Sivasankar Ranganathan Recognized in Hozpitality's Best 30 Engineering Leaders Powerlist in the Middle East for 2025
Three Decades of Engineering Mastery: Building Hospitality Excellence Across Continents.
With thirty-one years of distinguished engineering leadership across India and the UAE, Sivasankar Ranganathan has been honored in Hozpitality's prestigious Best 30 Engineering Leaders Powerlist for 2025. Recently promoted to Director of Engineering at Ayla Hotels & Resorts, Ranganathan represents the pinnacle of MEP expertise in hospitality, having shaped the infrastructure of properties from Al Ain to East Africa through his exceptional technical knowledge and leadership.
Ranganathan's career journey from Engineering Supervisor in Chennai to overseeing multiple international properties showcases a remarkable evolution. Since joining Ayla in 2010, he has become the driving force behind the group's engineering excellence, successfully managing pre-openings for Ayla Grand Hotel, Ayla Bawadi, and Djibouti Ayla Grand Hotel among others. His work extends beyond traditional hotel operations to include complex shopping center fit-outs, demonstrating rare versatility in hospitality engineering.
What sets Ranganathan apart is his comprehensive mastery of every technical system that powers modern hotels. From high-capacity HVAC installations to sophisticated BMS networks, from commercial kitchen setups to life-critical fire safety systems, his expertise ensures Ayla properties operate at peak efficiency. This technical breadth, combined with his recent promotion to oversee engineering strategy across UAE, Oman, and East African properties, positions him as a true architect of hospitality infrastructure.
"Great hotel engineering begins with perfect systems and ends with invisible execution," Ranganathan observes. This philosophy has guided his teams through numerous successful pre-openings, where his ability to coordinate IT infrastructure, plumbing networks, and energy systems simultaneously has become legendary within the group.
From the mechanical rooms of Hyatt Regency Chennai to the grand lobbies of Ayla's newest properties, Sivasankar Ranganathan's recognition celebrates professionals whose work forms the invisible backbone of memorable guest experiences across international hospitality markets.
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