The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts has named Rajiv Kaul president. He will be responsible for spearheading the group’s expansion, with new hotels opening in New Delhi in 2010 and in Chennai in 2011.

A seasoned hotelier with more than 30 years experience, Kaul has held executive positions at India’s three leading hotel companies. He joined The Leela Group in March 2006 as senior vice president. In that role, he was responsible for its six luxury properties: The Leela Mumbai; The Leela Palace Bangalore; The Leela Kovalam Beach, Kerala; The Leela Goa; The Leela Gurgaon; and The Leela Palace Udaipur. He was also charged with the planning of The Leela Palace, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi and The Leela Palace, Chennai.

Prior to joining Leela, he held senior positions with Taj Hotels including vice president of Taj Mumbai and general manager of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower. He began his career in the hospitality industry with the Oberoi Hotels and Resorts in 1978 and rose to vice president of Oberoi Hotels Egypt.

Welcoming the appointment, Vivek Nair, vice chairman and managing director of Hotel Leela Venture Ltd., says: “Rajiv is an accomplished hotelier and has been consistently setting new standards for excellence at The Leela over the past four years. At a time when the Group is expanding to nearly twice the existing inventory of guestrooms, we are very pleased to have him as the president.”

Commenting on his appointment, Kaul says: “We are in an exponential growth phase and I am delighted to lead our talented and motivated team to consolidate Leela as a premier luxury brand.”