Subha Khanna: Through Travel, Through Tenacity

Some people learn about quality over quantity from business school case studies. Subha Khanna learned it at eight years old, watching everything of quality —her father, her family's one-acre industrial plant, the comfortable life she knew— disappear in an instant

Today, as a partner at Regale Voyage, Subha heads the HR and sales departments while orchestrating the intricate dance of operations, from contracting with hotels to delivering final rates to guests and sealing the deal. She also manages corporate contracting and business deals, a portfolio that would overwhelm most people.

But her philosophy remains simple, forged in childhood loss: never compromise on quality, even if it means earning less. It's a principle she absorbed watching her father build something remarkable, then losing it all, and spending every day determined to honour that legacy. For Subha, professional triumphs build on through sheer necessity and an unwavering refusal to give up.

When Life Allows No Alternatives
"We didn't have that privilege of saying,'Let's take a break today,” Subha reflects on those early years. "The hard balls life threw at us gave us resilience. We simply didn't have a choice but to keep going." It's this pragmatic honesty that defines her approach to both life and business, and that sometimes, survival is the best teacher.

She grew up in a business family, but the path wasn't paved. It was carved out of necessity. While she completed her education—something she considers herself "lucky" to have done—circumstances prevented her from pursuing an MBA. The family business needed her. Life needed her to step up. So she did.

What's fascinating is how Subha frames this not as a sacrifice but as a calling she was perhaps always meant to answer. "I could not have been more happy if I did not pursue this role," she says, acknowledging that business was quite literally in her blood. Day and night, her family talked shop. Her mother pushed her forward. And beneath it all was the silent promise she made to herself: to reach the level her father had achieved, perhaps even surpass it.

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If you ask Subha about her superpower, she won't mention strategic planning or financial acumen first. She'll talk about people.

Her clients don't just return for repeat business. They call her after hours to genuinely talk. One client insists she stay with his family when she visits Mumbai. Another wants to take her to Shirdi temple, knowing her devotion to Sai Baba. These aren't transactional relationships, but connections built on trust, warmth, and what Subha calls "blinding trust" in her recommendations.

"They know I have that sense of identity with them. I know what they require without them even mentioning it,” she explains.This is the result of meticulous attention, genuine care, and years of honing her listening skills. She's transformed herself from an introvert into someone clients feel comfortable confiding in, which might be one of her most impressive achievements.

But here's where Subha's approach gets interesting: she combines this warmth with an unwavering commitment to boundaries and respect. She learned this lesson the hard way.

To Stand, When It Matters Most
Early in her journey, when the company was still finding its footing, a client pushed too far. He was demanding, disrespectful, and refused to acknowledge that Sundays were off-limits. He spoke to her in what she describes as an "insulting manner," crossing lines that no amount of business should justify.

The decision she made then defines her leadership philosophy today: she walked away from the business. "You have to stand up for yourself and your team," she insists. "No one can speak to you like that. Even in the early stages of your business, it's important. You will get work—it's not something to be fearful about."

The lesson? Respect isn't negotiable, and no paycheck is worth your dignity or mental health.

Curated Travel, Artfully Done
When Subha recommends a hotel, she asks herself one question: Would I stay here myself? She doesn't look at rate brackets or commission structures first. She looks at experience, service, and that intangible quality that makes a trip memorable rather than merely completed.

"The client should remember us and choose us again and again,” she explains with zeal. But don't mistake this for being a pushover. When workload gets heavy, she's "very strict" about following established systems. She knows how to balance warmth with accountability, a skill she attributes to understanding what her staff, particularly women, face in their daily lives.

“Love your work, with all its chaos—and love your handbags.”
Ask Subha about her passions beyond travel, and her eyes light up talking about fashion. "I like to style, I like to get ready, and I want to know what's going on in the fashion world entirely," she says, describing herself as "an entrepreneur with a good fashion sense." It's a reminder that successful business leaders don't have to fit into austere, one-dimensional boxes. You can love your work and love your handbags, speaking of which, buying more bags is explicitly listed among her short-term goals, right alongside building her company.

"I love chaos. A chaotic day at the office makes me happy because that's what we do it for,” she adds with a laugh.

This embrace of chaos —the simultaneous juggling of hotel negotiations, team management, and client calls— is where she finds her flow. It's also where her problem-solving skills shine. Years of handling crises have honed her decision-making abilities to the point where she can "get out of a problem with a blink of my eye."

A Daughter’s Resolve to Rebuild What Was Lost
Subha's ultimate goal is deeply personal: to rebuild what her father lost. "I want to be back where you left us," she says, speaking directly to his memory. It's a mission that drives every decision, every long hour, every difficult conversation.

For the business, she envisions expansion beyond hotel and flight operations into a true one-stop shop: cab services, visas, everything a traveler needs without having to coordinate multiple vendors. She's already working on projects to make this vision real, leveraging AI and technology to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.

Subha’s Guiding Principles:
Self-confidence, never compromising on quality, and gratitude.
Even when sales are slow, even when bills pile up, maintain gratitude for what you're building. When Subha speaks to aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly women, her message is direct: "Do not listen to anyone. If you feel you're doing the right thing, just do it." But she immediately qualifies this with practical wisdom of “don't dive in blindly”. Know your accounts, understand operations, master sales, learn HR management. Have a plan. Know your strengths so well you could execute them "in your sleep."

She's particularly insistent that women not limit themselves. "There's nothing like 'only men can do this,” she added.

The key, she emphasizes, is preparation. Before starting anything, have a full grasp of what's coming your way. "You cannot just dive into it without having full knowledge. Just do it because you trust yourself and you have that self-confidence that yes, I can do it."

She knows her strengths intimately. "HR and client interactions—I can do it in my sleep also. I am that confident." That's the level of preparation she advocates for: not tentative competence, but deep mastery that becomes second nature.

Subha is candid about the fact that she hasn’t yet reached where her father once stood—and she’s clear about that. She still doesn't consider herself privileged because the work isn't done. But what she has built is remarkable: a business grounded in respect, quality, and genuine human connection.

And on chaotic days when the phones won't stop ringing and hotels are being difficult and clients need immediate solutions, she's exactly where she wants to be, simply refusing to give up when life gives you no other choice.

She’s here, shaping Regale Voyage, and nowhere close to finished.