DLC Guide Mumbai Second Edition 2025 Celebrates Excellence in Hospitality at JW Marriott Sahar

The DLC Guide Mumbai Second Edition 2025, a pioneering and independent global hospitality rating system founded by Jimmy Mistry under the aegis of the Della Leaders Club (DLC), concluded successfully on Monday evening at JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar. The event brought together leading restaurateurs, hoteliers, entrepreneurs and industry stalwarts to celebrate excellence across India’s dynamic hospitality sector.

A Credible, Bias-Free Global Hospitality Rating System

Inspired by globally respected benchmarks such as Michelin and Forbes, the DLC Guide has emerged as a ground-breaking, bias-free global credit rating platform. It evaluates hospitality establishments based on real-world operational excellence, consistency and guest impact, rather than popularity or paid recognition.

The Guide aims to establish transparent global standards while placing India firmly on the international hospitality map.

Recognising Excellence Across Restaurants, Hotels and Bars

The Mumbai Second Edition of the DLC Guide honoured a carefully curated list of establishments across multiple hospitality categories, reflecting the city’s diversity and innovation.

Award-Winning Restaurants

The restaurant category featured leading names including Masque, The Table, Izumi, Paradox, Akina, Late Checkout, Mizu Izakaya, La Loca Maria, Bandra Born, INKA by Bastian, Comorin, Gaijin, Ziya, Milagro, and Dum Phukt. Each was recognised for culinary innovation, consistency and exceptional guest experience.

Hotel Category

In the hotel category, Fairmont Mumbai emerged as the sole recipient, recognised for its luxury positioning, operational excellence and comprehensive hospitality offering.

Bar Category

The bar category saw Sixteen33 receive the honour, applauded for its concept-driven identity and contribution to Mumbai’s evolving nightlife and beverage culture.

Distinguished Jury Ensuring Integrity and Transparency

The credibility of the DLC Guide is reinforced by its eminent jury panel, comprising leaders from business, culture, fashion, media and hospitality. The panel included:

Vratika Agarwal, Sabbas Joseph, Sajjid Mitha, Devita Saraf, Alessandro Giuliani, Anshul Singhal, Tanya Satish, Mozez Singh, Ritika Vardhan, Harsh Jagwani, Aarti Vijay Gupta, Rohan Jeh, Neha Premjee, Kshiraja Surendranath, Tasheen Rahimtoola and Reshma Ajbani.

Their collective expertise ensured a balanced, transparent and experience-driven evaluation process, aligned with global hospitality standards.

The Vision Behind the DLC Guide

Speaking at the conclusion of the event, Jimmy Mistry, Founder & CEO, Della Leaders Club, said: “The DLC Guide is rooted in thought leadership and was created to place India firmly on the global hospitality map through a credible, independent benchmarking platform. As a first-generation entrepreneur, my vision has been to build something out of India, for the global citizen one that drives real social and industry impact.”

The successful Mumbai Second Edition reaffirmed the industry’s confidence in this vision and highlighted India’s growing relevance as a global hospitality powerhouse.

Industry Leaders and Special Acknowledgements

The evening also recognised the presence of key industry stakeholders, including Rajiv Kapoor (Fairmont Mumbai), Chef Suvir Saran, Hitesh Keswani (Aspect Hospitality), Vedant Malik (Mizu Izakaya), Anmol and Ada Malik, Parvez Damania and Samir Malkani. Their participation reflected strong cross-sector engagement from hospitality, aviation, culinary and lifestyle industries.

Rapid Global Expansion of the DLC Guide

Launched just 18 months ago, the DLC Guide has rapidly established itself as one of the most credible and transparent hospitality rating platforms. It now has a presence across five countries New York, Dubai, London, Singapore and Bangkok and nine global cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai.

In this short span, the Guide has recognised over 99 standout restaurants and hotels worldwide, evaluated by a panel of 74+ independent auditors, making it the first Indian-origin global hospitality credit rating system to gain widespread international acceptance.