Heir to the $750million hotel chain, Indian-born American hotelier Vikram Chatwal is bringing a 26/11 charity fashion show to Mumbai, and a luxury 'hautel' to Cochin
Heir to the $750million hotel chain, Indian-born American hotelier Vikram Chatwal is bringing a 26/11 charity fashion show to Mumbai, and a luxury 'hautel' to Cochin
For someone born in the US, educated at Wharton School, employed at Morgan Stanley, to finally take over his father NRI hotel entrepreneur Sant Chatwal's business, returning to India to launch his first hotel, is coming a full circle. Once famed as the New York playboy, Vikram Chatwal comes from a family of some of the most high profile Sikhs in the US. India is on his mind once again, with the launch of Dream, his first Indian hotel scheduled to open in Cochin next week. 
Before he whisks off Mumbai's glitterati to the backwaters of Kerala, for a weekend of unapologetic partying, he gets down to some serious business with Mai Mumbai, an initiative that will see Indian and international designers come together for a charity show at Lakmu00e9 Fashion Week. Supermodel Naomi Campbell, his partner in this initiative, is slated to walk the ramp.
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How did you and Naomi Campbell come together for Mai Mumbai?
Naomi and I have been friends for long. She approached me with the suggestion at New York Fashion Week, and my response was an immediate yes. Fern Mallis from IMG New York has a soft spot for India, and helped glue the project together.
I know a different Naomi, not the one the media usually portrays. She's caring and passionate, using her notoriety to help raise awareness about causes dear to her.
The Observer described you thus: "He is possibly one of the world's greatest single human embodiments of the converse characteristics of ancient and modern, East and West, work and play." Do you have to work extra hard to make it all look effortless?
It's just who I am, or who I came to be.
How is Cochin's Dream Hotel different from other hospitality offerings in Kerala?
The Dream brand, known for its avant garde surrealism, is entering the Indian hotel market. The "hautel" , a phrase I coined, offers guests the most customised experience available in the Indian market.
It was vital to stay in tune with the Dream concept born in New York and blend in the mysterious, exotic and relaxed personality of Kerala. Having just received an accreditation from the Indian Ministry of Tourism of being a true 5-star deluxe property, Dream promises to surprise the guest at every chance.
First it was Haute, then Stay and Night, and now Dream. How did you come up with these names for your hotels?
They are really a description of a place in time, experiences we have while moving through it, all dialing back to my first boutique hotel, The Time, that's celebrating its 10th anniversary
in April.
The selection of music in your hotels is a subject of discussion among affluent travellers. Do you select it, especially The Incredible Moses Leroy number titled, 1983?
Music elicits great emotion. People feel something in response to it... sometimes, rather strongly. A song that was playing when your daughter took her first steps, the first time you took the wheel of a car, your first kissu2026 music brings you back to these places in time. The Incredible Moses Leroy track is a great song about daydreaming.
Which designers will we find in your wardrobe?
Fashion is art. I am in awe of a designer's ability to change the world we live in, on any given day. I am a big fan of Zegna, Cavalli, YSL, D&G and of course, Diesel jeans. Sandy Dalal is an Indian-American designer I quite like.
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