Sant Singh Chatwal is a Punjabi-American businessman. He is the founder of Dream Hotel Group, which owns The Chatwal, Dream Hotels, Time Hotels, Unscripted Hotels and many other hotels in the United States.
Wiki/Biography
Sant Singh Chatwal was born on Saturday, May 18, 1946, in Western Punjab, British India (age 77; as of 2023). His zodiac sign is Taurus. He was the owner of Hampshire Hotels and Resorts but stepped down as chief executive after the company changed its name to Dream Hotels in April 2014, remaining as the hotel’s business chairman.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′7″
Weight (approximately): 65kg
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye color: black
family
Sant Singh Chatwal belonged to a Sikh refugee family who immigrated to West Punjab in British India in 1947 during the partition of India.
Parents and siblings
He was just one year old when his family left with his four brothers and three sisters. They settled in Faridkot in the Indian state of Punjab, where the family became small businessmen.
Sant Singh Chatwal’s parents
wife and children
Sant Singh Chatwal married Daman Chatwal. Her father served in the Indian Army. The couple has two sons named Vikram Chatwal and Vivek Chatwal. Vikram Chatwal is a famous socialite who came to international attention for his romance with American actress Lindsay Lohan.
Sant Singh Chatwal and his wife Daman Chatwal and their sons Vikram and Vivek
religion
Sant Singh Chatwal believed in Sikhism.
Profession
At the age of 18, he joined the Indian Armed Forces and served as a fighter pilot on the country’s first aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. Sant Singh Chatwal left India to become a pilot in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He began working on Ethiopian commercial airliners. According to the regulations, he was required to remove his turban and cut off his hair and beard. He refused to abide by these norms out of respect for Sikh tradition. He therefore changed careers and became a teacher in a local public school. During that time, he became friends with the owner of a restaurant in Addis Ababa. He became ill and asked him to manage his restaurant for a few months. He made huge profits for the restaurant during those months. Later, the boss invited him to become a partner in his restaurant. In 1975, he left Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with some of his funds to run a restaurant in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Chatwal became involved in the hospitality industry in Canada. A year later in 1976, he opened some preliminary restaurants and in 1979 he opened Bombay Palace, the first Indian fine-dining restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. Chatwal acquired Bombay Palace Global, which operated restaurants in London, Hong Kong, the United States and Canada before becoming a public company. In 1980, he purchased several hotels in Florida, and in 1982, he purchased several properties in New York. In 1986, he owned approximately 76 restaurants in several countries. In 1990, he encountered a real estate crisis and went bankrupt. By 2006, he had emerged from bankruptcy to become the capital’s most important private hotel operator, with 13 hotels and some three thousand rooms worth $750 million. In 2001, Sant Singh Chatwal combined all his properties and most of his funds to build Hampshire Hotels & Conventions. Sant Singh Chatwal became a U.S. citizen in 1994. He is a trustee and director of a handful of organizations, including the American India Foundation and the William J. Clinton Foundation. In 2008, Sant Singh Chatwal became a major donor and fundraiser for Hilary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign. In 2015, Hampshire Hotels & Resorts changed its name to Dream Hotel Group and has 187 rooms and suites as well as other high-end facilities. Chatwal remains chairman of the board. He announced in an interview,
We are entering into a strategic partnership with Castlewood Group, a Singapore-based real estate development company, to focus heavily on Asia. We are also changing the name and business focus of the Hampshire Hotels Group to Dream Hotels, which will now be solely focused on the lifestyle luxury segment. , brands include Dream, Time and Unscripted. ”
Sant Sing Chatwal with Barack Obama, the first African American President of the United States (2009-17)
Sant Singh Chatwal and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Sant Singh Chatwal (second from right) and Manmohan Singh (far right), the 13th Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014, and Bill Clinton (left), the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001 two)
Sant Singh Chatwal with his wife at Mumbai Palace Hotel
dispute
Sant Singh Chatwal pleads guilty to illegal straw donation scheme
Sant Chatwal Singh had a good relationship with Bill Clinton’s family. He was a fundraiser for Hilary Rodham Clinton’s 2008 presidential election. In April 2014, Sant Chatwal Singh pleaded guilty in Brooklyn Federal District Court to participating in a straw donation scheme and making more than 18 illegal donations to federal candidates between 2007 and 2011. million, including Clinton.
Sant Singh Chatwal’s son Vikram Chatwal was arrested in 2013 for trying to board a plane with drugs
Sant Singh Chatwal’s son Vikram Chatwal faced difficulties while trying to board a flight in April last year because he was smuggling marijuana, cocaine, other illegal drugs and prescription drugs. He has since spent many days in rehab, The Times reported.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- On January 26, 2010, Indian President Pratibha Patil awarded Sant Singh Chatwal the Padma Shri, India’s third highest civilian honor.
net worth
His net worth is $20 million.
Favorites
- color: His favorite color is red. He often wears a red turban and red shoes.
Facts/Trivia
- Chatwal has a good relationship with former US President Bill Clinton and his family. He has made significant contributions to his own presidential campaign as well as to many Democratic causes and campaigns, including prominent supporters of the organization. He accompanied the Clintons on many trips to India.
- In 2010, Sant Chawar became an unpopular candidate for the Padma Shri, India’s third-highest civilian honour, as he faced multiple legal charges.
- Chatwal established an educational institution in Delhi to provide free education, clothing, food and regular medical services to poor children in the vicinity. The Management Committee of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Sabha is responsible for the construction work, which includes an auditorium, art exhibition, computer research bookstore and art gallery. He revealed in an interview,
I just donated $1 million to the Center for International Sikh Studies, which is hosting a high-tech exhibition on Sikh Guru Granth Sahib and the Sikh holy book at the Rakab Gunj Gurdwara in Delhi. “
- In addition to many government acquaintances, notably Bill and Hillary Clinton, there are also investors including steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, volunteer coach Deepak Chopra and various singers and models, notably Lindsay · Lohan, both often dated the Chatwals. In 2006, Vikram, who had a stronger financial background, traveled to India and married a Mumbai model with entrepreneurial roots, making the event appear on the cover of New York magazine and a fashion article in the New York Times. Integrating into these circles, especially those with political clout, was clearly crucial to Sant Singh Chatwal.
- Sant Singh Chatwal said that more than 99% of Sikhs appreciate India, while only a few favor Khalistan. He stressed that those discussing Khalistan were not familiar with Punjabi and were considered a minority. Chawal praised the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its initiatives for the entire Sikh community, especially the inauguration of Kartarpur in the Punjab Corridor. He further said that Sikhs hold important positions in India, including ministerial and ambassadorial posts. He said in an interview,
There is almost no support for Khalistani. There is almost no support for Khalistani… There is some serious miscommunication… We are all Sikhs, everyone, more than 99% of us, we love India. India is our country…No one is interested in Khalistan. It’s clear to me that there are very, very few people here (for Khalistani). I don’t know who is funding them, they have never been to Punjab. I am proud to be a Sikh. I have been in this country for over 50 years. India is doing very well under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. He opened the Kartarpur Corridor for Sikhs. He did a lot for the Sikhs. We are very proud of what he did for the Sikhs. I say publicly that there is almost no support for Khalistani. I dare not say that those who talk about Khalistan have never been to Punjab. I don’t know what they are thinking, there are very few of them. Whether they are in Canada or in the United States, no one supports them. Sikhs have a very prominent position in India. We have a Sikh as minister, Hardeep Singh Puri. Sikh Ambassador Sandhu Sahab (Indian envoy Taranjit Singh Sandhu) in Washington, DC. We as the Sikh community in North America are enjoying such great facilities. We love India and we visit India. In India, Manmohan Singh served as Prime Minister and Jani Zair Singh served as President for five years. We have the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Air Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff… in very important positions. ”
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education