Influential Woman · Hospitality & Events
Nikita Khandheria
Founder & CEO, ERIA
San Francisco, CA
Her Story
About Nikita
Nikita Khandheria is the Founder and CEO of ERIA, a hospitality and events company built around the belief that life is meant to be experienced. Her entrepreneurial journey began with a strong interest in building businesses and creating organizations from the ground up. After studying finance and economics, she founded and grew a consumer packaged goods company, eventually leading the business through a successful sale. That experience gave her a deep understanding of entrepreneurship, brand development, operations, customer needs, and business growth, while also prompting her to think more intentionally about what she wanted to build next. Ultimately, Nikita was drawn to the world of hospitality because of the lasting impact that meaningful, real-world experiences can have on people.
Through ERIA, Nikita has developed a growing portfolio of distinctive Bay Area venues and experiences designed for weddings, private celebrations, corporate gatherings, community events, and ticketed experiences. The company combines physical spaces with hospitality, operations, food and beverage, partnerships, and technology to help transform complicated event planning into a more seamless and memorable experience. Nikita’s work sits at the intersection of hospitality, real estate, customer experience, and business operations, with a particular interest in using systems and technology to remove administrative friction without losing the personal connection at the heart of hospitality. She is especially interested in the role AI can play in improving booking, communication, and operational efficiency while allowing teams to focus more deeply on the guest experience.
As a leader, Nikita emphasizes high standards, clear communication, genuine ownership, and sustainable growth. One of the most important lessons of her career has been recognizing that a founder cannot remain the answer to every question as a company grows. She has focused on developing strong teams, creating repeatable systems, sharing context, and giving people the authority to make thoughtful decisions independently. For Nikita, success is not simply measured by revenue, locations, or expansion, but by the quality of what a company creates, the people it develops, and the value it brings to customers and communities. Looking ahead, she plans to continue expanding ERIA’s portfolio of spaces, experiences, and markets while strengthening the infrastructure and technology that support the company’s growth. Her long-term vision is to build a hospitality organization where exceptional physical experiences, thoughtful service, innovation, and human connection remain at the center.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Nikita
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to learn by doing. I stay close to the customer, remain calm when challenges arise, and approach problems with the mindset that most things are figure-out-able. I have also learned the importance of building strong systems and empowering others rather than trying to solve everything myself. Above all, I focus on creating something excellent and meaningful rather than simply pursuing growth or the appearance of success.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve received is to focus on building something excellent rather than worrying about how successful it looks from the outside. Stay close to the customer, learn the unglamorous parts of the business, and understand how things actually work. I’ve also learned not to wait until I feel completely ready. Meaningful opportunities often require learning as you go, taking thoughtful risks, and turning what you learn into systems that allow others to grow with you.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would encourage young women entering hospitality and entrepreneurship to be confident in their ideas, stay curious, and learn every part of the business, including the areas that may not initially seem glamorous. Build your expertise, get close to your customers, and do not be afraid to take up space or pursue opportunities before you feel completely ready. Most importantly, focus on creating real value rather than trying to prove yourself. Build strong relationships, seek out mentors and great teammates, and remember that your perspective can be a powerful asset in shaping the future of the industry.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest opportunities in hospitality right now is using technology and AI to remove administrative friction from booking, communication, and operations while keeping the human experience at the center. As more of life becomes digital, I believe meaningful, in-person experiences become even more valuable. The challenge is finding the right balance: technology should make hospitality more seamless and efficient, not make it feel less personal. For ERIA, the opportunity is to use innovation to improve the customer journey while continuing to deliver exceptional spaces, service, and experiences.
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