| Type | Public Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Hospitality Tourism |
| Founded | Mumbai, India (1986) |
| Founder(s) | Captain C P Krishnan Nair, (Chairman) |
| Headquarters | Mumbai, India |
| Key people | Captain C. P. Krishnan Nair, (Founder & Chairman) Vivek Nair, (VC and MD) Dinesh Nair, (JEMD) Rajiv Kaul, (President), |
| Owner(s) | Hotel Leelaventure Limited |
| Website | www.theleela.com |
The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts is an Indian luxury hospitality group founded in 1986 by Captain C. P. Krishnan Nair,[1] who named it after his wife. Currently The Leela - as it is commonly referred to, is a group of seven luxury palaces and hotels, located in Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Trivandrum, Gurgaon, Udaipur and New Delhi. The group has plans to open new hotels in Chennai (2011) and later in Coimbatore and Agra, Lake Ashtamudi (Kollam, Kerala) and Jaipur.[2] The company has marketing alliances with Germany-based Kempinski; US-based Preferred Hotels and Resorts and is member of Global Hotel Alliance based in Geneva, Switzerland.[3][4]
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Born in an agricultural family in a village near Kannur in north Kerala, Captain Chittarath Poovakkatt Krishnan Nair began his career with the Indian Army in the Maratha Light Infantry (post independence). Years later, he married daughter of a handloom businessman. With the support of his in-laws, he started his first business as a textile exporter from Madras, under the brand name Leela Scottish Lace.
In 1958, he joined hands with Brooks Brothers to announce "Bleeding Madras", which later had clients like Tommy Hilfiger, Wal-Mart, Liz Claiborne and Macy's. Later that year, he started his lace-weaving unit in Mumbai's Sahar area. In 2007, he sold Leela Scottish Lace. By this time, he was 65 years old and a multi-millionaire.[5]
Founder and chairman, Captain C P Krishnan Nair bought 11 acres of land near his house in Sahar, Mumbai to build his first hotel, The Leela Mumbai in 1986. It was the first[6] luxury hotel near the present Sahar International Airport.
In 1991, Captain Nair opened his second hotel in Goa. The Leela Goa was designed keeping the overall architecture of the state in mind. The luxury seaside resort has taken its inspiration from Portuguese heritage and is spread over 75 acres of land in South Goa.
In 1997, Captain Nair went on to build the group's first modern hotel with 357 rooms, inspired by the Mysore Palace and the architecture of the 13th century Vijayanagara empire and is surrounded by seven acres of gardens.
The Leela Group opened its second resort in 2005 - The Leela Kovalam in Trivandrum.
By 2009, Nair added two more properties to his portfolio in Udaipur (Rajasthan) and Gurgaon. The Leela Kempinski Gurgaon is the group's first non-owned, managed property.
The Leela Palace New Delhi opened in April 2011. The palace is inspired by Sir Edwin Lutyens' Delhi.
Palaces
Hotels
Resorts
Residences