(15th April, 1947 – 10th October, 2006)
Lalit Suri was the Chairman of the Bharat Hotels chain and the single largest hotel owner. Born on 15 April 1947 in Rawalpindi (Pakistan), Lalit Suri was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent from Uttar Pradesh in 2002.
He joined the family-run Delhi Automobile Ltd in 1971, and in 1982 became joint managing director of the hospitality business into which the company diversified.
Suri commissioned his first hotel in the capital in 1988 and went on to become one of the prominent hoteliers in the country, having a network of hotels across the country including the flagship of InterContinental and The LaLiT hotels in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Udaipur, Srinagar and Khajuraho, Kerala.
Suri was also the owner of the Midday newspaper in Delhi. An alumnus of St. Columba's School and Shri Ram College of Commerce, New Delhi, Suri also won a number of prestigious awards and has been responsible for pushing a number of policy recommendations on the tourism sector.
Late Lalit Suri, having pioneered in hospitality industry, received yet another accolade -GMR Express Travel World Awards 2010-2011 for Lifetime Achievement for his vision and commitment to the industry. He was responsible for pushing a number of policy recommendations in the Indian hospitality sector; it was his commitment and innovative practices that took the travel industry forward.
He attended a reception in London on Monday, 9 October 2006, hosted by the Indian community in honor of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Lalit Suri complained of chest pains and was taken to London University Hospital, where he died the following day, aged 59. He is survived by his wife Jyotsna and their four children.
Achievements:
Chairman of the Bharat Hotels chain and the single largest hotel owner.
Lalit Suri can be called as the uncrowned hotel king of India. He is the Chairman of the Bharat Hotels chain and is the single-largest hotel owner with over 1600 rooms. Bharat Hotels chain comprises seven hotels which include the flagship InterContinental The Grand in Delhi, and six Grand hotels in Mumbai, Goa, Banglore, Srinagar, Udaipur and Khajuraho.
Lalit Suri is an alumnus of St Columbus and Sri Ram College of Commerce, New Delhi. He represented both his school and college in swimming and athletics at the state level. Lalit Suri was trained as an automobile engineer and started his career manufacturing vehicle bodies. He commissioned his first hotel in Delhi in 1988. Since then there has been no looking back.
In the last few years Bharat Hotels has invested Rs 500 crore on its properties in Mumbai and Goa. In addition, the group has spent Rs 42 crore on a 30-year lease on the former Bangalore Ashok, and a further Rs 40 crore on renovations. Lalit Suri is currently on an expansion mode. Sites for hotels have been identified and negotiated in Amritsar, Ahmedabad and Jaipur, while search is on for the right locations in Chennai and Hyderabad. In the first phase hotels will be constructed in Amritsar, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur adding 400-600 rooms to the Grand chain, while the next phase in Chennai, and Hyderabad) will take the Tally up by another 500 five-star deluxe rooms.Apart from a successful businessman, Lalit Suri is also an avid traveler and an art lover. Presently, he is also a Rajya Sabha MP.