Rai Bahadur M.S.

Oberoi
Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi (M.S. Oberoi) was a renowned Indian hotelier, also known as the father of the Indian hotel industry. Early Life Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi was born on 15th August, 1898 in erstwhile undivided Punjab, which is now in Pakistan. He was only six months old when his father died. Success and fortune did not, therefore, come easily to him. Initiative, resourcefulness and hard work, combined with the capability to face and overcome the most overwhelming odds can best characterize this phenomenal entrepreneur. Mr. M.S. Oberoi completed his primary education in Rawalpindi and moved to Lahore for his Bachelors degree. Shortly thereafter, to flee the ravages of a virulent plague, he went to seek his fortune in Shimla, the summer capital of British India. Arriving penniless, he found a job at a monthly salary of INR 50, as the front desk clerk at the Cecil Hotel. Today, The Oberoi Group owns the hotel The Oberoi Cecil where the young Mr. Oberoi found his mtier. The diligence, enthusiasm and intelligence displayed by Mr. Oberoi impressed Mr. Grove, the manager of the hotel. A quick learner, Mr. Oberoi did not restrict his efforts to fulfilling the job description of a desk clerk but sought and shouldered additional responsibilities. A few years later, when Mr. Clarke acquired a small hotel he asked Mr. Oberoi to assist him. It was here, at Clarkes Hotel, that Mr. Oberoi gained firsthand experience in all aspects of operating a hotel. Budding Entrepreneur In 1934, Mr. Oberoi acquired his first property, The Clarkes Hotel, from his mentor by mortgaging his wifes jewellery and all his assets. Four years later, he signed a lease to take over operations of the five hundred rooms Grand Hotel in Calcutta that was on sale following a cholera epidemic. With his customary confidence and sheer determination to succeed, he was able to convert this hotel into a highly profitable business venture. Over several years, Mr. Oberoi had purchased shares in Associated Hotels of India (AHI), which owned Cecil and Corstophans hotels in Shimla, Maidens and Imperial hotels in Delhi and a hotel each in Lahore, Murree, Rawalpindi and Peshawar. In 1943, Mr. Oberoi acquired controlling interest in AHI. He thus became the first Indian to run the countrys largest and finest hotel chain. In the tumultuous years just prior to Indian independence, Mr. Oberoi met and intimately interacted with the would-be leaders of Free India, all of whom were, at one time or other, guests at his hotels. International Pioneer Having consolidated his early ventures, Mr. Oberoi became the first Indian hotelier to enter into an agreement with an internationally renowned hotel chain, to open the first

modern, five-star hotel in the country. The Oberoi Inter Continental, in New Delhi opened in 1965. The I-Con, as it became popularly known, offered facilities that no other hotel in the country matched and was Indias first luxury hotel. This achievement was enhanced with the opening of the 35-storey Oberoi Sheraton in Bombay, in 1973. Mr. Oberoi was the first Indian to work in association with international chains to woo international travellers to India. This led to a heavy influx of international travellers and foreign occupancy soared to an average of 85%. This enabled the Oberoi Hotels to significantly contribute to Indias foreign exchange earnings. Another pioneering landmark was the establishment in 1966 of the prestigious Oberoi School of Hotel Management, recognised by the International Hotel Association in Paris. Considered Indias premier institute, the school is now known as The Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development and continues to provide high quality professional training in hospitality management. Other notable firsts were the decision to employ women in his hotels and to establish a chain of ancillary industries producing and supplying items like consumables and stationery to ensure the highest quality. The Oberoi Group was also the first to start flight catering operations in India, in 1959. The Oberoi Flight Services, located in New Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin and Chennai, provide in-flight meals of international quality to reputed airlines. Mr. Oberoi realised that the hotel and hospitality business is greatly dependent on travel agents, a vital element in the distribution chain. Therefore, he decided to establish his own travel agency. Mercury Travels, part of The Oberoi Group, ranks amongst the leading travel agencies in India. With vision and imagination, Mr. Oberoi converted old and dilapidated palaces, historical monuments and buildings into magnificent hotels such as The Oberoi Grand in Calcutta, the historic Mena House Oberoi in Cairo and The Windsor in Australia. It was, in fact, in the face of severe opposition that the State Government of Victoria awarded Mr. Oberoi the lease of The Windsor, a heritage building in Melbourne. He personally supervised the restoration of the hotel to its original grandeur and later acquired it. The Oberoi Cecil in Shimla, built in the early 20th century, reopened in April 1997 after extensive and meticulous renovation. Awards and Honors In 1943, Mr. Oberoi was conferred the title of Rai Bahadur by the British Government in recognition of his services to the Crown. Thereafter, Mr. Oberoi won acclaim and received several national and international awards including admission to the Hall of Fame by the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) and Man of The World award by the International Hotel Association (IHA), New York. He was presented the Order of The Republic, First Class by the President of Egypt. He got an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration from the International Management Centre, Buckingham, UK. Newsweek named him one of the Elite Winners of 1978. The PHDCCI Millennium

award in 2000 was presented in recognition of his entrepreneurial and business success. In 2001, the Government of India accorded him the Padma Bhushan.

Globalisation of The Oberoi Group To place The Oberoi Group on the world map, Mr. Oberoi exported management expertise to Australia, Egypt and Singapore, where The Oberoi Group took charge of the management of existing luxury hotels. The success of Oberoi Hotels & Resorts overseas, in the face of global competition, greatly enhanced the image of The Group. Today, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts in Indonesia, Egypt, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia and India add value and distinction to their host countries. Foundations of the Future Under Mr. Oberois dynamic leadership, The Oberoi Group introduced its second brand of hotels, Trident. Trident hotels are five-star hotels that have established a reputation for excellence and are acknowledged for offering quality and value. These hotels combine state of the art facilities with dependable service in a caring environment, making them the ideal choice for business and leisure travellers. Presently there are nine Trident hotels in India located in Mumbai at Bandra Kurla and Nariman Point, Gurgaon (Delhi National Capital Region), Chennai, Bhubaneshwar, Cochin, Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur. The Oberoi Group also operates a Trident hotel in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. In the luxury category, The Group opened The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur; The Oberoi Cecil, Shimla; The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur; The Oberoi Vanyavilas, Ranthambhore; The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra; Wildflower Hall, Shimla in the Himalayas; The Oberoi, Lombok, Indonesia; The Oberoi, Sahl Hasheesh, Egypt; The Oberoi, Mauritius and The Oberoi Zahra, Luxury Nile Cruiser, Egypt. The Group employs more than 12,000 people worldwide and operates 28 hotels and three cruisers in five countries. Mr. Oberois achievements and successes did not, however, take from his simplicity and old-fashioned charm. He retained, until his death in May 2002 at the age of 103, a unique humility. He was fond of saying, I have been able to accept the challenge and

make good. There is comfort in knowing that whatever little I have achieved has also helped to raise the prestige of my country. Dare to Dream: The Life of M.S. Oberoi He was only six months old when he lost his father. His mother was a very strong person and determined to give her son the best against all odds. She returned to her fathers house and began to help in his business. Soon she was as respected as he and began to exert her own influence in the business. As a mother she was extremely caring and loving. He was fortunate to have a mother like her. He passed his matriculation and moved on to collage but did not go beyond intermediate. He found work at his uncles his fathers brother- shoe factory more interesting and educative. He was not able to continue working for long at his uncles as he did not accept his shaving off his beard, being a Sikh. By this time he had a young bride to think of, so he applied for a job with the PWD as shorthand typist at Shimla, but failed the test. Like his mother he was not one to give up. Destiny had something different in store for him. He was very fascinated by the Faletti Cecil Hotel and the power and style moving before his eyes. He approached the manager and was appointed as a clerk at Rs 50 per month. His hard work and diligence didnt go unnoticed. Mr. Clarke as manager replaced his earlier boss and the two got on quite well in spite of the age difference. In time He set up his own hotel and invited the young man to join .It was this hotel that he was to own later when Mr. Clarke left permanently for England. On August 14th 1934 he became the exclusive owner of Clarkes Hotel Shimla and Delhi. Mohan Singh Oberoi took the first step to becoming the in the words of J.R.D. Tata the countrys only exclusive hotelier He was helped on this path by his mother Bhagwanti and wife Ishran Devi and later by his son Biki besides many others who worked with him. But more than his achievements as an entrepreneur and business man he will be remembered for his humility and thoughtfulness. He was known as Big daddy to all his staff. There is a biblical proverb which says that the industrious will sit with Kings, M.S.Oberio did sit with many of them figuratively speaking. Dare to Dream A life of M.S.Oberoi by Bachi J.Karkaria is very good read. Punched with her characteristic wit and humor. This well researched biography will definitely encourage readers to dream and then go after their dreams as a great poet says: The life of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime And departing leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time' He falls in the category of Team Management (9, 9) because of the following reasons: 1. Is visionary 2. Encourages Creativity & improves existing services 3. Opportunity seeker 4. Recognizes Employee Achievement 5. Promotes team building 6. Despite being an owner of such a huge empire, he could remember the not only the names of his employees but also last time when their mother was ill &

whenever he used to go out for a world tour, he used to return with gifts that were not bought in bulk but were personalized according to their will. He always used to explain how the potential problems &concerns will be handled. Example- when Grand Hotel, kolkata was facing a problem on its revival, as it was a costly hotel & the image left by the owners prior to Oberoi was not good, share holders threatened him to sell their shares, since there was no profit. He assured them that if they would provide British troops services at the time of World war-II at less price also, it would be beneficial for them. Since it would help them to improve the image of the hotel. Finally, shareholders could sense the reason & hence supported him, which led to success. He used to promote people on the basis of their performance & would also provide them with incentives, as & when they deserved. Type of Power 1. Legitimate Power Instructed people about the work to be done. 2. Reward Power Control over Rewards. 3. Coercive Power Implementation of policies and administration of disciplinary action. 4. Expert Power Has expertise or knowledge over the business. 5. Connection Power He made use of his acquaintances to get his work done. A level 5 leader is one who has both professional will, as well as humility in himself. According to us, Oberoi is a Level 5 leader Oberoi is a Level 5 leader because of the following reasons: He was clear about what he has to do. He thought it was better to focus on one thing than to have diversed attention, losing to pay attention on any of them. He gave away the business of contractor, started by his son Tilak raj & also closed down the Cecil hotel in Shimla, since it wasnt working well now and focused more on developing hotels himself, rather than to buy it from somebody else, which ultimately resulted in Oberoi VILLAS & PALACES commencement. He realised that the hotel and hospitality business is greatly dependent on travel agents, a vital element in the distribution chain. Therefore, he decided to establish his own travel agency.

He never said that it was he who did it never said that it was he who did it & always said it was his luck and hence thanked god & his employees for his success. He said I realize it was with God's help that I achieved what the World calls success ... He said The opportunity seemed almost a Godsend. I took over the proprietorship of Clarkes Hotel with the help of a kind uncle who had stood by me in the past. The employees also helped me as and when needed & I was now established in the Hotel business He said it was his good luck that assured him the prosperity Success could not take from him his simplicity & he said I have been able to accept the challenge and make good. There is comfort in knowing that whatever little I have achieved has also helped to raise the prestige of my country.

PROFILE OF THE FAMOUS male ENTERPRENEUR

Rai bahadur mohan singh oberai

Founders of oberai group of hotels

SUBMITTED BY: DARSHANA CHANDE STD: T.Y.BMS ROLL NO.:MS307