Capt. C.P. Krishnan Nair Awarded "Hotelier of the Century" by IH&RA
Chairman of The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts
MUMBAI, India, January 28, 2010 - The International Hotel and Restaurant Association (IH&RA), based in Geneva conferred the “Hotelier of the Century” award on Capt. C.P. Krishnan Nair, Chairman of The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts. The award was presented by Dr. Ghassan Aidi, IH&RA President at a glittering ceremony in Belgrade, Serbia on January 21. Several hundred international leaders and industry luminaries as well as representatives and members of the IH&RA attended the event.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Aidi, said, “Capt. Nair is an icon of an hotelier with vision. The quality and service seen at The Leela Hotels across India remains unparalleled and is a new benchmark for luxury hospitality.”
Accepting the award Capt. Nair reflected on his long journey, “This award highlights the friends, family, peers, business associates and all those who have stood by me and believed in my dream, and contributed so immensely to the culmination of this moment.”
This is only the second time in the 140 years of the organization that this unique award has been presented to an international hotelier. The other recipient of this accolade was Joseph Giacoponello, former President of the Leading Hotels of the World.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the IH&RA is the only business organization representing the hospitality industry worldwide. Its 750,000 members include hospitality associations, hotels and restaurants in 150 countries across the globe. Recognized by the United Nations, IH&RA monitors and lobbies all international agencies on behalf of this industry, estimated to comprise 300,000 hotels and eight million restaurants, employs 60 million people and contributes $950 billion annually to the global economy.
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