Surinder Arora
BornSeptember 1958 (age 65)
Punjab, India
NationalityBritish
OccupationHotel owner
SpouseSunita Arora
Children3

Surinder Arora (born September 1958) is an English billionaire businessman of Indian descent in the hotel sector. He concentrates on hotels near airports, making a specialty of providing rooms for aircrew, and has close links with British Airways and a strong personal interest in aviation [1]

Early life

Arora was born in September 1958[2] in the Indian state of Punjab to parents who had been displaced from the India/Pakistan border town of Fazilka and were about to emigrate to the United Kingdom. Arora was left with an aunt and uncle whom he believed to be his parents until he re-joined his real parents in the UK at the age of thirteen. Arora's family had a strong work ethic and he has described his mother as being very ambitious for him.[3]

In 1988, Arora became a salesman for the Abbey Life insurance company, becoming a sales manager and achieving a rating as the company's second-best salesman after one year.[4]

Hotel career

In 1993, Arora left Abbey Life to develop a "B&B" (bed and breakfast) to serve airline staff at Heathrow Airport. The hotel that replaced the B&B won a contract from British Airways in 1999.[5]

In 2004 Arora won the franchise for the Accor Sofitel brand and bought the 500-bedroom Le Meridien London Gatwick hotel to rebrand as the Sofitel London Gatwick. Sofitel London Heathrow, a £180m 600-bedroom sister hotel was announced the same year. Today Arora owns hotels that provide a total of over 5500 bedrooms including franchises from Hilton and Holiday Inn.[4]

In September 2021, the Home Secretary, Priti Patel was accused of breaking the Ministerial Code when it was revealed that she had brokered a lobbying deal in a secret meeting with Arora and the head of BA.[6][7]

In 2017, Arora was awarded the Asian Achievers Awards for "Business Person of the Year" [8]

Business style

Arora refers to members of his business as "like family". Turnover of staff, especially maids, is much lower than the high hotel industry average.[3]

He is known to value long-term business relationships.[9]

Net worth

In 2009, he was ranked at 388 in The Times list of the richest people in the UK with a net worth of £140 million.[10] In 2013, The Sunday Times Rich List (STRL) estimated his worth to be £356 million.[11] In May 2019, following a revaluation of his hotels, his net worth rose by £780 million to £1.129 billion.[12]

Politics and public life

Arora was a public supporter of the Labour Party under Tony Blair, though he opposed the 2003 Iraq War.[3] He is currently a member of the New Enterprise Council, a group of entrepreneurs that advises the Conservative Party on business policy.[13] He is also a member of the London Skills And Employment Board,[14] and deputy chairman of Wentworth Golf Club.[15]

Arora is married to Sunita Arora with three children, and lives in Wentworth, UK.[16][17]

In Media

In a podcast with Rajan Nazran, he talks about the importance of leading a balanced life, prioritising personal relationships over money and business ventures. He candidly shares how his professional endeavours sometimes strained his familial ties. However, he underscores the significance of finding equilibrium in all aspects of life, recognising that true prosperity lies in maintaining this delicate balance.[18]

References

  1. ↑ Teather, David (17 August 2007). "The Friday interview: Surinder Arora". The Guardian. London.
  2. ↑ "Surinder Arora – Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". Beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Teather, David (17 August 2007). "The Mr Nice Guy of the hotels world". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Surinder Arora-Punjabi NRI developed largest and most luxurious MICE hotels on Heathrow Airport". Nriinternet.com. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  5. ↑ "JavaScript is disabled in your browser". Catererandhotelkeeper.co.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  6. ↑ "Labour accuses Priti Patel of breaching ministerial code over meeting". North Wales Chronicle. 11 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  7. ↑ Nelson, Nigel (11 September 2021). "Priti Patel breaks rules again after secret meeting with billionaire and BA". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  8. ↑ "Welcome to the most prestigious Asian awards". Asian Achievers Awards. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  9. ↑ "Surinder Arora – A Billionaire Hotelier". Theunheardstories.com. 30 March 2023.
  10. ↑ "Surinder Arora and family - Sunday Times Rich List". TimesOnline. London: News Intl. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2 June 2011. Surinder Arora
  11. ↑ Tripathi, Shruti (11 June 2013). "Meet Surinder Arora, the £356m London hotelier you've never heard of | Interviews". LondonlovesBusiness.com. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  12. ↑ Frodsham, Isobel (10 May 2019). "Former baggage handler Surinder Arora named London's latest hotels billionaire". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  13. ↑ "Parties clash in corporate credentials battle - MarketWatch". Archived from the original on 28 May 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  14. ↑ "London Skills and Employment Board - About - Members - Surinder Arora". Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
  15. ↑ "JavaScript is disabled in your browser". Caterersearch.com. 21 September 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  16. ↑ Magazine, B. Beyond (2 March 2017). "Surinder and Sunita Arora: A Tale of Two Winners". B Beyond Magazine. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  17. ↑ Arbuthnot, Leaf. "A Life in the Day: Surinder Arora". The Times.
  18. ↑ "From Waiter to Hotelier: Insights on Life and Success with Surinder Arora - Global Indian Network". 22 July 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
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