NRI businessman Mr. Ravi Pillai’s RP Group will be investing Rs 11,000 crore in the tourism and hospitality business sectors globally to acquire and develop properties in India, Europe, the Far East and the US.
Raviz, the group’s own hospitality brand, will be evolved into an independent global brand to own and operate the upcoming properties across the continents.
Mr.Pillai has said that he was considering investments of up to Rs 10,000 crore, proprietary capital investment in Kerala, in addition to plans to enter Goa.” The group will also be entering the hospitality coaching sector.
Raviz Hotels and Resorts now owns nine hotels and resorts in India and the UAE.
There are four hotels in Kerala – one each at Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam and two in Kozhikode
The group is also planning to build a new hotel and convention centre in Kovalam. In Kollam, the group has bought an old palace which will be developed as a resort for ayurvedic treatment, targeting tourists from the Middle East and Europe.
In Dubai, Raviz has two properties and the third property, coming up on Dubai Marina, will have more than 300 rooms. In the next four years, the group will be acquiring properties in the Middle East.
Mr.Pillai became an entrepreneur in the late 1970s in Kerala, where he had set up a contracting business, serving the local public-sector enterprises. Shifting base to Saudi Arabia in 1978, Mr.Pillai he founded Nasser S Al-Hajri Corp (NSH), a contracting and engineering services firm.
Separately, the group has decided to discontinue having the brand Leela to operate its Kovalam property. Raviz has evolved into an independent global brand to own and operate some of the best hospitality properties in the world.
The RavizKovalam is a landmark 5-star resort hotel at Kovalam, one of the most popular 5-star holiday destinations in Trivandrum. The RavizKovalam, with its spectacular view of the ocean, world-class comforts, and finger-licking delicacies, takes the pride of the place among the various resorts dotting the beach. The RavizKovalam tops the list of five-star luxury hotels in Trivandrum, five-star spa hotels in Kerala and five-star resorts in Kerala.
One of the richest Malayalis in the world, Mr. Pillai’s personal net worth is now valued at Rs. 23,400 crore.