Vikram Chatwal is an American hotelier of Indian descent. He was born on November 1, 1971, in Addis Ababa, a small city in Ethiopia, but soon moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with his family in the 1970s and later to New York in the 1980s. Vikram’s father, Sant Chatwal, invested in fine dining and hotels under the name Hampshire Hotels and Resorts and the Bombay Palace restaurant chain in the city of dreams, and soon their chain of hotels became a wealthy source of income.
Vikram is of Indian Sikh heritage and has learned to recite prayers while at a Sikh camp in upstate New York. He attended the United Nations International School in NYC and later the Wharton School of Business, from which he graduated in 1993. Soon after, he took over his father’s business and led it to new heights. However, his business skills were not the only thing that made him a well-known name in the country and abroad; it was the controversies and the people he surrounded himself with that made him the topic of discussion.
Vikram Chatwal’s business empire and controversies
Vikram Chatwal took over his family business in 1999 after trying his hand at acting, movie production, modelling and many more. While he found his calling after taking over the family business, during his modelling days, he became the first Skih model to appear in Vogue magazine. Under his family’s business, he opened the Time Hotel, which initially ran under the company, Vikram Chatwal Hotels. He went on to open five other independent luxury hotel chains, including Night Hotel and the flagship chain, the Dream Hotel.
His rapidly growing success landed him the title of the most eligible bachelor by a BBC television program and the magazine, Radar. From being on the cover of Forbes Asia in 2006 to opening some of the most luxurious chains across the most elite locations, it all looked extremely good for Vikram, until it wasn’t. In April 2013, Vikram was arrested at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport for possession of an illegal substance while boarding the flight. While the charges were dropped, things only went downhill in 2014.
In 2014, Vikram was hit with a massive shock when his father, Sant Chatwal, was forced to resign as the CEO of Hampshire Hotels and Resorts due to an arrest by the FBI. He was accused of illegal contribution to a campaign to which he later pleaded guilty in exchange for 500,000 US dollars in fine and 1,000 hours of community service. In 2016, Vikram was arrested on charges of setting two dogs on fire with an aerosol can and a lighter. The hotelier pleaded guilty to the charges of torturing animals, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief and was sentenced to five days of community service.
Vikram Chatwal’s marriage to Priya Sachdev
Coming to his personal life, Vikram Chatwal was married to model, Priya Sachdev. The duo tied the knot on February 18, 2006. Their wedding was one of the biggest events of the year, with more than 600 people attending the festivities from 26 countries. The celebration was spread between three Indian cities over 10 days, with some of the biggest international icons, including model, Naomi Campbell, Patricia Velasquez, rapper, P Diddy, Prince Nikolaos of Greece, Bill Clinton, and several Indian celebrities marking their presence.
Vikram Chatwal and Priya welcomed a daughter named Safira Chatwal. However, their marital bliss was short-lived, and the duo got divorced in 2011 after Vikram’s substance abuse got out of hand. While they have actively been involved in co-parenting their daughter, their relationship hit a dead end. Priya moved on to marry a businessman and Karisma Kapoor’s ex-husband, Sunjay Kapur. Unfortunately, he passed away on June 12, 2025, after suffering a cardiac arrest due to an allergic reaction to a bee sting inside his mouth.
Vikram Chatwal and his playboy reputation
After his separation from Priya Sachdev, Vikram Chatwal didn’t get married again. However, his name was linked to several big names in the entertainment industry globally. After the prolonged separation from Priya, Vikram entered the dating pool and was reportedly in a relationship with actress, Lindsay Lohan in September 2011. However, the rumours were short-lived, as the very next month, he created buzz about his rumoured relationship with Kim Kardashian. Evidently, none of them were confirmed. According to the last report on his love life, Vikram has found love again with lingerie model, Angela Lindvall.
Vikram Chatwal has definitely had a rollercoaster of a journey. What are your thoughts on him? Let us know.
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