Hot Seat

Life begins at 60

It is determination and will that has helped Captain CP Krishnan Nair achieve newer heights; he started afresh at the age of 62 when he established The Leela Kempinski Mumbai, which made him one of the four Indians among 50 septuagenarian business heads covered by Businessweek this year. By Sayoni Bhaduri

His debut in the hospitality industry was at an age when most entrepreneurs would happily put up their feet and soak in their past glories. But Captain CP Krishnan Nair believed that the time was just right to begin a new innings in the nascent hotel business.

His modest beginnings started with an initial involvement in India's freedom struggle that went on to a stint with the armed forces. After a successful career there, he shifted his focus to hospitality with a little insistence from his wife Leela (to whom he has dedicated his hotel brand) and a senior officer.

From serving his country at the border, he took a more entrepreneurial approach. Nair's wife had always been involved in the handloom industry and he too involved himself in the sector. In the organised sector of the handloom business he was the first to set up a unit called Leela Scottish Lace producing cotton laces in collaboration with Scottish Lace. The business flourished and he introduced and pioneered the textile manufacturing technique called Madras Bleeding.

Of new ventures

During the late 50s, he visited Germany as part of a delegation and stayed at the Kempinski Hotel. He was extremely impressed by the hotel and it was then when he dreamt of building a world-class hotel in India. The dream was realised in 1985 when Captain Nair broke ground in north Mumbai to build The Leela Kempinski Mumbai. In 1987 he tied up with the Kempinski Hotels - the oldest hospitality group in Europe.

He candidly reminisces, "A hotel in Budapest caught my eye while travelling there. I called up the architect and asked him to look over the Mumbai property. He fashioned the 35 square metre room with its bathroom, giving it the same luxurious feel." Nair then went onto develop the Bengaluru, Goa and Kovalam properties with the key idea still remaining the same, "You have to give the guest a sense of space and comfort. Today I am confident that I am building hotels which are as good as Four Season or the Mandarin Oriental - perhaps even better," he adds.

He has created a green belt of sorts with the land around the properties,. He is known for his fascination for rare floral species and has planted over 2,00,000 trees across the country. "I planted trees all around The Leela in Mumbai. This was not just because the city needs more greenery. I have employed slum children with salaries to take care of the gardens." he says.

For his efforts, he has received numerous awards including Global 500 Laureate Roll of Honour by the United Nations Environment Programme in 1999 as well as The Green Hotelier Award by the International Hotel & Restaurant Association.

As a veteran in the industry, Nair too has witnessed many ups and downs in the industry; however he is quite hopeful about coming out of the present economic scenario. For instance, Bengaluru which for a long time has been a focal point of hotel development is suffering the brunt of the global slowdown. Speaking about the much discussed comparison of the number of rooms in New York versus that in the whole of India, Nair says, "There is huge potential of business hotels in India. It is difficult to reach a saturation point for a city like Bengaluru; ARRs may drop for the moment but it is temporary. It is an ideal city for foreign expatriates with good weather and professional work environment."

Nair adds that on an average, room occupancy hovers around 75 to 85 per cent in India. One needs just five acres of land for hotel development. "What we do need is adequate and up-to-date infrastructure. Contrary to popular belief, land alone is not the deciding factor for a hotel project; it is just one-tenth of the entire cost. For a five-star, room investments can go up to Rs 1 crore. One cannot expect it to cost lower than that. A room has to have a home-like feel about it; you need that kind of space," he says.

He then goes on to talk of the great potential conference centres have in India, "India needs a minimum of ten conference centres in ten different cities, Mumbai being a priority. Developing this sphere is important; it can be a major profit-making source. Berlin with its Messe Berlin is the perfect example," he states. Hotel Leelaventure too had invested in Bandra Kurla Complex but it eventually did not work out.

Mighty India

Besides hospitality, he has great hopes for India as a nation. He believes India is the definitive superpower of the future. He remembers when a television conglomerate wanted to set up shop in India but couldn't due to stringent laws. "Our loss was Hong Kong's benefit," he says. He then goes on to speak of Cannanore - his hometown - and his plan to develop an airport there. "I have been fighting for the airport for last 10-15 years. Etihad was ready to finance the project but it is taking the government too long to acquire the land." If this works out, the entire north Kerala will become a tourism zone.

He oversees his hotel business these days but the daily operations are handled by his sons Vivek and Dinesh. His daughter-in-law Madhu is also involved with the design and interiors of the various hotel projects, and his pride and joy is his grand-daughter who is currently graduating as a Master Chef from the Culinary Institute of America and expected to join the family business. In the end, the heart and soul of all Nair's hard work and enterprise has been, and always will be, his wife Leela, making this business a truly family-run venture.