BRITISH INDIAN HOTELIER Joginder Sanger, 82, passed away in London on Friday night after being hospitalized following a stroke, Eastern Eye newsweekly reported. Jalandhar-born Sanger started in the UK with a travel agency and an exclusive Air India contract before establishing London hotels, including the Washington Mayfair, Courthouse Hotels in Soho and Shoreditch, as well as the Bentley in Kensington.
His hotels have hosted Indian celebrities, politicians, former prime ministers and Bollywood stars, Eastern Eye reported.
“He was a dear friend of mine since the 1950s; I will miss him terribly,” NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul, 94, was quoted as saying in the report. “Like me, Joginder was also born in Jalandhar, and we shared so many experiences together. He will be missed by the Indian community in Britain, to which he made immense contributions.”
Sanger was instrumental in expanding The Bhavan UK, part of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan network, a global arts, culture, and education movement. He joined The Bhavan London in the late 1970s, became part of its executive committee a decade later, and became vice-chair in 1993. He served as chair from 2011 until retiring in 2022. His leadership helped The Bhavan overcome financial challenges, notably through Diwali Banquets, which raised significant funds annually.
He called serving The Bhavan the “greatest honour of his life,” while leaders praised his role in advancing its mission to promote Indian arts and culture in the UK.
Sanger was honored for his contributions to business and philanthropy in the UK. He is survived by his wife, Sunita, son, Girish, and daughter, Reema.
In November, the U.S. hotel industry mourned the passing of Harris Rosen, founder of Rosen Hotels & Resorts, who died at 85.
