The Leela, Kovalam, plays host to Sir Richard Branson and family

4th March 2008 “A hotel is not the concrete that holds it together but the people who work there and makes it so special. Every person who works here couldn’t have been friendlier ’, says Sir Richard Branson, Chairman, Virgin Group of The Leela Kovalam Beach resort. Cutting a relaxed figure amidst the contemporary décor of the cliff-top resort, Sir Richard muses over his India connect.

Clearly upbeat about his new hush hush India venture, Sir Richard only reveals that “It is in communications and will make a big difference to Indians, adding a bit of competition to one particular segment’.

This is not the group’s first foray into the Indian market. Virgin Atlantic, the group’s international carrier, currently operates flights from London to New Delhi & Mumbai. Bowled by the lush Kovalam coastline, the group is exploring investment opportunities in Kerala. In conversation with the General Manager, Biswajit Chakraborty, Sir Richard expressed “We certainly have never been so pampered in our lives, like the way you and your team have indulged us in true Indian hospitality style.

Hotel Leelaventure Ltd. owns and operates The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts in Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa and in Kovalam (Kerala) and have new developments in Gurgaon Delhi (NCR)(opens Oct. 2008), Udaipur (opens Jan. 2009), Chennai (opens 2009), New Delhi (opens 2010), Hyderabad and Pune (opens 2011), and associated with Kempinski Hotels.

Feedback from Sir Richard Branson

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Issued by
Mrs. Alexa Poortier
Director - Public Relations& Corporate Communications
The Leela Palaces~Hotels~Resorts
Sahar, Andheri (East),
Mumbai 400 059, India
Tel: +91 (22) 66911048
Fax: +91 (22) 66911476
Email: alexa.poortier@theleela.com