Deepak Ohri of lebua Hotels & Resorts honored with 'World's Leading Travel Personality' Award 2019

NEW YORK, Dec. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Deepak Ohri, visionary CEO of lebua Hotels & Resorts, was bestowed the honor of 'World's Leading Travel Personality' at the 26^th Annual World Travel Awards Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Muscat, Oman.

Recognizing Ohri as an 'exemplary torch-bearer of undisputed industry excellence and a power of good to the world of travel,' the World Travel Awards Academy reviewed candidates and unanimously agreed to formally honor the businessman.

Ohri has made valuable contributions to exceedingly crucial fundamental ideas within the industry, in tandem with pushing boundaries with lateral thinking to redefine what luxury means.

Looking into different business approaches, he identified that only the 'intangible' had the movement to flourish within hospitality. Rooms are tangible; one knows from the moment you step into the booking process the features are fairly standard – a bed, a bathroom, a TV. However, while there can be luxury elements there is nothing visceral. Ohri introduced this idea to the industry by developing an experiential approach and integrating emotional components to the lebua experience through culinary and cocktail experiences, tapping into the market for intangible experiences. Since integrating this unique strategy focused on lasting emotional connections, lebua Hotels & Resorts has optimized revenue generation and increased the average length of a guest stay by 39%.

Employing two crucial tactics – refining service processes and fostering financially sustainable growth models – created one of the most successful culinary hotels in Bangkok. A contradictory method, both science and intuition are used to engineer the perfect storm; it's a delicate balance that takes into account many opposing factors – such as guests vs staff ratio – to ensure that services are perceptive and engaging without being too stifling or too empty, yet each venue is profitable due to carefully planned commercial calculations. His processes are now considered the gold standard within the industry.

This shift towards dining experiences has seen hotels guests that are dining at The Dome at lebua stay an extra day on average – accounting for 20-25% of hotel guests. The average stay in Bangkok is 1.8 days, however guests at lebua Hotels & Resorts seeking unique experiences tend to extend their stay to maximize their time on property. lebua is the world's first one-stop vertical destination and continues to elevate the guest visit by introducing experiential elements exclusively available onsite.

Ohri launched lebua Hotels & Resorts in 2003 with a single restaurant and has since expanded The Dome' culinary roster to 11 onsite bars and restaurants and Thailand's first and only hotel to host two Michelin-starred restaurants. A leader within the hospitality realm, Ohri is also a notable public speaker, presenting at prestigious speaking events like The New York Times International Luxury Conference, INSEAD Paris, World Travel and Tourism Council Global Travel and Tourism Summit. He's also a frequent mentor and guest lecturer at highly respected business schools such as Harvard Business School, Columbia University, NYU Stern School of Business, and MIT Sloan.

Media Contact: Quinn, lebua@quinn.pr

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