Rishabh Thapar, MRICS

Experience

Rish is a Director with HVS ‘s MEA team based in Cape Town, South Africa. He is a specialist in emerging hotel markets and has more than 14 years of experience in development of hotel realty across 35 countries in Asia and Africa. He has successfully completed several strategic assignments for some of the best-in-class hotel companies, brands, family businesses, and institutional investors in the hospitality sector. His valuation experience ranges from the appraisal of a 12-key luxury camp to a portfolio of 100 hotels across continents.

His consulting experience spans across a hundred hotel markets and includes hotel/portfolio valuations, commercial due diligence, strategic and transaction advisory, operator search and selection, negotiations for hotel management agreements, lease negotiations and restructuring, capital raising (equity and debt), market studies, situation analysis, asset management, and feasibility studies. Rish in his previous roles has been a developer/owner expanding his family's hospitality business and has also held managerial positions in hotel operations with some of the best luxury hotels in India. He graduated from the Taj Management Training Program in 2008, holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a First Class Honors degree in Hotel Management from the University of Huddersfield, UK.

 

Employment History

September 2018 onwards
Director
HVS Africa
Cape Town, South Africa


January 2017 to August 2018
Senior Consultant to Associate Director
HVS Africa
Cape Town, South Africa


September 2013 to December 2016
Analyst to Senior Associate
HVS 
New Delhi, India


February 2009 – August 2013
Business Development & Project Management
Thapar Hotels Pvt. Ltd.
Ludhiana, India


March 2008 – November 2008
Restaurant Manager (Pre-opening)
Vivanta by Taj, Whitefield
Bengaluru, India


August 2006 – February 2008
Management Functions
Indian Hotels Company Limited
New Delhi & Mumbai, India


October 2004 – January 2005
Operations
The Oberoi Hotels & Resorts
New Delhi, India

Consulting Experience

Experience in Africa

Southern African Development Community (SADC)
South Africa
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Namibia
Democratic Republic of Congo
Botswana
Mozambique
Madagascar
Tanzania
Seychelles
Mauritius

East Africa
Ethiopia
Kenya
Uganda

West Africa
Ivory Coast
Ghana
Nigeria
Senegal
Mali
Togo

North Africa
Egypt
Tunisia
Morocco

Press Coverage

Shape of Recovery for South Africa – Path to recovery post COVID-19 https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/529/203771.html

Hotel Valuation Index (HVI), the only comprehensive hotel valuation index across 20 major markets across the African continent https://hvi.hvs.com/market-region/africa/

Cape Town Calling: Undoing the impact of ‘Day Zero’ on Tourism – Cape Talk Radio with Kieno Kammies http://www.capetalk.co.za/articles/312008/20-drop-in-new-arrivals-to-cpt-due-to-drought-publicity-dayzero

Promoting the Visa relaxation plan for tourism in SA – eNCA Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM4fvE4tbRI

Learnings from and for Africa’s Game Lodge  Industry https://www.hospitalitynet.org/opinion/4083837.html

HVS teaches developers to overcome challenges in Africa game lodging sector https://www.hotelmanagement.net/marketplace/hvs-teaches-developers-how-to-overcome-challenges-africa-s-game-lodging-sector

Why Western Cape Tourism’s Water Saving Efforts are to be celebrated https://www.ith.org.za/category/tourism-and-hospitality/page/2/

Zimbabwe – Vote for Tourism https://www.hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/zimbabwe-vote-for-tourism/

Development Cost Survey https://www.hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/india-the-hvs-2016-hotel-development-cost-survey/

Investing in Leisure Destinations https://www.hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/investing-in-leisure-exploring-the-untapped-potential/
 

Testimonials

"We could not be happier with the valuation work that HVS did for us. It was fair, well-researched, presented clearly, and gave all stakeholders a strong sense for where we currently stand."
Lucas Robinson, CIO, Limalimo Lodge
 
"Thank you very much for the very high standard of work and general professionalism that you have shown as we worked on the feasibility study for the an international hotel for Bulawayo, the City of Kings. I've appreciated tapping into the knowledge and insights that you have on the hospitality industry. I am also very appreciative of the fact that your approach to the project has not been to simply produce a study and attach an invoice, so to speak; but you have shown a real desire to see the project succeed. Thank you for a high-quality product in the form of the Feasibility Study & Return on Investment Analysis Report that you produced. I look forward to working with you again in the near future."
Thulani Matshazi, Mkhuze Global Investments
 
"HVS does a great job in providing a good report on the hospitality industry in Bangladesh and also helps developers understand the market in a professional manner so that the developers can better assess returns on their investment and make a careful judgment on their business model so that the business makes sense in the long run. In an industry that is driven by ego in some ways, HVS puts a good contrast to that perspective with a clear business solution which eventually is the best way to go, regardless of how the operator dictates the business model. Furthermore, in Bangladesh there are no shortages of people who tend to massage a developer's ego rather than provide a good business solution; in those cases, I always recommend such developers to read the HVS report very carefully and follow that advice."
Riyadh Hossain, Doreen Hotels
 

My Articles

Hotel Valuation Index (HVI) 2021 Middle East & Africa

While the hospitality industry is incredibly robust and regularly adapts to changing market conditions, the 2020 global pandemic had a significant impact on travel and tourism globally and resultant hotel values. Arguably, hotel ownership and hotel investments are considered long-term investments as the value is based on the future income that the asset is likely to generate with values adopting the discounted cash flow method of valuation.

• September 28, 2021 By Hala Matar Choufany , Rishabh Thapar , Ersin Yildirim

• Valuations & Market Studies , Economic Trends and Cycles , Hotel Brands , Hotel Companies , COVID-19 , Middle East , Africa

Magical Morocco

For many travelers, a holiday represents a dreamlike escape. Rishabh Thapar, Director of HVS’s Middle East and Africa team, tells us why Morocco is hitting all the high notes with explorers looking for something a little different.

• August 24, 2021 By Rishabh Thapar

• Hotel Investments & Ownership , Food & Beverage , Travel & Tourism , Hotel Brands , COVID-19 , Middle East , Africa

Zimbabwe – Vote for Tourism

As Zimbabwe undergoes a historic election, tourism is a key industry that could drive the country’s makeover.

• August 2, 2018 By Rishabh Thapar

• Hotel Investments & Ownership , Travel & Tourism , Economic Trends and Cycles , Resorts , Zimbabwe , Africa

Cape Town Calling: Undoing the impact of ‘Day Zero’ on Tourism

With dam levels rising in Cape Town and the city becoming water-wise the threat of ‘Day Zero’ has been pushed out to 2020 or potentially ‘never’. The city now needs to market its comeback and set benchmarks for sustainable tourism destinations.

• July 4, 2018 By Rishabh Thapar

• Hotel Operations , Sales & Marketing , Environmental , Travel & Tourism , Hotel Companies , Africa

Learnings from and for Africa’s Game-Lodge Industry

As tourist and investor interest grows in the game-lodge industry and wildlife destinations around the world, the article brings to light some peculiarities and challenges of the lodging industry and lists some lessons/best practices for developers.

• July 19, 2017 By Rishabh Thapar

• Hotel Investments & Ownership , Hotel Operations , Development & Construction , Valuations & Market Studies , Travel & Tourism , Asia , Africa