Distinctively Lalit

Not just one of India’s top hospitality brand, The Lalit Hospitality Group is truly a strong asset rich player. Their assets carry a distinct heritage angle and are well-located and appointed. Like is with most family led and managed organisations, transition from one generation to the other is an important milestone where the baton is handed down. The organisation may take different paths, be it staying the past course, taking off on an absolute new differing direction or perhaps taking a more balanced middle path. 

We take a short dive into how The Lalit Group transits between Dr Jyotsna Suri and the Group scion Keshav Suri who is already carving a niche for himself having honed his skills under the tutelage of his mother. Dr Suri is a doyen of the industry having led the organisation not with just aplomb but as a strong torchbearer for the Group, the industry, HAI and also for women entrepreneurs. 

This story had been long due but somehow we weren’t able to get the mother-son duo together know more about their lives, personal and professional, from close quarters. Together, Dr Jyotsna Suri as the Chairperson and Managing Director and Keshav Suri as the Executive Director have taken the Bharat Hotels Limited that runs the luxury hotel chain, The LaLiT, under The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group to newer and greater heights.  

“After I took over as the CMD in 2006, the transformational moment came in 2008 when we rebranded the hotels to The LaLiT as a tribute to the Founder Chairman, Mr Lalit Suri. Though industry peers felt my decision was emotional, I was confident of my resolve. The brand change gave an identity to the Group, something which was previously lacking. Since then, we have grown from strength to strength. At present, we own, develop and manage all our hotels. The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group is an inclusive and equal opportunity organisation. Leading the way forward, the Group is redefining set society norms to create an ecosystem for an inclusive and diverse society. We provide safe spaces for all our guests and team members. Our vision is to be the most preferred hospitality chain for our guests as well as our team members,” shares Dr Suri, adding there are plans to expand across the country in Tier II and Tier III cities via the management contract route. 

Dr Suri took over the reins of the hotel after the death of her husband, Lalit Suri. Over the years, the Miranda House English graduate’s ride, in professional life and personal space, has been a rollercoaster. But Dr Suri has managed to overcome all these and persevered with her goals. Today, with her guidance and expertise, the Group operates 12 luxury hotels, palaces and resorts under The LaLiT brand and two midmarket segment hotels under The LaLiT Traveller (Jaipur and Khajuraho) brand across India’s key business and leisure travel destinations, providing a total of 2,261 keys. In fact, the midmarket hotel bracket constitutes approximately 50 per cent of the total room supply across starred hotels in India. “We are keen to expand The LaliT brand into this segment as we believe it complements our presence in the luxury segment. Our award-winning F&B brands, which constitute up to 50 per cent of our revenues, are 24/7, Baluchi, OKO and Kitty Su,” she says.   

Summing up the Group’s performance in 2022 in comparison with the pre-pandemic times, Dr Suri says the year began cautiously and optimism grew as the months progressed. “The demand reached a high towards the end of the year when in December not only us but the entire industry achieved a full house with a very high ARR. With G20 Presidency for India in 2023, we expect a strong consistent demand throughout the year. Also, the ‘Visit India Year 2023’ campaign is all geared up to invite the world to come and experience India as the country celebrates the 75th year of its Independence (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav),” says Dr Suri who had joined her husband’s hotel business as Joint Managing Director in 1989. 

Over the years, The LaliT has positioned itself as “Traditionally Modern, Subtly Luxurious and Distinctly LaLiT”. The brand is steeped in culture and heritage and at the same time, it has evolved in its approach. “We actively hire from the LGBTQIA+ community, aim to increase the women workforce in the group to 25 per cent, employ differently abled members (physical, intellectual and acid attack survivors) and strive to achieve diversity in our workforce. 

We realise growth is not an exclusive concept. We grow as a business when all stakeholders – the environment, people, destinations, market, and country – grow with us. The LaliT is building its legacy on the cornerstones of inclusivity, innovation, tradition and culture with an evolved outlook,” opines Dr Suri and adds that the Group’s present-day focus is on consolidating the existing business. “We would like to enhance the product offering, service standards and continue to deliver memorable experiences for all our guests. We do have a property coming up in Ahmedabad which is in the developmental stage,” says Dr Suri. 

On how the Group adapts to the emerging trends given the uneven times and with the requirement to be fiscally prudent with the weight and vision to expand, Dr Suri says, “Given the unpredictable times, technology is a key driver of fulfilling customer expectations. We are capitalising on tools such as virtual tours, enabling digital menus and payments, augmented reality to enhance customer experience. AI-powered chat-bots have become an asset during the booking process and in responding to the standard recurring questions. Keeping fiscal prudence in mind and aligning with our vision of expansion we would be looking for management contracts.”

The veteran hotelier opines that though the domestic traveller made up for a majority of travel last year, there are a lot of opportunities for the Indian tourism to tap the large inbound market. “Don’t forget that India offers myriad options for the travellers. From snowclad mountains to beautiful beaches, wildlife, desert, ayurveda, heritage, culture, monuments etc, we have it all,” she says.

KESHAV SURI: A MAN OF HIS OWN

He is the voice of the LGBTQIA+ community in India, one who gave them the platform to come forward to share their stories, extended emotional support and helped them find equal opportunities to live a life with dignity. In a society where discussions on sex and gender are dictated by heteronormativity, it is a challenge for someone who belongs to the non-mainstream community to navigate through life. “I constantly felt as though I did not belong or blend in with those around me, and the world constantly served as a reminder of this to me. My school life was far from smooth as people would ridicule me for being who I was, for being myself. When it came to the queer community, people either dodged the topic, passed lewd comments, or dismissed it altogether. Growing up in this kind of culture frequently resulted in loneliness and isolation, making me feel like I was a participant in an unsupervised experiment,” shares Keshav.

After undergoing a brutal internal struggle, Keshav says he decided to come out to his family whilst acknowledging that he came from a privileged background. “I have been surrounded by very strong women. My sisters and mother have been a part of my growing up years and they were the ones who constantly stood by me. I first came out to my mother and sisters only. My mother is a role model both at work and at home because she never made a distinction between her other children and a gay son. Never once has my mother expressed apprehension over who I am. They safeguarded me because they were worried about how people would perceive me, but their love for me ended up being my greatest strength. They were the ones who gave me the courage to be myself and then use my privileged status to be a catalyst of change,” he says.

One of the petitioners for the September 6, 2019 Supreme Court judgement on Section 377, Keshav adds that there was no doubt in his mind when he accepted the position of Executive Director at The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group that he needed to promote equality within his own company. “This was achieved through various sensitisation sessions. My sensitised team started the #PureLove Campaign in 2016. This campaign was started to give marginalised groups, such as people with disabilities, acid attack survivors and the LGBTQIA+ community, a much-needed platform to come forward, share their stories, get emotional support and find equal opportunities to live a life with dignity,” says Keshav. 

He adds that while The LaLiT became a safe place for the queer community, Section 377 made an entire community of people criminals for simply loving who they loved. “The support I had from the team and my family led me to file a petition in the Supreme Court to fight this colonial law. Finally, in September 2018, the archaic Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was read down by a constitutional bench of five judges in the Supreme Court led by the then Hon’ble Chief Justice of India Justice Dipak Misra. It was a milestone not just for the dignity of the LGBTQIA+ community but also a boost for the pink economy of the country. Every Indian who chose to live authentically and embrace their real selves achieved a sweet, hard-fought victory,” shares the hotelier who started the Keshav Suri Foundation (KSF) in 2018. 

Immediately after the verdict, Keshav took the decision to get married to the love of his life, Cyril Feuillebois. “From a wedding in Paris to a reception in New Delhi and celebrations with family and friends in Goa. Our multicultural wedding was everything about celebrating #PureLove. Once again, it was my mother and sisters who afforded me this joy and satisfaction. But there is still a long way to go. Change must be implemented at the grassroot level urgently to cover the larger segment of society,” he says, proudly adding that The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group is one of the most diverse hospitality chains which welcomes guests from all walks of life. 

“We signed the UN Standards of Conduct to combat discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people, making us the first hotel group and the only Indian organisation to do so. All of our 3,500-plus team members have vowed to treat their co-workers equally and without any form of prejudice. Kitty Su, my alter ego, and the award-winning nightclub at The LaliT, revolutionised the ancient art form of drag by providing a platform to over 500 Indian queer and drag artists as well as artists with disabilities. Kitty Su became more than just a nightclub – it became a beacon of hope for the queer community,” shares Keshav who has done Master’s in International Business from King’s College London and possesses a law degree from SOAS University of London. 

 Among the many initiatives KSF has embarked upon since its inception include The Aditya Nanda Scholarship which provides access to education for queer community, free mental health services supported by a 24-hour helpline, Project Prahari which provides skill development to acid attack survivors and Project Apna Hira which supports equal opportunities for the differently abled community. “Whilst each of these projects are housed under the Keshav Suri Foundation, it is really The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group that has provided a platform for them to flourish. We have managed at The LaLiT through KSF to make DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) a part of our DNA,” informs Keshav.

 Under the mentorship of Dr Jyotsna Suri, a FICCI Diversity & Inclusion Task Force was established of which Keshav is the Chair. The India Workplace Equality Index (IWEI), India’s first thorough benchmarking tool for employers to measure their progress on LGBTQIA+ inclusion at workplaces, was launched by KSF in partnership with Stonewall UK and Pride Circle India. Keshav serves as the chair of the IGLTA Foundation’s (International LGBTQIA+ Travel Association) India Initiative which aims to improve the accessibility and safety of travel for queer people. 

“Through the Foundation, I have met some extremely talented people who would have otherwise stayed on the periphery because of unfair prejudices. Simply because of the restrictions that a heteronormative society imposes, aspirations of the community get subdued. Creating opportunities for my people and my community is what gives me satisfaction. All of this, though, is merely a preview; there is more to come. My colleagues and I are eager to work on fresh initiatives, programmes and projects to serve humanity and to realise the potential of a truly inclusive India,” he concludes.