The Leela is one of those Indian five star hotel chains where most VIPs, celebrities and billionaires stay. It was started by CP Krishnan Nair, who resigned from the Army. He presented this hotel chain with royal style. It is known for its infrastructure, cuisine, locations and hospitality. The Leela is a world famous five star chain. For the last 4 decades, this hotel is claiming to provide world class service.
Chittarath Poovakatt Krishnan Nair, who laid the foundation of The Leela, was born on February 9, 1922 in Kannur, Kerala. His father Appu Nair was a bill collector in the British government and mother Madhavi was a farmer.
When the Maharaja promised lifelong scholarship
The economic condition of the house was not good, despite this, mother Madhavi left no stone unturned to give her schooling. Maharaj of Chirakkal reached there while studying in school. During that time CP Krishnan read the poem written for him. That poem touched the Maharaja's heart and being happy promised to give him a lifelong scholarship.
After completing his studies, he reached Bangalore at the age of 20 and joined the army. He was posted as Wireless Officer in Abbottabad, Pakistan. After recruitment, he resigned and joined the ration distribution system in Kerala. After this, after joining the freedom movement, decided to go back to the army. On his return to the army, he was made the captain of the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment.
This is how Leela started
They got married in 1951 while still in the army. Wife's name was Leela. Leela was the daughter of a businessman from Kannur. After marriage, to move forward in the field of business, resigned from the army again and joined father-in-law's handloom business. He started working as a sales agent and started exporting goods. Had to travel to many countries to increase business.
During this, he came up with the idea of building a hotel which would be known for its luxury features and create a distinct identity for itself in the world. With this idea, he started Hotel Leelaventure Limited in 1980. The first hotel opened in 1983.
Luxury Travel Magazine
Tough competition for Taj and Oberoi
In the era when The Leela started, five stars like Taj and Oberoi were on the lips of people. It was not easy for CP Krishnan to give them competition and move forward, but due to the luxurious infrastructure and hospitality of The Leela, it made its own identity. Popularity increased with time.
In 1991, the company opened its second hotel in Goa. Not only this, the company developed its resort near the Arabian Sea and the Sal River. It became a stronghold of international tourists. After the year 2000, the group started moving towards big Indian cities. For example, they opened their chains in Bangalore, Kerala, Udaipur and Gurugram. In 2019, Canada's Bookfield Asset Management bought The Leela for Rs 3,950 crore, but even today the company is included in the world's most famous and luxurious hotel chain.
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