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Noted hotelier Rai Bahadur M S Oberoi dead

Noted hotelier Rai Bahadur M S Oberoi, Chairman of Oberoi Group, died in New Delhi early Friday morning.

A pioneer of the Indian hotel industry who helped put India on the world tourism map, Oberoi was the first Indian to form joint ventures with international chains.

He was elected to the Upper House of Parliament in 1962 and in 1972. He was also elected to Lok Sabha in 1968.

He was born on August 15, 1898 in Bhaun, Jhelum district, in erstwhile undivided Punjab, now in Pakistan.

In 1934, Rai Bahadur Oberoi, together with a partner, acquired The Clarke's Hotel in Simla, Himachal Pradesh. Four years later he acquired The Grand Hotel in Calcutta. With his confidence and drive to succeed, he was able to convert The Grand Hotel under extremely trying conditions into a highly profitable business venture.

He lived in his sprawling farmhouse in Bijwasan on the outskirts of Delhi. The 'grand old man of hospitality industry' took a keen interest in his 32 hotels spread across the globe - Melbourne, Bali, Colombo, Kathmandu, Mauritius, Dammam, Baghdad, Cairo, Budapest and more. Starting his career as a clerk at the Cecil Hotel in Simla, it was a long journey from his birthplace Chakwal (in the Punjab province of Pakistan) to a global empire of hotels and other industries.

In 1943, the British government conferred on him the title of 'Rai Bahadur'. In the same year, Rai Bahadur Oberoi acquired the controlling interest in The Associated Hotels of India Limited, thus giving shape to The Oberoi Group.

In May 1949, Rai Bahadur Oberoi founded The East India Hotels Limited, now known as EIH Limited - the flagship of The Oberoi Group of Companies.

In recognition of his pioneering contribution to the hotel industry in India, Rai Bahadur Oberoi won much acclaim and received several national and international awards.

Some of these include admission to the 'Hall of Fame' by The American Society of Travel Agents; 'Man of the World' by the International Hotel Association, New York; 'Order of the Republic - First Class' conferred by the President of Egypt; 'Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration' by the International Management Centre, Buckingham, UK; named by Newsweek as one of the 'Elite Winners of 1978' and the 'Lifetime Achievement Award 1998' by The Economic Times.

Additonal inputs: PTI

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