Under the direction of founder Soumya Sengupta, who brought more than 20 years of varied experience in hotel operations, project development, sales and marketing strategy, and brand establishment, Wormwood Hotels, a rapidly growing hospitality brand, reached a major milestone in its growth journey.

Having been closely linked with top hotel brands in his early career, Sengupta, an MSc Hotel Management graduate from IHM Kolkata, combines a solid academic foundation with a wealth of industry exposure. Later, he moved into consulting and entrepreneurship, where he was instrumental in creating, repositioning, and growing a number of hospitality companies in India and its surrounding areas.

Operations management, project and site mapping, performance optimization, strategic planning, resource mobilization, human resource development, budgetary controls, sales and marketing strategy formulation, and the conceptualization of unique food and beverage experiences were among his core competencies. Additionally, he was connected to important hospitality initiatives in Bhutan, India, and IRCTC.

Sengupta started Wormwood Hotels with the help of his mentor and prominent businessman, Mr. Anil Kishorepuria, who joined him as an investment partner to build and market the brand. Sengupta had a clear goal to build a scalable and locally rooted hospitality company.

The group’s first property was in Bhagalpur, Bihar, where the trip started. Wormwood Hotels grew to run five hotels throughout India in the first year of its establishment, including two in Puri and one each in Varanasi and Darjeeling.

“Our vision was to build a brand rooted in operational excellence, strong regional understanding, and consistent guest experiences. The quick growth confirmed our plan and reaffirmed our resolve to dominate the hospitality industry in Eastern India and beyond,” said Soumya Sengupta.

While keeping a strategic focus on Bengal and Eastern India, the group stated intentions to scale to 10 units by the end of 2026, with upcoming assets at Shantiniketan, Digha, and Siliguri.

Priyanka Dutta