He shares the honour with Thailand-based William Heinecke.
By Aiden Jewelle Gonzales
Deepak Ohri, the Founder and CEO of lebua Hotels & Resorts, who had shared his humble beginnings and journey towards success with Masala in an exclusive cover feature, has been named one of the International Hospitality Institute (IHI)’s ‘100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality 2022.’ He shares this honour with another giant in Thailand’s hospitality industry, William Heinecke, the Chairman of Minor International.
The IHI is a world-renowned hospitality advocacy, training, and standards organisation, which aims to foster excellence in the industry worldwide through training and certification programmes. It recognises those who are vanguards in the field, supports relevant think tanks, and sets up global operational standards and codes of conduct. Thus, their ‘100 most powerful people’ list, which aims to recognise “change makers and influencers for their work in promoting the global hospitality industry,” holds considerable weight, with even the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recognising the two Thailand-based icons that were named.
Deepak is known for being a visionary in his field, embracing the concept of ‘experiential luxury’ and turning lebua Hotels & Resorts into a powerhouse that has won both national and international acclaim. Despite it all, he remains modest, telling Masala in our exclusive interview that “at the end, it’s not my success, but my team’s.” Read more about his idiosyncratic vision and quest for self-respect in the link above.
