Deepak Ohri is celebrating his 10th year in business with his Lebua brand in Bangkok, and from the sounds of his aggressive growth plan he recently shared exclusively with HOTELS, he wants to revel in grand style.
What started as a destination restaurant, The Dome at Lebua, in 2006 also became a hotel company when Ohri rechristened the Meritus hotel in Bangkok as Lebua, and it is about to become much more.
Ohri just took over management of three palace hotels in India, is close to finalizing a strategic market alliance with an 80-unit, likeminded European hotel operator, has a deal to take over management and reflag four hotels in China and is in advanced discussions to master franchise a midmarket concept for Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Lebua Hotels & Resorts currently has properties in Bangkok, New Zealand and India, and on January 1 it took over management of three heritage properties in Rajasthan, which are in the process of being rebranded as Lebua hotels.
The 40-room restored fort, the Devigarh in Udaipur, will be re-branded as Devigarh by Lebua, Udaipur. The Devi Ratn in Jaipur will become the Lebua Resort, Jaipur — a modern palace with contemporary touches. And the Rasa Resort in Jaipur will be re-branded as Lebua Lodge at Amer, Jaipur — also a fort hotel with a focus on bespoke adventure tourism.
Ohri, whose career includes operational and executive roles with Kempinski and Taj Hotels, added that Lebua is looking for additional management deals at resort and city hotels in India. “India will be a big story for us,” he said. “We are negotiating for another resort there now and have invested in our infrastructure there.”
With a very specific focus on service, quality and making a researched emotional connection with its guests, he said the Lebua brand caters to mostly 35- to 48-year-olds from Europe, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Germany. “We stand for discreet, simple service, and the right of equality — the same level of service for all,” Ohri said. “We try to understand moods and behavior patterns to tailor our service. Simplicity is the key to our success.”
Another big challenge for Lebua is a strategic, co-branded marketing alliance with an as yet unnamed European hotel chains with some 80 hotels. The deal is supposed to be finalized by April. Ohri said he is also negotiating with the same European company to acquire hotels near Paris and in Saint-Martin.
If that is not enough, Ohri said Lebua will be rebranding and taking over management of four hotels in China. The reflagging through one owner is supposed to take place this year and into next year. Ohri added that he has no plans to expand beyond this deal in China.
Ohri’s other big piece of news is that he plans to launch a midmarket brand in Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam via a master franchise deal with an existing operator in the region. He said the greenfield brand will be positioned somewhere between, for example, Novotel and Sofitel, and that he hopes to grow it to 50 to 70 units with two other investment partners. He said Lebua’s initial investment will be approximately US$10 million per property.
“Maybe it is a bit risky, but Myanmar does not look like a blip,” he said. “These are all promising markets. Cambodia, for example, has so much more than Siem Reap and with good infrastructure throughout.”
And lastly, Ohri is launching a quick-service Thai restaurant concept in the United States with a US$9 check average. The first unit is scheduled to open in the middle of 2013.
“We are trying to make a loud 10th anniversary celebration,” Ohri concluded.