VIRGINIA BEACH — A leader in Hampton Roads’ hotel management industry will preside over this year’s Virginia Beach Neptune Festival.
Akhil Jain, president of Landmark Hotel Group, was named King Neptune at a gala Saturday night. The Neptune Festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and Jain will be the ceremonial leader of events throughout the year.
“To be a part of 50 years of the Neptune Festival is just incredible,” said Jain, 47.
Boardwalk Weekend, featuring a parade, an art show, concerts and an international sandsculpting competition, is Sept. 27-29.
Weekend events last year generated $24 million in economic impact and more than 20,000 hotel room nights, according to a recent study commissioned by the city.
Jain has over 25 years of experience in hospitality, having worked his way up through the ranks at Landmark Hotel Group, a family business that his father, Raj, started. The company manages a dozen hotels in Hampton Roads and the Outer Banks.
“I’ve held probably every job there is to hold in a hotel,” Jain said.
His first “job” at age 9 was sweeping the hotel parking lots, looking for quarters to play video games, he said.
Jain also serves as a director on the boards of various organizations including TowneBank, the United Way of South Hampton Roads and Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters Health System, where he serves as chairman.
He and his wife, Nita, live in Church Point and have two sons, 11 and 15.
It’s a tradition for King Neptune to look the part, and Jain plans to oblige.
“I’m going to try my best to grow a beard,” he said.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
