At the age of 94, Prithvi Raj Singh, also known as Biki Oberoi, the proprietor of Oberoi Hotels, died. By constructing some of the most opulent hotels in the world and revolutionising the Indian hospitality sector, Oberoi established new benchmarks for opulence and established a formidable luxury hotel brand. The Oberoi Vilas hotels, which are regarded as a watershed moment in Indian hospitality, are part of his legacy. With hotels that he could be proud of, Oberoi’s dedication to quality and excellence has had an enduring effect on the industry.
Prithvi Raj Singh, also known as Biki Oberoi, would often boast that he was unemployed until the age of 32. It was accurate. Biki could live the life of a global playboy as the son of India’s most successful hotelier at the time, MS Oberoi. He could dine at the finest restaurants and hotels, arrange fittings with his tailor on Savile Row, and befriend members of what was known as the global jet set at the time.
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Biki delighted in recounting his formative years of opulence and extravagance, as they stood in stark contrast to the subsequent half-century during which he constructed some of the most prestigious hotels globally, established novel benchmarks within the realm of hospitality, and established an illustrious luxury-hotel brand. A man who had previously performed no labour at all now laboured through the night in an effort to achieve the standards of excellence that he desired his hotels to represent.
Biki Oberoi’s Accomplishments:
Nonetheless, a second rationale existed. Biki frequently remarked that he would not have been able to accomplish everything he did over the subsequent half-century if he had not initially pursued international delight. He stated that those journeys and experiences defined luxury for him. Only because he had experienced the finest that the world had to offer was he capable of measuring the hotels he constructed against the most stringent international criteria.
He regarded the ascent of his hotels to the top of international rankings, surpassing even the most prestigious hotels in Europe and America, as confirmation that the luxury education he had received during his adolescence had been worthwhile.
It was a pleasant and mostly accurate narrative. Aside from the occasional maharaja, Biki, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 94, was the only Indian member of the international jet set for many years. But not everything was fun and leisurely. His father, an accomplished individual who rose from a hotel assistant position to become India’s preeminent hotelier, maintained a steadfast awareness that family members were indispensable for informing him of worldwide developments and the trajectory of the luxury industry.
Biki Oberoi:
Biki’s father and son organised several of her trips. So, in the 1950s, the senior Oberoi suggested Biki visit the Far East to see how the countries were doing. Later, Biki remembered Rangoon and Calcutta as the major eastern cities. He returned and told his father that Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, and others were rapidly progressing. He said we would laugh at the idea that Kolkata and Rangoon were better than Tokyo.
Miss Oberoi always aimed high. Hilton, Sheraton, and Intercontinental ruled the world in his greatest years, the 1960s and 1970s. Oberoi built Delhi and Mumbai hotels alongside Sheraton and Intercontinental. By the 1980s, Biki understood that luxury had moved beyond both names, even though both hotels were hugely successful.
He encouraged the Oberoi Group to create upscale hotels. At Nariman Point in Mumbai, he established a more opulent hotel in 1986, close to his father’s giant. He named it the Oberoi without international approval.
After that hotel was successful, he reinvented the Oberoi chain, his life’s work. Miss Oberoi sought West for inspiration, while Biki looked East. Before “Asian hospitality” became a hotel cliché, Biki saw Asian hotels like Regent and Hong Kong’s Mandarin going beyond the Hilton-Sheraton model.
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In 1988, he restored Calcutta’s Oberoi Grand with Raj heritage and Asian luxury. The Oberoi’s new Bangalore hotel seemed like a city resort. The Oberoi Intercontinental in Delhi became The Oberoi following a major renovation.
The Oberois avoided resort construction as a risky investment. Biki reversed the policy and increased the risks. The 1997 Rajvilas in Jaipur was India’s most costly resort hotel by room. She would need to convince guests to pay extra at the Fort Aguada in Goa, India’s finest resort.
Biki Oberoi Plans:
Biki planned new Vilas hotels in Udaipur, Agra, Ranthambore, and Mashobra as the industry argued whether he had jeopardised the company by betting so much.
Oberoi, which placed its future on these resorts, survived only because wealthy foreigners regarded India as inexpensive and paid top dollar. Good thing the first Vilas was fantastic. Visitors arrived. Rates climbed. Oberoi was secure and profitable. Vilas hotels topped global hotel rankings in a year.
Biki designed the luxurious Indian city hotel as well as the Vilas hotels. His design is defined by large spaces, elegant but comfortable furnishings, gardens or sea vistas, and good lighting. His commitment to quality was complete. No other hotelier would have closed and remodelled Oberoi Delhi for two years, losing revenue. It didn’t matter if the motel was lucrative. He even reduced the number of rooms in the renovation to make them bigger. A hotel he could be proud of was needed.
Biki retired over a year ago due to health issues, but his nephew Arjun and son Vikram led the company before the formal changeover. Vilas hotels got more Indian clients at higher charges during the pandemic under their leadership. Protecting Biki’s Oberoi legacy. Hoteliers, guests, and India benefit from his legacy of world-class Indian hotels.
Industry revolutionaries were few. Oberoi was Biki.
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