The Leela
An Indian luxury hotel brand built around palace-inspired design and Indian hospitality.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
The Leela is an Indian luxury hospitality brand operating hotels and resorts in major metropolitan, business and leisure destinations. It is associated with palace-inspired architecture, Indian cultural references, personalized service, fine dining, wellness and high-end meetings and celebrations. The brand was established in 1986 by Captain C. P. Krishnan Nair, a former Indian Army officer and entrepreneur, as part of the wider Leela Group. The company takes its name from Nair’s wife, Leela. The first property was developed near Sahar Village in Mumbai, close to what is now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. Opened in 1986, the hotel was initially marketed for a short period as Leela Penta through an association with the Penta group, and was subsequently known as Leela Kempinski before returning to the Leela Mumbai name. Its airport location helped establish the company in the premium business-travel segment while its design and service model emphasized Indian hospitality rather than a purely international hotel format. The brand expanded beyond Mumbai with the opening of a 357-room hotel in Bengaluru in 2001. Designed with references to the Mysore Palace and the Vijayanagara architectural tradition, the property combined a large urban hotel with landscaped grounds and became one of the company’s major city properties. Further growth followed in Rajasthan and the National Capital Region, including The Leela Palace Udaipur and The Leela Ambience Gurgaon. The Gurgaon property represented an important change in the operating model because it was the group’s first non-owned hotel operated under a management arrangement. The Leela Palace New Delhi opened in April 2011. Drawing on the architectural language of Lutyens’ Delhi, it became the company’s flagship capital-city property. The Leela Palace Chennai followed in 2013, extending the palace concept to a coastal southern Indian market. In 2015, the group assumed management of The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel in East Delhi, strengthening its presence in meetings, conventions and large-scale events. Further portfolio additions reported in 2021 included The Leela Palace Jaipur, The Leela Gandhinagar and The Leela Bhartiya City Bengaluru. The business has used both owned and managed properties and has maintained international marketing relationships to reach affluent leisure and business travelers. Its reported alliances have included Preferred Hotels and Resorts and the Global Hotel Alliance. An earlier marketing relationship with Kempinski ended in October 2013. A major restructuring occurred in 2019, when hotel properties, operating interests and related assets in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Udaipur were sold to Brookfield Asset Management in a transaction reported at INR 3,950 crore. The transaction marked Brookfield’s entry into India’s hospitality sector and changed the ownership structure behind the brand. The Leela continues to present itself as an Indian luxury hotel group, with a portfolio spanning urban hotels, destination resorts, residences, dining, spa and wellness services, weddings, meetings and other experiential hospitality offerings.
History
The Leela originated in 1986 when Captain C. P. Krishnan Nair began developing a luxury hotel on land near his home in Sahar Village, Mumbai. The location, close to Mumbai’s international airport, gave the project a strong base in corporate and international travel. The property’s early branding reflected outside commercial relationships: it was briefly called Leela Penta through an association with the Penta group, later operated under the Leela Kempinski name, and ultimately became known as The Leela Mumbai. The company developed as part of The Leela Group, whose name was derived from Nair’s wife. Its hospitality proposition was built around a distinctly Indian interpretation of luxury. Rather than treating local culture as a peripheral theme, the hotels used palace references, regional architecture, landscaped gardens, Indian cuisine and traditional service elements as central parts of the guest experience. In 2001, the group opened a 357-room property in Bengaluru. The design drew on the Mysore Palace and the Vijayanagara architectural tradition, and the hotel was set within extensive gardens. This marked a significant expansion from the airport-oriented Mumbai property into a large metropolitan hotel serving business travelers, conferences and leisure guests. The group subsequently added The Leela Palace Udaipur and The Leela Ambience Gurgaon by 2009. Gurgaon was notable as the first property operated under a management arrangement rather than owned directly by the group. The Leela Palace New Delhi opened in April 2011 and became the brand’s principal flagship. Its design drew inspiration from the planning and architectural character of Lutyens’ Delhi. The Leela Palace Chennai opened in 2013, extending the brand into another major southern Indian city. In 2015, the company took over management of The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel in East Delhi, broadening its role in convention and event hospitality. The group continued adding properties in the 2020s. Reported 2021 openings or additions included The Leela Palace Jaipur, The Leela Gandhinagar and The Leela Bhartiya City Bengaluru. The portfolio described in reference material also includes hotels and resorts in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Udaipur, Jaipur, Gurugram, East Delhi, Gandhinagar, Kovalam and Ashtamudi. Plans for additional locations such as Hyderabad, Sikkim and Agra have also been reported, although the timing and completion of those projects are not established here. The Leela has used marketing and distribution partnerships to support its international reach. It has been associated with Preferred Hotels and Resorts and the Dubai-based Global Hotel Alliance. Its earlier marketing alliance with Kempinski ended in October 2013. The most consequential corporate event in the brand’s recent history was the 2019 sale of hotel properties and operations in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Udaipur to Brookfield Asset Management. The reported consideration was INR 3,950 crore. The transaction was connected to a broader restructuring and marked Brookfield’s entry into India’s hospitality market. ITC challenged aspects of the sale, including the process and treatment of minority shareholders, but the Securities Appellate Tribunal rejected the petition in September 2019, clearing the path for the transaction. The ownership structure subsequently came to be associated with a Brookfield-sponsored private real estate fund, while The Leela continued as the consumer-facing luxury hotel brand.
- 2021
Three reported portfolio additions
[1]The group expanded with reported additions in Jaipur, Gandhinagar and Bengaluru’s Bhartiya City.
- 2019
Brookfield transaction completed
[1]Brookfield acquired selected Leela hotel properties, operations and assets in a reported INR 3,950 crore transaction.
- 2015
East Delhi management expansion
[1]The group took over management of The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel in East Delhi.
- 2013
The Leela Palace Chennai opened
[1]The brand expanded into Chennai with a new palace-positioned luxury hotel.
- 2011
The Leela Palace New Delhi opened
[1]The capital-city flagship opened in April with design references to Lutyens’ Delhi.
- 2009
Udaipur and Gurgaon properties added
[1]The portfolio included The Leela Palace Udaipur and The Leela Ambience Gurgaon, the group’s first non-owned managed property.
- 2001
Bengaluru expansion
[1]The group opened a 357-room Bengaluru hotel inspired by the Mysore Palace and Vijayanagara architecture.
- 1986
The first Leela hotel opened in Mumbai
[1]Captain C. P. Krishnan Nair founded the hospitality business and opened the first hotel near Mumbai’s Sahar area, close to the city’s international airport.
Products and positioning
Indian luxury hospitality combining palace-inspired architecture, regional cultural design, personalized service, destination experiences and high-end business and leisure facilities.
Luxury city and destination hotels
The Leela Palaces
The Leela Palaces are the brand’s signature luxury hotels, using palace-inspired architecture, local design references, landscaped spaces, premium rooms and suites, destination dining, wellness facilities and event venues. Notable examples include properties in New Delhi, Udaipur, Chennai, Bengaluru and Jaipur.
Airport and business hotel · 1986
The Leela Mumbai
The original Leela property, developed near Mumbai’s international airport, serves business and international travelers while offering the brand’s luxury accommodation, dining, meetings and wellness services. It passed through early Leela Penta and Leela Kempinski branding before returning to The Leela Mumbai.
Hotel residences
The Leela Residences
The residences concept extends the brand into serviced or extended-stay accommodation associated with selected hotel developments. It is intended to combine residential space with access to hotel-style services and amenities.
Hospitality events
Meetings, weddings and events
The Leela’s hotels provide conference, convention, banquet and celebration facilities. The offering covers corporate meetings, incentives, weddings, social events and large-scale hospitality programs, supported by accommodation, catering and event production services.
Controversies
2019
Dispute over the Brookfield asset sale
ITC objected to aspects of the sale of selected Leela hotel assets to Brookfield, raising concerns about the transaction process, alleged misappropriation of funds and the interests of minority shareholders. The Securities Appellate Tribunal rejected ITC’s petition in September 2019, allowing the transaction to proceed.
Brand decisions
2019
Sold selected hotel assets to BrookfieldM&ABackground
The transaction formed part of a corporate and financial restructuring involving selected Leela hotel properties, operations and related assets.
Action taken
Hotel properties and operations in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Udaipur were sold to Brookfield Asset Management for a reported INR 3,950 crore.
Aftermath
The deal marked Brookfield’s entry into India’s hospitality sector and established the ownership structure associated with the current Leela brand.
Reported transaction value. INR 3,950 crore (2019 transaction)
2013
Ended the Kempinski marketing allianceStrategyBackground
The Leela had previously used the Kempinski relationship as part of its international marketing and hotel-brand strategy.
Action taken
The marketing alliance with Kempinski ended in October 2013.
Aftermath
The brand subsequently relied on other international marketing relationships, including reported links with Preferred Hotels and Resorts and Global Hotel Alliance.
Recent events
Sources3 sources
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