Story : Pattamaporn Kittipanachol
Images : courtesy of lebua Hotels and Resorts
Photographer : Rafael Valentino
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Deepak Ohri - CEO of lebua Hotels and Resorts

Deepak Ohri is CEO of lebua Hotels and Resorts. He shares his views on the future of his business, the industry and his personal philosophies. Is Deepak an outspoken innovative maverick, a brilliant showman or a charismatic visionary? I am inclined to think that he is all this and more.

Joining us on the 52nd floor of the chain’s 67-storey flagship hotel in Bangkok, Deepak delivers a rapid fire interview peppered with equal doses of intelligence and humour.

PK: How do you feel about your ‘Entrepreneur of the Year 2007-2008’ award from The Art of Travel?
DO: “When I called the publisher to say ‘thank you’ he said, ‘We wanted to give you the Lifetime Achievement Award but you’re too young.’ That means that I have got another twenty years. It felt good to receive this award but it goes to everybody who works at lebua”.

PK: Who contributed to lebua’s success?
DO: “I have to give credit to the owner, Khun Rattawadee Bualert. When we looked at the place where Mezzaluna (lebua’s Italian restaurant in Bangkok) is now it was in a shambles but despite this she wanted to build a restaurant. I looked outside and it had a great view and huge floor-to-ceiling windows. I said yes immediately.”

The complex itself is called The Dome and as well as Mezzaluna we have a lounge bar, Distil and a Mediterranean restaurant, Sirocco.

Rattawadee later took over the hotel at State Tower and called it lebua because, according to Deepak,

"Assumptions and presumptions are mankind's biggest problems."
Depak Ohri

“Bua is the owner’s family name. It means lotus, a significant flower in many cultures. We broke norms by launching this brand in six months. Today we are known for our marketing initiatives and we’re proud of that.

“We are very clear about what we do. We do not compete with other hotels. We want to be a company that creates an experience like Apple, Microsoft or Singapore Airlines. We are successful because we go back to basics in selling traditional services, but with a new look”.

The chain currently has two properties. Lebua at State Tower, topped by The Dome, and the five star Lake Okareka Lodge in New Zealand, a 7,000 square foot three-bedroom lake house and resort, exclusively for the use of a single party of guests.

A Synonym for luxury

PK: What does lebua mean to you?
DO: “I want people to think that the synonym for lebua is luxury. People often think that luxury is expensive but that is not necessarily the case.

“We are competing with people who are thinking of buying Bvlgari diamonds for their partners. We want them to pause and think, ‘Am I doing the right thing? Or should I buy dinner at The Dome and a night’s stay at lebua? Would this be the perfect gift rather than a Bvlgari diamond?’ What we are selling is much more than luxury, it is an experience”.

PK: How do you create brand awareness?
DO: “Thais are capable of achieving anything when they put their mind to it.

“In hospitality, it starts with upbringing and there is more emphasis on hospitality here in Thailand than in any other country in the world. If any brand can be a benchmark in creating an experience in luxury, then it is a Thai brand. We are not saying it will be us but it will be a Thai brand. I am predicting something that will happen in the next 10 to 15 years.”

PK: What have been the highlights of your time as CEO of lebua?
DO: “lebua being voted sixth out of the top 10 Best Luxury Hotels in Asia and CNBC Asia-Pacific’s Best Hotel. We are repeatedly listed among the Top 100 suites of the world. But our biggest reward is seeing customers coming back to us. Our rate of return customers is 65%, the highest in this industry. But we want it higher”.

PK: Do you have any new plans?
DO: “We are going to create high end villas in Phuket. It’s saturated with luxury properties but we believe we can sell ‘an experience’ by coming up with something which people are not expecting.

“We are acquiring property in New York which we will renovate. We are going to refurbish lebua at State Tower and build a US$100,000 a night 800 square metre three-storey penthouse. 

“All lebua properties will be all suites, which makes us different from other brands.

“We are also organizing a dinner called Emotional Tourism. We will take guests to Elephant Village in Surin in north east Thailand. We do not want donations but we want to show how poor people live and how to sustain them. Like Bill Gates with his creative capitalism, we are thinking about creating infrastructures and facilities for people so their socio-economic conditions improve.”

Consistent Inconsistencies

PK: What is Lake Okareka Lodge like?
DO: “It is very different. When people spend top money, they are looking for consistent inconsistencies. People at that level love and want to be surprised. We are all about that.

“There are two kinds of people in the world. One type wants everyone to know they are coming. The other type does not. If you are famous, you want privacy, which we provide. VIP photographs have never and will never be part of our press releases. The press were at our one million baht dinner but photography was strictly prohibited. Our staff’s mobile phones were even kept so that nobody could sell photographs.”

PK: You emphasise staff quality. Do you interview all the top management?
DO: “Yes and I give them our case studies. If a hotel institutes a guest dress code causing 500 guests to stop coming every day, is this right or wrong? This was the case at The Dome. We lost 500 guests a day for a month. Now we have 1,500 guests a day.

“Sometimes people are afraid to make decisions. The biggest problems stem from not understanding the issue. Assumptions and presumptions are mankind’s biggest problems.”

PK: Who has impressed you and inspired the most?
DO: “Bill Gates because he proved that it’s all about people. Microsoft’s a great marketing company and he gives back to society.

“I was not studious. It was a combination of my father’s guidance and my brother’s pressure that motivated me to join hotels. They taught me to never look down, that I should always look up. Even in difficult situations, there is always an opportunity.

“I started as a dish washer 20 years back. I did not go to a good school myself but today I am invited to business schools as a guest lecturer. I am also on the advisory board of Cornell University and the editorial board of the Real Estate Asia-Pacific Journal.”

PK: What are the strengths that have brought you to where you are?
DO: “Understanding people, understanding their emotions and understanding their behaviour. Also my ability to listen.”

PK: Do you have any other tips for success?
DO: “Stick to your partner. My wife brings stability and maturity to my life. Everything that I have accomplished in the last four and a half years, I owe to my wife. I work long hours and she’s always very supportive. I have been very fortunate to find a partner like this.”

Structured Democracy

PK: How would you describe your working style?
DO: “A structured democracy. It’s a mix of autocratic and democratic modes. Democracy is easily mismanaged. Autocracies make people rebel. Under a structured democracy, you give people a democracy under specific conditions, like in Singapore. I also expect constant feedback from my staff.

“In our company, the dishwasher has the same number of days annual leave as I do. Medical benefits and provident funds are virtually the same. We do not discriminate. I always felt bad about discrepancies when I was a dishwasher”.

Deepak Ohr has come along way since he first started washing dishes 20 years ago and having spoken to him I suspect that the future, both for Deepak and lebua itself, might be even brighter.

"Even in difficult situations, there is always an opportunity." Deepak Ohri

For more information visit www.lebua.com    www.thedomebkk.com