Surinder Arora Biography
Surinder Arora is a hotelier who is a rich Englishman of Indian heritage. He focuses on hotels near airports, specializing in providing rooms for airline crews, and has tight ties to British Airways as well as a strong personal interest in aviation.
How old is Surinder Arora? – Age
He is 63 years old as of 22 September 2022. He was born in 1958 in Punjab, India.
Surinder Arora Family
He was born in the Indian state of Punjab to parents who were preparing to travel to the United Kingdom after being displaced from the India/Pakistan border town of Fazilka. Arora was left with an aunt and uncle whom he mistook for his parents until he was thirteen years old, when he reunited with his true parents in the United Kingdom. Arora was up in a family that valued hard work, and he has described his mother as being highly ambitious for him.
Surinder Arora Wife
Arora is married to Sunita Arora and has three children. He currently resides in Wentworth, United Kingdom.
How did Surinder Arora make his money? – Career
After one year as a salesperson for the Abbey Life insurance business, Arora rose through the ranks to become a sales manager and the firm’s second-best salesman. Members of Arora’s company are referred to as “like family” by him. Staff turnover is substantially lower than the high hotel sector average, especially among maids. He is known for prioritizing long-term commercial partnerships.
Arora was a vocal supporter of Tony Blair’s Labour Party, despite his opposition to the 2003 Iraq War. He is now a member of the New Enterprise Council, a group of corporate leaders who assist the Conservative Party on policy matters. He is also the deputy chairman of Wentworth Golf Club and a member of the London Skills and Employment Board.
How many Hotels does Surinder Arora own?
Arora quit Abbey Life in 1993 to start a “B&B” (bed and breakfast) for airline employees at Heathrow Airport. In 1999, British Airways awarded a contract to the hotel that replaced the B&B. Arora obtained the Accor Sofitel license in 2004 and purchased the 500-room Le Meridien London Gatwick hotel, which he rebranded as the Sofitel London Gatwick. The same year, Sofitel London Heathrow, a £180 million 600-room sister hotel, was revealed. Arora now owns hotels with a total of over 5500 rooms, including Hilton and Holiday Inn franchises.
When it was revealed that the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, had orchestrated a lobbying deal in a private meeting with Arora and the head of BA in September 2021, she was accused of violating the Ministerial Code. Arora was named “Business Person of the Year” at the Asian Achievers Awards in 2017.
How much is Surinder Arora worth?
He has an estimated net worth of £1.129 billion. With a net worth of £140 million, he was placed 388 in The Times list of the UK’s wealthiest individuals in 2009. His net worth was estimated to be £356 million by The Sunday Times Rich List (STRL) in 2013. His net worth increased by £780 million to £1.129 billion in May 2019, following an appraisal of his hotels.