Seasoned hotelier Kapil Chopra has called it a day at Oberoi Hotels. In a letter from the Executive Chairman PRS Oberoi, announcing his exit, Mr. Oberoi personally acknowledged the contribution of Kapil Chopra to his chain, specifically for showing up a high RevPar for all his properties.
Over the years, Kapil has been known to be a tough taskmaster, always pushing his team to perform, consistently harping on yields.
He has also been instrumental in diverting a lot of the business to the online platform, besides overlooking the refurbishment of Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi.
Within the ranks of the Oberoi Group, his ascent to presidency has been nothing short of phenomenal. He took over as the President, five years ago, when he was only 40 years old, and now at 45, there is little room for him to grow any further within the company. Understandably, therefore, the entrepreneur in him has egged him to explore newer opportunities.
In recent years, along with his few close friends, including noted journalist Vir Sangvi, Kapil Chopra has involved himself with startups, most notably EasyDiner, where he serves as the Chairman of the board. EasyDiner – an app that allows patrons to make reservations online in restaurants – currently clocks a market evaluation of around 250 crores and has, laudably, created a niche market for itself in a very competitive online F&B delivery and aggregation segment.
In a private conversation, he has also revealed that in the next month and a half, or so, he hopes to make an announcement in the luxury space, asserting that the venture would be fairly different from what has been happening in the luxury space in the hotel industry so far.
His decision to move on from the Oberoi Group does not come as a surprise. It is a logical extension of his career. As an entrepreneur, there is much more to him that will unfold in the coming years.
