LaLiT Hotels: Meet the Brand Supporting LGBTQ Travel in India

Keshav Suri, executive director, LaLiT Suri Hospitality Group, is looking to serve India’s LGBTQ community.

“India has 48 pride events across the country each year. What you see in every one is the LaLiT,” said Suri on Wednesday at the Skift India Summit 2024. “We support pride. We are ready to share our information, we’re happy to share case studies and get people moving along in their pride journeys.”

LaLiT Suri operates about a dozen hotels across India. Outside of hospitality, Suri is known for being one the key activists in having India’s call to criminalize homosexuality overturned in 2018. Within hospitality, Suri assures that his small group has one of the most loyal customer bases in the country.

“Not only does it give us a competitive advantage, it’s great for business,” he said. “We’re getting recognition. I’m happy we’re first. There is a vibrant LGBTQ community here in India, and we need desperately more studies done on the queer community in India and how big it can be for your business.”

“The LGBTQ community is very loyal, they know who puts the skin in the game.”

The hotelier is also part of The Keshav Suri Foundation, which helps to get jobs for those in the LGBTQ community. This includes placements in Suri’s hotels. Notably, the foundation is the only organization in the country that specifically awards hospitality education scholarships to LGBTQ people.

Speaking about his commitments, Suri said: “We can’t walk in everybody’s shoes but we can try. Diversity, equity and inclusion is part of our DNA. We don’t shy away from any conversation. We want our guests to experience inclusion.”

Accommodations Sector Stock Index Performance Year-to-Date

What am I looking at? The performance of hotels and short-term rental sector stocks within the ST200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets, including international and regional hotel brands, hotel REITs, hotel management companies, alternative accommodations, and timeshares.

The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more hotels and short-term rental financial sector performance.

Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200.