Apple Core Hotels have announced that The Hotel Association of New York City has appointed Vijay Dandapani, chief operating officer of Apple Core Hotels, as Chairman of the HANYC.A hotel-industry veteran, Dandapani, will assume the role with a wealth of experience in hotel management. As COO of Apple Core Hotels, he has been instrumental in the growth and development of the company, including acquisitions, six hotel renovations and the implementation of state-of-the art computer systems.

Prior to Apple Core Hotels, Dandapani was vice president of operations for Chatwal Hotels and was responsible for supervising a portfolio of six mid-priced hotels. His job duties included operational planning, project development and financial restructuring for the company.

From 1988 to 1992 he was vice president of Polystar Corporation, a North Carolina based company with over a dozen hotels carrying flags such as Hilton Hotels, Holiday Inns and Days Inns. At Polystar Corporation, he was responsible for strategic planning, financial restructuring and business development.

Before that, Dandapani was operations analyst for Grand Champions Resorts Corporation in Palm Springs, Calif., a $120-million, luxury tennis resort. His responsibilities included pre-opening planning, operational review and internal controls.

He has spoken on hospitality issues at many forums sponsored by such organizations as Arthur Anderson, University of California at Los Angeles, Columbia University, New York University and the National Association of Corporate Real Estate Executives. In 1998, he was recognized by Crain’s New York Business as one of the top 100 minority business leaders in New York City. In 2002, the Asian American Business Development Center, New York selected him as one of 50 Outstanding Asian Americans in Business, an award presented by Mr Hector Barreto, administrator of the United States Small Business Administration.

A native of India, Dandapani received his Bachelors degree from Osmania University in India and went on to work for four years with Oberoi Hotels, an internationally known owner and operator of five-star hotels. Subsequent to that, he was awarded a full scholarship from the Aga Khan Foundation to study at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, where he completed his Masters degree in 1987. In 1983, Dandapani was awarded a scholarship by the Italian Foreign Ministry for a semester’s study at the University of Perugia, Italy. He currently resides in Manhattan with his wife and two children.
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