Leela group scion starts own company

She's the Joint Managing Director & CEO of Aiana Hotels & Resorts, which she floated jointly with a Qatar-based industrial conglomerate

Amruda Nair, the grand daughter of Late C P Krishnan Nair, the founder of the Leela Group, has become the joint managing director and chief executive officer of a hotel management company, jointly floated by a Qatar-based industrial conglomerate.

H E Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman of Al Sawari Holding and Al Faisal Holdings and Amruda Nair today announced the signing of an agreement to create Aiana Hotels & Resorts, a global hotel management company providing Indian service ethos. The joint venture, with both partners having an equal share, will be based in Doha, Qatar and operate under the name Aiana Hotels & Resorts L.L.C.

Aiana Hotels will embody a hospitality brand of upper upscale hotels that offers fresh and relevant product design and facilities customized to the traveller of today with an intuitive service ethic based on traditional Indian hospitality values, a statement said. Aiana means eternal blossom in Sanskrit.

Aiana Hotels & Resorts aims to be an operator of hotels, resorts and serviced apartments in the Middle East, Indian Sub-Continent and South East Asia. "Both partners share the common vision of creating a brand that will be the preferred choice of the young global traveller and will provide its guests with unique, and enriching experiences", added the release.

"With the launch of Aiana Hotels and Resorts, I am delighted to be introducing a brand I am confident will become the preferred choice of travellers seeking authentic and immersive experiences that will stay with them long after they have checked out. Our service, design and operating philosophy is geared to exceed the expectations of a new generation of savvy travellers", Nair said.

Amruda Nair who was the Head of Corporate Asset Management at Hotel Leelaventure has also worked with Jones Lang LaSalle and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. She is the daughter of current chairman and managing director of Hotel Leela Vivek Nair.