Our Team

COMPELLING CONCEPTS AND AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCES

Mystic Hospitality Group

Leaders Behind Our Success

In every successful hotel/restaurant, there is a dedicated team of professionals who love what they do. They know that hospitality is not only about rules - it can also be about being an artist or being a creative person!

Mystic Hospitality Group has built its reputation through the collective experience, leadership, and passion of its team members. Our team consists of operators, strategists, analysts, and creators who have a combined desire to offer exceptional service in the hospitality of hotels and restaurants.

Our top-most priority is to foster a sense of community. Therefore, we want to develop strong teams within our organization; to be a good neighbor in the areas where we have our company; to ensure that everyone who comes into our places receives a warm welcome.

Our Team

Our leadership team has a lot of experience in the hospitality business, managing restaurants and dealing with money and people. The leadership team is responsible for providing an overall plan and managing day-to-day operations to ensure that the company's business performs effectively in order to continue growth. They provide the company with the vision, the framework to succeed, and the discipline to create performance and growth.

MEET OUR TEAM

Gulshan Soni

PhD, CHA, CHIA – Founder / President
For more than 20 years, Gulshan Soni has experience in leading hospitality companies and overseeing financial management, including strategic growth. He also has in-depth knowledge of revenue management, multi-unit operation management, and property renovations for both full-service and select-service hotels across many states.
Gulshan’s leadership style combines a data-driven decision-making approach with an operationally intelligent one. He is passionate about ensuring the maintenance of the brand’s integrity, as well as placing a focus on profitability, operational excellence, and enhancing the guest’s experience. Gulshan’s strong leadership has provided Mystic Hospitality Group's growth through a purposeful approach, with discipline, and in the long term.

Deepak Verma

Co-Founder/ President
Deepak Verma is the Co-Founder of the company, bringing more than three decades of proven leadership and hands-on experience in the hospitality industry. His passion for service excellence and business development has helped build strong operational success across multiple business sectors.
Over the years, Deepak has successfully owned and operated more than 18 hotels under well-known national and international brands including Red Roof Inn, Holiday Inn, choice hotels and Hilton properties. His extensive background in hotel management and franchise operations reflects his commitment to quality service, guest satisfaction, and operational efficiency.
Beyond the hospitality industry, Deepak also brings vast entrepreneurial experience in restaurant operations, car wash services, and gas station businesses. His diversified business expertise continues to drive innovation, growth, and customer-focused service across all ventures.
His vision is to deliver exceptional service experiences while building long-term business success through quality, integrity, and community value.

David Donahue

With more than 40 years of direct experience in restaurant operations, David is one of the cornerstones of Mystic Hospitality Group’s restaurant heritage. He has developed and managed successful teams, optimized restaurant operations, and provided exceptional dining experiences.
David’s experience includes front-house management, back-house optimization, cost management, and service standards. Recognized for his consistency, guidance, and restaurant operations acumen, David is committed to ensuring that all restaurants within our portfolio perform at the highest levels of quality, efficiency, and guest satisfaction.

Dr. Priya Kohli

PhD – Data & Analytics Leader
With an extensive background in statistics and advanced analysis for over 20 years, Dr. Priya Kohli is an important member of the statistics and analytical team and plays a key role in transforming complex hotel and restaurant statistics into meaningful, actionable insights. Dr. Kohli provides performance analysis, forecasts, and growth opportunities to assist our management teams with making better, informed decisions. Her analytical skills help us to optimize the revenues, improve the efficiencies, and generate long-term value for the assets.

Chris Kounoupis

Chris has over 25 years of experience in hospitality and is an essential component of achieving operational success for our restaurants.
Chris has successfully managed multiple teams, focusing on quality control, operational efficiency, and improved guest service while providing direct, hands-on leadership to ensure consistency across all food and beverage operations and training teams to perform to their highest level.

Hrithik Ponugoti (Harry)

Manager – Revenue Insight & Operations Management
Hrithik Ponugoti (Harry) has extensive experience in business analytics and operational strategy. His area of focus is revenue insights and performance optimization. He analyzes data to improve pricing strategies, optimize processes, and maximize daily operations.
Harry uses an analytical approach and has an operational background that allows him to utilize data to create more sustainable growth and better financial performance.

Patrick Donahue

With over 50 years of experience in leadership positions, Patrick offers invaluable insights into operational strategy, purchasing management, and quality control.
His leadership qualities and operational experience ensure cost discipline, consistency, and high standards in all business functions. Patrick’s years of experience continue to provide support for good management decisions and organizational success.

Ravish Manglani

Business Analyst
Ravish has a Master’s degree in Business Analytics and rich experience in operations, accounting, auditing, and financial analysis.
He assists in performance improvement through data analysis by carrying out operational audits, financial trend analysis, and process efficiency analysis. His activities improve internal systems and overall business performance.

Linda C. MacDougall

Linda has a wealth of knowledge in Human Resources and Supply Chain Management, with over 50 years of experience in areas. She is a highly effective leader in the areas of workforce planning, employee relations, procurement, and compliance.
Linda is a subject-matter expert in organizational development, compliance with governmental regulations, labor law, and supply chain management. The team that she is on assists the organisation in navigating through periods of growth and change with integrity and ethics.

Our Culture

Our values set the tone for how we lead, work, and serve. They inform our actions, inspire our development, and deepen our passion for excellence in hospitality and restaurant management. Our values are more than words – they are our guiding principles that we live by every day.

People Are Our Strength

Our clients, staff, and business partners drive our business success. We believe in supporting our customers' needs for growth so that they can continue to grow, as well as provide a collaborative environment to build on the individual talents and skills.

Hearts That Serve

Service breathes life into hospitality. We live by example; we show respect to everyone and create welcoming environments where relationships can flourish while giving back to the communities that support us..

Unrelenting Excellence

We continually strive to improve every aspect of our business – from the way we operate hotels to restaurant services. Our team’s passionate, collaborative, and accountable efforts provide us with opportunities to exceed our guests' expectations.

Stay Nimble

The world of hospitality is constantly changing, and so are we. We are innovation-minded, open communicators, and agile in our approach. By staying nimble and looking ahead, we put ourselves and our partners on a path to success.

Own It

Our integrity represents us in all our behaviors. We respect the commitments that we make, we conduct ourselves with integrity and respect, and we stand accountable for the results of our actions. We always set the example, work collaboratively together to succeed as a team, and hit every business challenge with an attitude of passion and determination.

CAREERS

Careers That Inspire.
Opportunities That Perform.

At Mystic Hospitality Group, we are cultivating the next generation of hospitality leaders throughout our hotels and our restaurants in the United States.

At Mystic Hospitality Group, we believe that the best guest experiences are those that are created by empowered teams. That is why we are committed to providing structured development, leadership training, and advancement opportunities across every area of our business.

If you are just starting your career or looking to add hospitality to your skill set, Mystic Hospitality Group provides exciting opportunities where performance, integrity, and drive are valued and rewarded.

Explore career opportunities and build your future with Mystic Hospitality Group.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Our Team

Leaders Behind Our Success

Our Team

Gulshan Soni

Deepak Verma

David Donahue

Dr. Priya Kohli

Chris Kounoupis

Hrithik Ponugoti (Harry)

Patrick Donahue

Ravish Manglani

Linda C. MacDougall

Our Culture

People Are Our Strength

Hearts That Serve

Unrelenting Excellence

Stay Nimble

Own It

Careers That Inspire. Opportunities That Perform.

Connect with us

Careers That Inspire.
Opportunities That Perform.