Lalit Suri, chairman and MD of Bharat Hotels, the promoters of the Grand Group of Hotels, was a respected figure in domestic and international community for his vision and dynamism.
An automobile engineer by qualification, Suri's tryst with the hospitality industry began when he took over the leadership to control Bharat Hotels as its chairman and managing director in 1987. His no-nonsense attitude in running the business was reflected when the company's first project, the 444-room super deluxe hotel in Delhi, was completed in record time.
Commissioned on October 20, 1988, the InterContinental The Grand, New Delhi, which is considered as one of Delhi's most successful hotels, stands testimony to the values Suri aspired for.
Bharat Hotels, which operates hotels under 'The Grand' banner, offers seven top-line hotels in the country - four 'InterContinental The Grand' hotels in New Delhi, Srinagar, Goa and Mumbai and three 'The Grand' hotels in Bangalore, Udaipur and Khajuraho.
The group had planned three more hotels in Kolkata, Bekal and Ahmedabad by next year.
Suri was actively involved in promoting both domestic and international tourism, and was a global executive committee member of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and chairman of the WTTC India initiative.
He was also the chairman of the FICCI Tourism Committee in addition to being the immediate past president of Hotel Association of India.
