Rani is the Head of Acquisitions & Development for The Pod Hotels, a BD Hotels company, where he is responsible for identifying potential investment opportunities and working closely with capital partners and strategic investors to increase equity positions and funding for future projects for the brand. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia GSAPP’s Master of Science in Real Estate Development program, where he teaches Private Equity Development, Hotel Focus.

Formerly, Rani oversaw development and acquisitions for North America at Virgin Hotels. Prior to that, he was the Managing Director and Founder at Cedar Funds, a New York City-based development and investment firm with a focus on progressive hotel and real estate assets, as well as regional Director of Development with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), where he was responsible for actively expanding IHG’s premier hotel brands including InterContinental, Hotel Indigo, and Holiday Inn. In this position, he oversaw and contributed to the growth of 20 hotels worth over $1.8B in real estate value.

Rani holds a Master’s Degree in Real Estate Development from Columbia University, an MBA from the HEC Business School in Montreal, a Bachelor degree in Hotel Management from the Glion Hotel School in Switzerland, and a Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University. Rani is a regular guest speaker at key industry conferences and is an avid traveler, runner, cyclist, golfer, and Vinyasa Yogi. He currently resides in New York City with his wife Alisha and their son, Reece.

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