Story of Hotel Kamat

Theres never a dull moment with 54-year-old Vithal Kamat, executive chairman and managing director of Kamat Hotels India, the Rs 112 crore, Mumbai-based, hospitality group that has brands such as the Orchid Hotel and Lotus Suites among others. Hes full of storiesabout life, experiences, people. Hes put it all down, in fact, in a booka management bookIdli, Orchid and Will Power! But this is just one side of him. There are many more facets. Like, he is a motivational speaker, trainer, environmentalist apart from being a successful entrepreneur. Above all, hes an ardent student of life, willing to partake of himself as easily as a child would. Indeed, he has absolutely no qualms of being put under the scanner, not at all. Sample this: I was born into a middle-class family, living in a one-room apartment in Grant Road, Mumbai. There were eight of us: three brothers, three sisters and parents. It was a common room, which would double up as a bedroom at night. The balcony outside was my punishment room. Anybody who played mischief was put there. That included me too. This early-life taming though, did nothing much to quell the fiery spirit in him. Years later he would put it to good use to chart his own courseof setting up hotels. My father Venkatesh was already into the restaurant business when I was born. He was an industrious man, who began working in a restaurant at the age of eight. Satkar, a popular restaurant in Mumbai, was started by Venkatesh Kamat way back in 1950. But this was not the first. The senior Kamat began his journey as a restaurateur with a small property in Mazgaon, Mumbai. This was followed by the Krishna Bhavan in the predominantly Muslim area of Null Bazaar in Mumbai. Samrat, Suvidha, Suruchi, Senate, the list of restaurants kept growing by the day. A self-made man, Venkatesh Kamats children, especially, his restless middle son Vithal imbibed his qualities of hard work and dedication. The most precious gift that our parents could give us were good values, says Kamat. My fathers commitment to his work, his discipline, determination and self-regulation were a source of inspiration for me and my siblings. My mothers ability to manage a large family, her sacrificing nature, for instance, she pawned her jewellery when my father needed money to start Satkar, were not lost on us. An engineer by qualification, Kamats initiation into the family business happened by accident. His fathers trusted aide, his brother-in-law, had betrayed him. There was no one to assist him in his business. Thats when Kamat and his elder brother stepped in to help their father. The dream of a blissful professional life was set aside forever. Life had indeed come a full circle for the young Kamat. Once into the restaurant business, something Kamats father wished his kids hadnt got intothe road to

success wasnt easy. Kamat had new ideas, new ways of doing businesssome of which did not find favour with his conservative father. Do business with anyone in the world but never on the basis of bogus newspaper ads, the older Kamat would exhort his young charge. But Kamat did manage to introduce some new features nevertheless, like serving beer at Samrat, one of the restaurants he was running alongwith his father. I had already obtained the permit to serve liquor and father wouldnt allow it. It took me four years to convince him. Finally, he relented on one condition: that there would be no unruly scenes by beer drinkers in the restaurant, says Kamat. This combination, of good food and chilled beer, augmented the customer base at Samrat. Numbers soared by the day. Even a hard-nosed restaurateur like Venkatesh Kamat admitted: Vithal, you were right. This was a personal victory for the young Kamat, of finally getting the approval of a man, who was, frankly, difficult to please. Our father was tough on us. But today, when I look back, I think it helped us in pushing ourselves. He wanted us to be achievers. And I resolved I would be one, he says. Kamats innate ability of having a way with people has helped him in no small measure in his drive to the top. As a child, when locked in the balcony of his one-room apartment for a playing a prank, it was his friends, young as they were, who would come to his rescue with whatever food they could. Kamat was able to work his charm on the legendary Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi toothe doyen of the Indian hotel industrywho he met as a gawky youngster in the 1970s. Oberoi was in Mumbai during those days in connection with the construction of his hotel Oberoi Sheraton. Kamat, still assisting his father, landed at the construction site of the hotel in Nariman Point, South Mumbai, on the tip-off from a friend. I have come to meet the Big Boss, he told the security guard on duty. Once in the presence of the man he idolised, it was hard for Kamat to contain his excitement, I want to be a greater hotelier than you, he told the rather dumbfounded Oberoi. But Oberoi was kind enough to pardon the young man no older than his son. Years later when the Orchid Hotel was launched, Kamat extended his first invitation to Oberoi. Unable to make it to the inauguration, Oberoi responded with a tender letter, I have forgotten many people in my life, but I could never forget you. You expressed a desire to become greater than I was. I had never met a person like you in my entire life. Kamats desire to excel has compelled him to try out new things. The Orchid Hotel, for instance, is a fivestar ecotel, consistently rated as one of the best in the world. Lotus Suites, on the other hand, is a four-star budget hotel in Mumbai, which will be extended to tier II and III cities such as Nagpur, Raipur (located in Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh), Amboli and Aronde (both are located in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra).

Orchid itself will be taken to places such as Raipur, even as the group contemplates getting into the luxury heritage and resort segments. None of this would have been possible if Kamat did not take those first tentative steps in that direction in the 1980s. He began by acquiring loss-making properties in places such as Vapi in Gujarat and Khandala in Maharashtra. This gave him the confidence to go for larger acquisitions such as the Plaza Hotel in Mumbai. With Orchid coming on board in 1997, however, there has been no looking back for the group. Kamat Hotels India was publicly listed in 1996 and has just completed an $18-million foreign currency convertible bond (FCCB) issue. In the midst of all this, though, Kamat never fails to thank a few people who came into his life and made that crucial difference. If Oberoi was the man, Kamat looked up to professionally, the late Behram Contractor, a renowned journalist and columnist, was a personal friend and guide to him. He was amazing. The grip on language he had was too good. I learnt to appreciate the finer things in life from him, says Kamat. This appreciation for the finer things in life can be found in his varied interests, be it writing, collecting antiques, books or running a museum. I am not finished yet, he says. For me, this is only the beginning.

Sister Brands

The

Orchid-Friendly.Eco.Friendly

Asia's

First

Five

Star

Ecotel

Hotel

The Orchid - An Ecotel Hotel is Asia's first certified eco-friendly five-star hotel and world's only Ecotel to be certified as ISO 14001. The Orchid, Mumbai started on 27th September 1997 is the first hotel started by Mr. Vithal Kamat, Chairman Managing Director. The Orchid has successfully launched and operational in Mumbai, Pune, Jallandar. The Orchid would soon be launched in Raipur, Udaipur, Coimbatore and Nagpur.

VITS

Guest.

Rest.

Best.

(Four

Star

Luxury

Business

Hotels)

VITS is a new chain of luxury business hotels promoted by KHIL. Starting with its first property in Andheri, Mumbai . The VITS chain offers luxury business accommodation for discerning business travellers, catering to the needs of business travellers with an upwardly mobile lifestyle and can offer world-class hospitality and service standards. VITS aims to bridge the gap for quality accommodation for this category by being present in all major Tier II and Tier III cities and towns of India. VITS hospitality experience has recently been launched in Belgaum , Aurangabad, Nagpur and Pune and group is committed to launch VITS in twenty more locations in the next five years.

LOTUS

Chill.

Still.

Tranquil

(Resorts) Lotus, a new chain of luxury resorts. It is a new offering in the leisure segment wherein all the resorts have proximity to water bodies. With a promise of complete leisure and exquisite luxury The resort provides guests solitude and comfort, with all modern amenities and facilities, which blends into one luxurious experience. The same values are epitomized in Lotus Resorts concise motto "Chill. Still. Tranquil". The group has plans to launch 20 more Lotus properties by 2010.

JADHAV Ladh,

Jhagadh,

Aage

GADH Badh"

(Heritage

Hotels)

Fort Jadhavgadh is a 300 year old Fort from Shivaji`s regime which has

been converted into 5 star Deluxe hotel. Shri. Vithal V. Kamat's passion for preserving our culture identified the need for the Fort hotels that would not only preserve the Heritage but also provide the Guest to provide the elegance and the royal treatment enjoyed by the Maharajas of those times. Other Gadh Hotels would soon be launched in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

http://www.vithalkamats.com/history.htm