Amrita Gupta, Director of Manglam Group and CEO of Manglam Spa and Resorts, says that hospitality has moved from being an extension of the family-run real estate business to becoming one of its defining pillars, she told Business Outreach.
This comes amid the Jaipur-headquartered group pushing ahead with a Rs. 1,000 crore hospitality investment roadmap spanning the Westin Jaipur, Fern by Marriott, the upcoming Sheraton on the Jaipur–Ajmer Highway, and the integrated PinkWest destination.**
Gupta trained as a designer before stepping into real estate and hospitality leadership at the 30-year-old group founded by her father-in-law Nand Kishore Gupta in 1995.
Hospitality as the ‘touchstone’ of the vision
Gupta was emphatic that hospitality is no longer playing second fiddle to real estate at Manglam.
“Hospitality is no longer an extension of our real estate business; it has evolved into one of its defining pillars,” she says, adding that the group has “always believed that real estate is ultimately about creating places where people live, work and build memories,” with hospitality “shaping how people experience those spaces.”
Pointing to the group’s expanding portfolio — The Westin Jaipur Resort & Spa, Fern Marriott PinkWalk and now Sheraton Jaipur — she said the journey has “reinforced our conviction that the future lies in creating integrated destinations rather than standalone developments,” calling hospitality “the touchstone of that vision, bringing together design, service, culture and community to create enduring value.”
Looking ahead, Gupta said every future project would be judged by more than the asset it produces.
“Every project will be evaluated not only for the asset it creates, but for the ecosystem it nurtures,” she said, whether that comes “through hospitality-led developments, mixed-use destinations or strategic collaborations with globally respected brands.”
Rajasthan’s ‘timeless appeal’ and a design-first journey
Asked what makes Rajasthan such a compelling hospitality market, Gupta said few places carry the same weight of authenticity. “Few destinations possess the cultural provenance and emotional resonance that Rajasthan does,” she said, describing it as a place “where history, architecture, craftsmanship, cuisine and traditions continue to shape everyday life rather than exist merely as tourist attractions.”
She linked that authenticity directly to what today’s traveller is looking for. “The global traveller today is increasingly seeking immersive and meaningful experiences rather than conventional luxury,”
Gupta said, adding that Jaipur “has evolved into a destination that effortlessly combines heritage with contemporary hospitality,” making it relevant for leisure, destination weddings, business travel and international tourism.
For Manglam, she said, “the opportunity lies in celebrating that identity rather than reinventing it.”
Gupta’s own path into this world began far from a boardroom
She holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable Design from SCAD, Atlanta, and told Business Outreach that design continues to shape how she works. “My journey began with design, and in many ways I still approach every project through that lens,” she said, explaining that design “teaches you to observe, to understand context and, above all, to think about how people will experience a space rather than simply how it will look.”
That transition into overseeing real estate and hospitality assets at scale, she said, taught her two very different disciplines. “Real estate teaches you the discipline of execution, while hospitality teaches you the art of anticipation,” Gupta said, adding that exceptional hospitality “is shaped by hundreds of thoughtful decisions that guests may never consciously notice but always remember through the way a place makes them feel.”
On leadership itself, she was direct: “Leadership is not about having every answer. It is about building the right partnerships, remaining open to continuous learning and creating a culture where excellence becomes a shared pursuit rather than an individual achievement.”
Running a family business and building it responsibly
On what it takes to run a family-owned group like Manglam, Gupta pointed to both the advantage and the weight that comes with it.
“A family business gives you the advantage of shared values, long-term thinking and the ability to take decisions with conviction rather than short-term pressure,” she said, while acknowledging it “also comes with a greater sense of responsibility because every decision contributes to a legacy that has been built over decades.”
The key, in her view, is to “balance tradition with professional governance” and ensure “every generation contributes its own ideas while remaining aligned with the values that define the organisation.”
That philosophy extends to how Manglam approaches sustainability. “Sustainability, in my view, is not a feature that can be appended to a project; it has to become part of its underlying ethos,” Gupta said, arguing that “good design and sustainability are inseparable because both begin with the same question: how do we create something that remains relevant and responsible over time?”
She pushed back on the idea that sustainable design and commercial viability pull in opposite directions. “We have never viewed sustainability and commercial viability as opposing forces,” she said, noting that the market conversation “is gradually shifting from the cost of building sustainably to the cost of not doing so.” Among the group’s projects, she singled out PinkWest as the clearest expression of that thinking, calling it proof “that commercial developments can be future-ready without compromising on functionality or user experience.”
On Ajmer Road, the corridor where Manglam recently signed a Rs. 350 crore, 220-key Sheraton hotel with Marriott International, Gupta said the group isn’t chasing scale for its own sake. “We have consciously chosen not to compete on scale alone,” she said, positioning PinkWest as “an integrated destination that brings together retail, offices, hospitality and lifestyle experiences within a single ecosystem.” Her conclusion: “Our competitive advantage lies not in building more, but in building with greater purpose.”
Opening doors for women in real estate
Beyond her corporate role, Gupta founded the CREDAI Rajasthan Women’s Wing, which she has grown to nearly 200 members. She told Business Outreach the platform was built to address a structural gap in the industry. “Real estate has traditionally been perceived as a male-dominated sector, and while that narrative is steadily changing, many women still lack access to the networks, mentorship and visibility that are often instrumental in professional growth,” she said, describing the Women’s Wing as a way to “bridge that gap by fostering collaboration, encouraging leadership and creating opportunities.”
For Gupta, that mission is inseparable from how she defines leadership itself. “Leadership has never been about occupying a position; it is about creating pathways for others,” she said.
Asked what excites her most looking ahead, Gupta pointed to PinkWest, the upcoming Sheraton Jaipur and the group’s deepening partnerships with global hospitality brands — but was clear that scale isn’t the metric she cares about. “The true measure of any project lies beyond its scale or investment,” she told Business Outreach. “It lies in the legacy it creates, the communities it enriches and the experiences it leaves behind.”
