Some legends are born. Some legends are made. And, perhaps, some are created. It is generally easy to classify legends under broad heads. However, when one thinks of PRS Oberoi, the executive chairman of EIH Ltd, the flagship company of The Oberoi Group and the executive chairman of Oberoi Hotels Private Ltd, the major shareholder of EIH Ltd, it is impossible to place him under any one slot. The reason is pretty straightforward: doing his father, the late Rai Bahadur MS Oberoi who founded of the Oberoi chain of hotels, proud he has changed the rules of the hospitality industry, redefined luxury and placed Oberoi hotels on the international luxury travellers’ map with the opening of several new luxury hotels in important locations. Simply put, PRS Oberoi, or “Biki Oberoi” as he his popularly known, is beyond all narrow classifications. Suffice to say that Biki Oberoi is a living legend, who stands tall among his peers both within India and outside.
Today, if the world of hospitality is looking for an inspiration, it needs to look no further than the grand old man of Indian hospitality. Building on his father’s legacy, Biki Oberoi has done well to steer the Oberoi chain of hotels to further heights, grabbing every opportunity that came his way to make ‘Oberoi’ a luxury brand name to reckon with. Known for his attention to detail and novel strategies, he is regarded as one of the leading hoteliers in the world.
Even though he showed a keen interest in his father’s business right from his childhood, Biki Oberoi did not join hotels until the age of 32. Reason? He spent his early years travelling around the world, experiencing new places, staying in leading hotels and enjoying the best of what the world of hospitality had to offer – from fine food to magnificent suites to world-class service. No doubt, these experiences proved invaluable when he stepped into the family business. Using the rich experience he had gathered from years of travel, he quickly raised the bar for hospitality in India. Biki Oberoi brought with him higher goals and service standards. With excellent leadership and management skills, he moved full throttle and started new chains of luxury hotels in many countries. Biki Oberoi thought nothing of taking global competition head on and proved to the world that Oberoi hotels were are at par if not better than the best international luxury brands. In fact, he did not rest till his hotels were placed and rated among the top of the heap. A key aspect of this is the development of hotels that reflect their environment.
It is Biki Oberoi’s firm belief that people are the most valuable asset of any organisation. Recognising the importance of quality in hospitality management, he went on establish ‘The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development’ at New Delhi in 1966. But, above all, he is aware of the need to constantly promote quality in every segment of the hospitality industry.
Not surprisingly, he has been showered with awards, accolades and recognition along the way. Among others, he was given the Grand Officer of the Alalaoui Wissam award by the King Mohammed VI of Morocco for his contribution to tourism and Indo-Moroccan relations; he was conferred lifetime achievement award by the sixth International Hotels Investment Forum in Berlin in 2003; he received the Padma Vibhushan award in 2008; he received lifetime achievement award at the first Economic Times TAAI travel awards in 2009; in 2013, he was honoured with the lifetime achievement award for Management by The All India Management Association; and in 2015, he was voted amongst CNBC TV18’s Top 15 Indian Business Icons.
The awards and recognition that Biki Oberoi has got and continues to receive till date are far too many to count as the living legend still carries on with his job, guiding and inspiring a whole generation of hoteliers, and yes, raising the bar for the luxury hospitality industry along the way.
By Shafquat Ali
