About

Md. Shakawath Hossain is a renowned professional in the hospitality & tourism industry in Bangladesh. Throughout his career, he has worked in various prestigious hotels in Bangladesh and completed many international and national trainings in different fields. All throughout, he has shown his strong leadership ability in various capacities. He possesses sound knowledge about the overall market, including competitors’ strengths, economic trends, supply, and demand. During his tenure of 13 years at The Westin Dhaka, he crossed several steps of success and was the General Manager (acting) from January 2017 till September 2019 and was also appointed as the youngest Resident Manager by Marriott International. In October 2019, he was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Unique Hotel & Resorts Ltd – the owning company of The Westin Dhaka, Sheraton Dhaka and HANSA – a premium residence. Previously he was in various leading roles such as Director of Operations and Director of Rooms & Operational Excellence. He contributed immensely to establish The Westin Dhaka as one of the Leading Hotels of Bangladesh and now he is on his journey to take Unique Hotel & Resorts PLC to another level of success.

He is the only Bangladeshi Hotelier who is an industry practitioner, academician, and researcher who is pursuing a PhD in Tourism & Hospitality Management at the University of Dhaka and has been recognized with multiple National & International awards. He is also the only Hotelier in Bangladesh who has started his career at scratch level and now looks after 3 operational and 3 upcoming international hotels under a Public Limited Company (Unique Hotels & Resorts PLC.).

ADJUNCT FACULTY: University of Dhaka | Southeast University | American International University of Bangladesh

AWARDS

Shakawath’s contributions have not gone unnoticed. He has received numerous national and international accolades, including:

  • Tourism Face of South Asia at South Asian Travel Award (SATA) 2024.
  • Hotelier of the Year 2024 at Bangladesh Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Awards (BTTHA) 2024 by Bangladesh Monitor.
  • Hospitality Professional of Bangladesh (2024) at TITA by Tourism Association of Bangladesh.
  • Best Hotelier of Bangladesh” by Hotel Industry Architecture, Interiors & Management Conference 2024
  • Best Hospitality Business Professional of the Year at International Business Excellence Awards 2023 by Business America.
  • Hospitality and Tourism Leadership Award at Leadership Excellence Summit 2022 by Leaders Forum BD.
  • Best Hospitality Business Professional of the Year at Weekly Arthakantha Business Excellence Award 2022
  • Icon of the Hospitality Award 2022 by 7th International Business Genius Bangladesh – 2022 – organized by Federation of Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management (FoHTEM).
  • Winner in Asian Curry Award 2021 – an exclusive International accolade awarded by Asian Catering Federation, UK

With his entrepreneur mindset, this dynamic and well-educated senior leader boasts an excellent track record with many professional achievements from 2016-2019. During his time at The Westin Dhaka, he achieved many milestones, including multiple luxury hotel awards and many regional benchmarks with the hotel being recognized both with Starwood and Marriott as a top performer within the Asia Pacific Region.

AFFILIATIONS

Shakawath’s influence extends beyond his corporate and academic roles. He is actively involved in various industry organizations, including:

  • Member, Tourism Masterplan Evaluation Committee, Ministry of Civil Aviation & Tourism (MOCAT), Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.
  • Co-Chairman, Bangladesh International Hotel Association’s (BIHA) standing committee of Planning and Development.
  • Chief Advisor, Chef’s Federation of Bangladesh (CFB).
  • Director, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Skill Council (ISC), Bangladesh.
  • Member, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) Bangladesh.
  • Director, World Tourism Network (WTN) Dhaka Chapter.
  • Fellow Member, Bangladesh Society for Human Resources Management (BSHRM).
  • Honorary Consultant, Tourism Resort Industries Association of Bangladesh (TRIAB).
  • Curriculum Committee Member, Tourism & Hospitality Management, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh.
  • Curriculum Committee Member, Tourism & Hospitality Management, National University of Bangladesh.
  • Curriculum Committee Member, Tourism & Hospitality Management, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University, Bangladesh.
  • Curriculum Committee Member, Tourism & Hospitality Management, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh.

His affiliations reflect his dedication to advancing Bangladesh’s hospitality and tourism industry on both national and international fronts.