courtyard that is the hub for all activities. We have a beautiful palace in Udaipur, and it’s got a bird’s eye view of the Fateh Sagar lake. And, in a couple of years there will be The Lalit – a 70 room boutique hotel in London near the Tower Bridge.
Do you get time to vacation?
going to be shown a piece of land on which I can build a hotel.
So when I say I am developing a destination, I mean it. If the destination is buoyant, the hotel will definitely be buoyant.
You’ve lived in Delhi for a long time. What are your favourite haunts?
Honestly speaking, I don’t get the time to go anywhere and pretty much spend all my time between the hotel and my kids and grandchildren. I’ll go see a film occasionally. The Lalit, New Delhi
industry, we don’t get any subsidies for real estate or power, and even pay a very high rate of interest to banks. I would say that the development of this industry has been shackled because of all of this. There’s a huge potential – India is so large, and there is so much to tap into from a tourism point of view.
You’re now planning to open a hotel in Drass
(Kashmir). Do you see that city emerging as
a tourist hub in the future?
My first connect with Drass was polo: I was fascinated when I heard that people there play on mountain ponies which aren’t even trained for the game. When we decided to hold The Lalit Suri Polo Cup, there was so much excitement that the locals declared it a public holiday. This year I got the Mongolian team to participate because Mongolia is where polo originated. The interest all of this has generated is beyond belief – tourists are now flocking to Drass, and there’s so much development taking place there. People in Drass now realise I mean business. This time, when I go for the fourth edition of the match, I’m
Any favourite resort or destination?
Impossible question! I love every single hotel of mine…each has something that I look forward to: in Khajuraho I can stand in my room and gaze straight at the temples. The Jaipur hotel that we have just opened is beautiful with a
I’m a big archaeology enthusiast. I’ve been to almost all Harappan sites. In terms of relaxation I unwind best in my own environment. I love going to my Vekal Kerala hotel which has the most amazing spa. Even a weekend there is good enough. I get energised when I go to Kashmir, because it gives me that oxygen. I love going to Goa, because it makes my grandchildren very happy, and the hotel has a lovely villa attached with direct access to the beach. I basically enjoy being with nature.
If you had to move to a different city which one would it be?
I can’t even imagine my life in any other place but Delhi. I love its four distinct seasons. Then there’s a lot of energy in Delhi – political, cultural, business. I’m a high-energy person and need that. Even my extended family lives in the city.
But then if I had to be uprooted from here and make Mumbai my home – I would. I am the kind of person who says, “Ok, this is home, I better like home. This is where my energy is and I will make it happen for myself.”