Saturday, May 17, 2014
Thiruvananthapuram Well-known Kerala hotelier and businessman, Captain C.P. Krishnan Nair, who established the reputed Leela brand of hotels, passed away early this morning at a private hospital in Mumbai. He was 92 and was ailing for some time.
Nair had been part of Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army in India’s pre-Independence days and later worked with the Indian army post Independence.
Nair’s initial foray into business was in the textile sector, with a unit that he named after his wife, Leela. Over time, the Leela Group became a well-known entity, with the Leela hotels being the crown brand of the group. Captain Nair had handed over day-to-day operations of the group to his sons and was the Chairman Emeritus of the group for the past couple of years. The hotelier-businessman was conferred the Padma Bhushan award by the government of India in 2010.
By Akhel Mathew, Correspondent
Gulf News 2014. All rights reserved.
