships_for_Generation_Z_An_ADO-Based_Systematic_Review_in_the_Indian_Context
Conference proceedings:
1). Deshani, S. H., Agrawat, P., & Bharti, S. (2025). Gen Z’s influence on tourism and hospitality practices in the context of cultural persistence and revival. In Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research/Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research (pp. 41–51). https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-799-1_5
Book chapter,
1). Agrawat, P., & Deshani, S. H. (2024). Future of Work and Well-Being in the AI-Driven Service Sector. In the Advances in Human Resources Management and Organisational Development book series (pp. 67–92). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-6079-8.ch004
2). Deshani, S. H., Rana, V., & Agrawat, P. (2026a). Humanless hospitality? In Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series (pp. 21–58). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-6541-1.ch002
3). Deshani, S. H., Rana, V., & Agrawat, P. (2026). Educational planning strategies within hospitality 4.0 and workforce readiness. In Future-Focused Educational Planning Strategies in Diverse Higher Education Institutions (pp. 453–484). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-7645-5.ch014
PATENTS & DESIGN REGISTRATIONS
1. LIDAR-Enabled Hotel Carpet Stain Detection Apparatus (Design No. 439461-001 Registered under the Patent Office, Government of India, December 2024. Co-designed an innovative LIDAR-based apparatus for precise carpet stain detection in hotels, enhancing housekeeping efficiency.
Collaborated with a multidisciplinary team to develop a technology-driven solution for the hospitality industry.'
2. Patent: Implementing the Six Sigma Methodology in the Fast-Food Business (Patent ID: 00000431).
Timeline
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR – SENIOR SCALE
WGSHA, , Manipal Academy of Higher Education
09.2022 - Current
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
Vivekananda Institute of Hotel and Tourism Managem
07.2018 - 09.2022
RESERVATION EXECUTIVE
Hotel Fortune Park JPS Grand (ITC Group)
09.2017 - 07.2018
RESERVATION SUPERVISOR
Caspia Hotel (SAMHI Group)
05.2015 - 09.2017
ROOM SERVICE ORDER TAKER
Novotel By Accor
09.2013 - 04.2014
ROOM SERVICE ORDER TAKER
Radisson Resort & Spa Kandla
07.2012 - 07.2013
Industrial Trainee
Taj Lake Palace
06.2011 - 11.2011
Doctor of Philosophy - Hotel & Tourism Management
Vivekananda Global University
Master of Business Administration - Hospitality Managment
Amity University
Bachelor of Arts - Hotel & Tourism Management
Anand Institute of Management Science (AIMS)