P R S Oberoi, 1929-2023: ‘Biki’ Oberoi, who set the gold standard for hospitality

Oberoi took over as the Chairman of EIH Limited – the flagship of the Oberoi Group – in 2002, following the death of his father and founding chairman, Mohan Singh Oberoi. He remained the CEO till 2013, and became the ‘Chairman Emeritus’ after leaving the position of executive chairman.

“I have known him for two-and-a-half decades… when I was working as tourism secretary in the Government of Kerala… He was a perfectionist. By starting the Vilas chain – Amarvilas in Agra and Udaivilas in Udaipur – he created the best resort chain in India. He raised the profile of the Indian travel and hospitality sector,” said Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa.

“He was so particular about each and every thing. Once, there was a meeting at an Oberoi hotel. He observed that a wall of the hotel was not perfect. He immediately asked the hotel manager to raze the wall and construct a new wall. He designed the wall himself,” Kant recalled.

The Oberoi Group made rapid strides as a luxury hotel chain during his tenure, becoming one of the top three hospitality chains in India. Founded in 1934, the group owns and operates 32 luxury hotels and two river cruise ships in seven countries, primarily under its Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and Trident brands.

“(He was) a true pioneer and icon, he leaves behind a legacy of impeccable hospitality that will be cherished forever,” said Puneet Chhatwal, MD and CEO, IHCL. “He will be remembered for transforming the industry landscape and elevating Indian hospitality on a global stage. The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development founded by him has groomed generations of fine hoteliers, and he is deeply revered and respected by the many lives he touched,” he said.

Remembering his eye for detail, journalist Vrinda Gopinath said: “For him, luxury was defined by the details, not opulent stuff that’s the opposite of poverty. People were always surprised at the attention to detail he showed, from monogrammed stationery in the rooms to how guests were addressed by their names.”

A family friend, Oberoi named a luxury cruise in Kerala after her – M V Vrinda. “He had a very generous spirit. He always hit the ground running and went all over the place in his private jet. As a consequence, he barely had time for family and friends,” she said.

London-based celebrity chef and restaurateur Vivek Singh, who worked with The Oberoi hotels between 1993 and 2000, shared how The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur, was one of his “passion projects” and “something that he considered his legacy”. “He had an exact idea of how he wanted it to be perceived,” he said. Singh, who worked at Rajvilas between 1998 and 2000, said that in the beginning, he didn’t understand the “hoopla” around the hotel, considering it was “very expensive and the occupancy wasn’t very great”.

“There was a joke that Rajvilas spent more money than it made on watering the lawns. But PRS had a vision and in a short span of time, it became the most talked about property in the whole of India,” he said.

Another chef, India-born and Britain-based chef Atul Kochhar, who worked at The Oberoi, New Delhi, from 1990 to 1994, remembered his first employer. “He was the first to arrive at the ‘Leading Hotels Of The World’ conference, although he didn’t reside within the hotel premises. He would inspect all the arrangements with a keen eye and would be the last one to leave. As trainees, we would be worn out, but he would be standing tall. Everything had to be spick and span,” he said.

In 2010, Oberoi faced a takeover threat after Kolkata-based ITC bought around 15 per cent stake in EIH Ltd. He brought in Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries to offer an equity stake. Three EIH promoters — Oberoi Hotels, Aravali Polymers and P R S Oberoi himself — sold 5.54 crore shares amounting to 14.12 per cent to Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries for Rs 1,021 crore. RIL now reportedly owns around 19 per cent stake in EIH. The promoter holding in EIH is currently 32.85 per cent.

This year, Oberoi Hotels said they would manage three luxury hotel properties of Reliance – the upcoming Anant Vilas Hotel in Mumbai, Stoke Park in the United Kingdom, and another resort in Gujarat.

When terrorists attacked the Trident Hotel in Mumbai 15 years ago, Oberoi ensured that the hotel returned to normalcy within a short period. “His many achievements were never sufficiently recognised. He made ‘Oberoi’ a global byword for the Indian luxury hospitality and was the first to put an Indian hotel on the very top of global rankings. He also rallied the group quietly after the 26/11 attack on their Mumbai flagship. He was a class act,” said Mahindra group’s chairman, Anand Mahindra.