Millennials Run - The World

Meet Aishwarya Bhende, the young entrepreneur behind the concept of the three-floor luxury dining yacht, AB Celestial

The beautiful and luxurious yacht, AB Celestial, is the first floating restaurant in India and has been conceptualized by 24-year-old Aishwarya Bhende. At the age of 18, she started putting her dream together, and at 24, today, she has been running her business for three years already. Bhende discusses the challenges of setting up a conceptual business and her future ideas to expand in the hospitality sector.

What made you take an interest in the hospitality industry?

I set up my first company called ‘Amnesia’ at the age of 16, doing events with hotels like Intercontinental and The Lalit that gave me the feel of the hotel industry. I brought home my first paycheque. Truth is, I did sign up for Arts during my first year at Jai Hind College, but eventually decided to face my fears, by switching to Commerce. Mumbai is the commercial capital of the country, and also the 14th most visited location internationally. That was one of the few reasons that led me to work in the field of tourism alongside hospitality. I wanted to do something different, and I believe innovation is what drives an entrepreneur.

How was the idea of AB Celestial born?