The Covid-19 pandemic certainly brought the hospitality industry worldwide to its knees, it also delivered a body blow to the international plans of Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, one of India’s premier luxury hotel chains.

The Delhi-based company belonging to the Oberoi Group which runs award winning luxury hotels in India, will not be able to make its debut in Europe as envisaged earlier. The company had signed an agreement in May 2020 with the privately held real estate investment firm Cain International to run serviced residences in London’s Mayfair.

“Because of the pandemic, the owners of the luxury serviced apartments, decided to sell the property. So, London will not be happening (for us). I hope we will have other opportunities in London and in other parts of the world,” Vikramjit Singh Oberoi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, EIH said in a post earnings conference call.

Oberoi’s London deal was to manage 23 apartments located at 17-22 South Audley Street, in Mayfair, an upscale district housing exclusive hotels and restaurants. Constructed in 1845, this property was due for opening in 2022 after renovation.   

The Oberoi Group’s other big bet was to open a 237 rooms and suites luxury hotel in Doha. In addition, the group had also agreed to run 45 serviced apartments as part of the overall development. These new inventories were part of Qatar’s efforts at being ready for the FIFA World cup scheduled in November and December this year.

Staring at room shortage

However, Qatar is expected to witness a massive shortage of hotel rooms by the time the state gets ready to welcome overseas guests. As per estimates more than 1.2 million visitors will jostle to grab little under 35,000 hotels and apartment rooms available. “Doha has been delayed. The hotel will not be ready for the World Cup,” Oberoi further added.

The setbacks in London and Doha are not the only ones for the Oberoi Group. Luxury properties were also planned to come up in Nepal, Kenya and Thailand. Kathmandu, Nepal was set to host ‘The Oberoi’ on a six-acre greenfield site, close to the Royal Palace, Thamel. This managed property was to house 80 keys.

A wildlife resort spread over 30 acres comprising 20 luxury tents, located next to Bardia National Park Nepal, was also in the pipeline. However, there has been no update on this since the last two years. Both the Kathmandu and Bardia plans do not feature in Oberoi’s upcoming plans.  

Similarly, a wildlife resort under ‘The Oberoi’ brand located on the edge of the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and two other resorts under Trident and Oberoi brands on the island of Koh Tan in Thailand were being planned. However, there have been no further updates on these.   

A detailed questionnaire seeking responses on the Oberoi Group’s Europe and Qatar and its international plans remained unanswered at the time of publishing this article.

The Oberoi Group has 10 properties outside of India as of December 31, 2021 having 749 keys, as per an inventor presentation made by it. Most of these properties are based in the Middle East while the balance is spread in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Indian Ocean.

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