Mohan Singh Oberois name needs no introduction. He is considered the pioneer of the hotel industry in India. He founded Oberoi Hotels and Resorts which is today the second largest hotel brand in the country. The Oberoi Group has 31 hotels in India Indonesia Egypt UAE Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. Mohan Singh Oberoi gave the Indian hospitality industry recognition worldwide by establishing hotels like Oberoi and Trident across the world. Today the Oberoi Group has two listed companies EIH Limited and EIH Associated Hotels Limited. Their total market cap is around Rs 25000 crore. The story of Mohan Singh Oberoi from being a simple clerk to becoming the pillar of the Indian hospitality industry is very interesting. Mohan Singh did his early education in Rawalpindi. Then he went to Lahore for a bachelors degree. After this he went to Shimla in search of better opportunities. When he reached Shimla he had no money. He got a job as a front desk clerk at the Cecil Hotel. He used to get 50 rupees a month. This is where Mohan Singhs career started. His hard work energy and sharp mind made a deep impression on the British manager of the hotel. Mohan Singh was always eager to learn. He used to go beyond his desk clerk duties and take on extra work and new responsibilities. Job in Shimla A few years later when the hotel manager bought a small hotel he called Oberoi to work with him. In 1934 Oberoi entered the hotel business by buying Clark Hotel. He bought the hotel by mortgaging his wifes jewellery and all his property. Four years later he leased the Grand Hotel in Calcutta. This hotel had 500 rooms. With his determination and confidence he turned the hotel into a successful and profitable business. Gradually Oberoi invested in shares of Associated Hotels of India (AHI). The group owned hotels in Shimla Delhi Lahore Murree Rawalpindi and Peshawar. In 1943 he acquired a controlling interest in AHI and became the first Indian to manage the countrys largest hotel chain. In 1965 he opened The Oberoi Intercontinental in New Delhi and then in 1973 he added to this success by building the 35-storey Oberoi Sheraton in Mumbai. The groups business He partnered with global hotel brands to attract international tourists and under his leadership the Oberoi Group launched its second hotel brand Trident. Today there are ten Trident hotels in India in cities such as Mumbai Chennai Gurgaon (Delhi NCR) Hyderabad Bhubaneswar Cochin Agra Jaipur and Udaipur. Apart from this there is also an international Trident property in Jeddah Saudi Arabia. The Oberoi Group employs more than 12000 people worldwide. Mohan Singh Oberoi died in 2002 at the age of 103.