Lalit Suri

New Delhi, Oct. 10: The women in Lalit Suri’s family are expected to pick up the reins of Bharat Hotels after the hotelier’s sudden death in London early this morning.

The sudden demise of Suri (60) — who was also a member of the Rajya Sabha — has left a void in the two-decade-old business group, which owns or manages eight hotel properties with over 1,600 rooms.

Suri, who built his hotel empire in 1988, is survived by wife Jyotsna, three daughters — Divya, Shradha and Diksha — and son Keshav.

Suri’s death was rendered even more poignant by the fact that it occurred just a day before the couple were due to celebrate their wedding anniversary for which they were scheduled to fly to Paris.

Jyotsna and son Keshav are in London and will bring the body back to New Delhi tomorrow for the final rites.

“The family is in a complete state of shock and pain. But the family is committed to fulfilling his dream. His wife and children will shoulder a lot of his responsibilities now,” said a senior member on the board of Bharat Hotels.

Suri and his family own a 75 per cent stake in Bharat Hotels. Jyotsna is the joint managing director while Ramesh Suri, one of his brothers, is also a director on the board of the company.

Keshav, who has completed his bachelor’s degree in business administration (BBA), has also joined the board. Insiders say Suri’s wife, who runs Delhi Mid Day, an afternoon newspaper published out of Delhi, is likely to be the one to run the hotel chain.

Suri’s three daughters are also known to take a keen interest in the group and are expected to help their brother, who is likely to be groomed to ultimately take charge.

However, eldest daughter Divya, who is also a lawyer by profession and advises the hotel on legal affairs, is unlikely to take active participation in the hotel business immediately as she is expecting a baby shortly.

Senior members of the hotel group said, “It is a bit too early to discuss business plans. But it is a well-structured organisation with huge infrastructure. The business will continue as usual.”

The Bharat Hotels chain comprises seven hotels which include the flagship InterContinental The Grand in Delhi, and six Grand hotels in Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Srinagar, Udaipur and Khajuraho.

Suri had bought Great Eastern Hotel in Calcutta from the Bengal government, leaving behind several bidders, including Unitech and Ramuk of Sweden. Sources said the renovation of Great Eastern was progressing and the hotel would reopen as scheduled in March next year.

Although there are bigger hotel groups in the country, Suri’s ability to create a large group within a short span of time attracted attention.