Kamalini Paul’s story wasn’t supposed to be about spreadsheets and room service; it was supposed to be about university in the UK. But when cancer took her father, Prasanta Paul, within a year of his dream hotel’s launch, Kamalini didn't just inherit a building—she inherited a crisis.
At 19, she returned to a business on the brink of bankruptcy. Wealth had vanished, and the internal culture was toxic. Senior managers, assuming the "young girl" wouldn't last a month, were caught intentionally creating problems to force her out.
"Sometimes the next level of your life is hidden behind a fear only you created."
— Kamalini Paul - StartupFox Spotlight 2026Kamalini realized that for De Sovrani to survive, it had to stop chasing old-school luxury and start chasing relevance. She pivoted to "Affordable Luxury," launched Skyview Cafe to capture the youth, and digitized operations. Once the hotel stabilized, she rebranded the real estate arm into Paulis Co., shifting the focus to sustainable, biophilic architecture and "minimalistic living."
Today, De Sovrani is more than a hotel; it’s a hospitality ecosystem including cafes, restaurants, and business centers. Kamalini has now expanded back into her father's roots—real estate—proving that resilience is the ultimate competitive advantage.
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