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“Luxury and finesse” are paramount for hotel heiress Aishwarya Nair Mathew, evident in her management of the prestigious Leela Group of hotels. In a tête-à-tête with The Peacock Magazine, she opens up about her approach to luxury and shares insights into her life and its other aspects.
Q) To those who perceive you through the lens of social media, your life is an absolute Pinterest-worthy moodboard of many. But what was your childhood like? How were your growing up years?
Aishwarya Nair Mathew (ANM): I was a very energetic, high-vibration kid. Discipline and decorum were just facts for us growing up as the grandchildren of a stalwart hospitality legend and army officer, yet I was rather defiant and bold. I enjoyed my childhood but did struggle with conformity as I still do now–old habits die hard!
Q) As the daughter of India’s leading hotelier Mr. Vivek Nair, did you always want to end up following his footsteps and being a part of The Leela Group of Hotels?
ANM: No, in fact, I wanted to pursue Arts after high school in Cambridge. Photography, particularly. It was upon my parents’ suggestion that I took up hospitality and have a very innate talent for it! I’m excellent with people–particularly in the culinary arts.
Q) What inspired you to pursue a career in the luxury and lifestyle industry?
ANM: Happenstance but also personal choice. I believe some people are just destined for greatness and really understand finesse. I humbly succumb to the idea that I built my bespoke language around style and luxury, and made it uniquely my own.
Q) What was your perception of the Indian luxury hotel space back when you joined and how has it changed now?
ANM: Hospitality in India is really rather remarkable on the very high end of the spectrum but also rather inconsistent when it comes to the land as a whole. Since I worked only in the luxury sector I will give my impression of that. I see Indian hospitality as par none. It really is so heart-centred, forward-looking and best understood in a phrase my grandfather loved to use which was ‘Athiti devo bhava’ meaning ‘the guest is God.’
Q) Could you share some insights into The Leela Group’s approach to luxury and hospitality that sets it apart from others in the industry?
ANM: The Leela Group was meant to witness hospitality as a guest experiencing a personal stay at the Nair family household. Therefore, the level of care and nurturing to provide a very unique 5-star or 7-star quality luxury experience was essential.
Q) How do you envision the future of The Leela Hotels to be?
ANM: Glorious, of course.
Q) What are some of the key values or principles that you have learned from your family’s legacy in the hospitality industry?
ANM: Service is the priority. There isn’t a vision too small. Experiences become fond memories. Having a lasting impression. And lastly but most importantly: quality quality quality!
Q) What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs or individuals looking to pursue a career in the luxury and hospitality industry?
ANM: Forget about the hospitality industry, build yourself first. Your likes, your joys. Learn about the Arts, not just the news, business and finances. Once you come and hone your own unique experience, you can now transform that into how a person experiences hospitality and luxury as a whole.
Q) What is your definition of ‘luxury’?
ANM: Where time becomes obsolete and one focuses more on experience and how it affects the way you feel.
Q) How would you define your design aesthetic?
ANM: I am a very Japanese minimalist. I enjoy art deco and I also truly enjoy Scandinavian design aesthetics.
Q) How do you stay updated with the latest trends and developments in luxury, lifestyle, and hospitality?
ANM: Social media and Financial Times.
Q) You’re not just a hotel heiress but also an ace wine sommelier. Could you tell us how becoming one sparked your interest, what are some of your favourite wine regions or varietals, and why?
ANM: I’ve actually retired from both of those rather high-pressure and lofty titles and live a rather modest life of meaning in Singapore now–one in which I am focused on becoming an ambassador of consciousness and community.
Q) As an art enthusiast, how do you incorporate art and culture into your lifestyle, and what role does it play in your daily life?
ANM: Art is the creative essence of my soul and constantly takes to it for inspiration and musings.
Q) Hotelier, sommelier, art enthusiast, luxury connoisseur—you do it all! How do you balance it all?
ANM: I don’t. Simple. I don’t strive for perfection, I strive for wholeness.
Q) You’re also an avid fitness enthusiast, so how do you maintain a healthy lifestyle and fitness routine amidst your busy schedule?
ANM: My schedule is not very busy at all. I prioritise my health through nutrition, meditation, yoga and weight training.
Q) Tell us about that significant turning point in your journey so far.
ANM: Yes, this for me was a rather huge turning point. I’m 40 this year and I’m moving from looking outside myself for anything that I lack and rather finding it all by going within.
Q) What does a day in Aishwarya Nair Mathew’s heels look like?
ANM: I’ve traded in my stilettos for a kitten heel nowadays. Less is more.
Q) What are some of the future plans or projects that you are excited about in your career or personal life?
ANM: I am doing a course in duality and meditation, and hoping to enlighten my spiritual self more as of late.