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Vikram Chatwal
Born (1971-11-01) November 1, 1971 (age 53)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
EducationWharton School of Business
Spouse
Priya Sachdev
​
​
(m. 2006; sep. 2011)​
FatherSant Singh Chatwal

Vikram Chatwal (born November 1, 1971) is an American hotelier and actor.[1][2]

Early life and education

Chatwal was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and his family moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada in the 1970s and then to New York City in the 1980s, where his father invested in fine dining and hotels.[3] Chatwal is of Indian Sikh heritage, growing up in a Sikh household and attended Sikh camp in upstate New York where he learned to recite prayers.[4] Chatwal attended the United Nations International School in New York City[5][6] as well as the Wharton School of Business where he graduated in 1993.

Career

Chatwal's father, Sant Chatwal, founded Hampshire Hotels and Resorts, as well as the Bombay Palace restaurant chain, but in 2014 had to resign as CEO due to an arrest by the FBI on illegal campaign contributions to which Sant Chatwal pleaded guilty in the US District Court, Eastern District of New York getting US$500,000 fine and 1,000 hours community service.[4]

After graduating from Wharton in 1993, Chatwal decided to try a career path different from the family business and began working for Morgan Stanley.[7] He worked as an actor and movie producer, landing roles in films such as Zoolander and Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.[4] He was also a model, becoming the first Sikh model to appear in Vogue Magazine.[7][8] Chatwal decided to join the family business in 1999 and opened the Time Hotel, a luxury hotel located in New York City. This was the first of six independent luxury hotels that he initially operated under his company Vikram Chatwal Hotels.[9]

In 2006 Chatwal opened the Night Hotel, located in New York's Times Square.[4] In his early career, Chatwal was often referred to as a "Playboy" for his eccentric lifestyle and social network he hung out with. During that time, he was named one of the world's most eligible bachelors by a BBC television program the magazine Radar.[7] Chatwal's business was affected by the real-estate crisis of the 1990s[10] and in August 2010, it was reported Chatwal's flagship property the Dream Hotel in Manhattan was scheduled to enter foreclosure proceedings within 90 days if he did not make payment on a $99 million mortgage.[11] Despite the economy, Chatwal expanded his hotel-management operations by opening additional hotels in New York City, Miami and overseas.[10] The initial expansion came in 2010 with the opening of the Chatwal Hotel, a $100 million project in the former Lambs Club building in the Theater District of Manhattan.[10] Through his expansions, Vikram has helped grow the Chatwal brand to include additional properties in Manhattan, Miami, Bangkok and Cochin, India.[9][12]

In 2015, Chatwal's Dream New York hotel completed a $20 million renovation. Updates included a playscape in the ground floor lobby as well as updates to guest rooms and suites.[13] As part of the renovation, the hotel name was changed from Dream New York to Dream Midtown.[13]

During his career, Chatwal was awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the first South Asia Media Awards in New York City in June 2005.[14] He was also featured on the June 19, 2006 cover of Forbes Asia.[15] He is also attributed as revitalizing the hotel industry in Manhattan, opening the Time Hotel during a time when few other hotel groups were investing in the area.[16][17]

Filmography

Personal life

Chatwal was married to Indian model Priya Sachdev on 18 February 2006. The wedding was spread across ten days in three Indian cities. It was attended by more than 600 people from 26 countries and included notable guests such as steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal,[20] model Naomi Campbell,[20] Patricia Velásquez,[5] rapper P Diddy,[20] Prince Nikolaos of Greece,[5] Bill Clinton,[20] and several Indian celebrities. Chatwal and Sachdev were divorced in 2011.[21]

In April 2013, Chatwal was arrested at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Florida while trying to board an aircraft with cocaine, marijuana and prescription pills.[22] The charges were later dropped.[23]

In 2016, he was arrested again, this time by the New York City police for setting fire to 2 dogs with an aerosol can and lighter. Chatwal was booked for torturing animals, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief.[24] He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five days of community service.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Ogunnaike, Lola (March 5, 2006). "Priya Sachdev and Vikram Chatwal". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  2. ^ Rathe, Adam (2014). "The Rebirth of Vikram Chatwal". DuJour Magazine. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  3. ^ Walters, Joanna (30 July 2006). "Turban Cowboy hits town". The Observer. London. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d Holson, Laura M. (20 July 2011). "Hotelier In A Good Place". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Schoeneman, Deborah (5 March 2006). "Vikram's Big Fat Sikh Wedding". New York Magazine. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  6. ^ a b Kumar Sen, Ashish (24 August 2003). "Clinton's India connection". TNN. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  7. ^ a b c Kuczynski, Alex (14 March 1999). "A Night Out With Vikram Chatwal, The Turban Also Unwinds". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  8. ^ Bahree, Megha (22 April 2014). "Sant Chatwal: An Indian American Hotelier's Fall From Grace". Forbes. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  9. ^ a b "One Man's Dream is Another's Hotel". Leaders Mag. 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  10. ^ a b c Hudson, Kris (30 August 2010). "Survivor Stands on Verge of a Grand New Expansion". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 17 Apr 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  11. ^ "NYC delinquency rate continues upward as distressed properties list grows". The Real Deal Online. 6 August 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
  12. ^ Hruska, Rachelle (6 April 2009). "The Grand Openingof Vikram Chatwal's Dream Cochin Hotel". Guest of a Guest. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  13. ^ a b Chao, Vivian (22 January 2015). "Dream Midtown Completes a $20 million Renovation & Officially Changes Name from Dream New York". Hotel Online. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  14. ^ "Could Vikram Chatwal become the world's first Sikh billionaire?". Money Week. 8 August 2006.
  15. ^ Bahree, Megha (19 June 2006). "Upgrading". Forbes Asia. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  16. ^ "Manhattan's Time Hotel Rings in 15th Anniversary with Renovations". Haute Hotel. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  17. ^ Koumelis, Theodore (15 May 2014). "Hotel Pioneer Vikram Chatwal's Time Hotel celebrates its fifteen-year anniversary with a new look". Travel Daily News. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  18. ^ a b c d "Vikram Chatwal spotted in rehab". Nagaland Post. 31 December 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  19. ^ Pasternack, Alex (14 April 2009). "Fashionably Late Hotelier Vikram Chatwal Now 10 Percent Less Party Animal". pp. Observer. Archived from the original on 17 April 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  20. ^ a b c d Ramesh, Randeep (21 February 2006). "Jet set feted at Turban Cowboy's wedding". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  21. ^ C. J. Hughes (August 12, 2022). "Family of Dream hotel developers accused of skipping out on real estate commission". Crain’s New York Business.
  22. ^ "Vikram Chatwal Arrested for Drug Possession and Trafficking". PEOPLE.com.
  23. ^ "Vikram Chatwal escapes jail time by finishing rehab program after being arrested for possession of drugs - the American Bazaar". 30 May 2014.
  24. ^ Ross, Barbara (November 2, 2016). "NYC dog walker slaps hotelier Vikram Chatwal with PTSD lawsuit after he set fire to canines". New York Daily News.
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