A BUSINESSMAN who started off owning a Bed and Breakfast and now owns a £300 million property empire has been nominated for a prestigious award.

Surinder Arora, 50, from Ickenham, owns the Arora hotel chain, including the Arora hotel at nearby Heathrow on Old Bath Road, Colnbrook.

He has been nominated for the GG2 Leadership and Diversity Awards which look to honour people within multicultural Britain.

The awards take place on Tuesday 15 in central London, with Tony Blair being the guest speaker.

Mr Arora said: "I fell into the industry by accident, opening up a B and B near Heathrow.

"It has grown beyond my wildest dreams, we now have a team of 1,000 people are working for us."

Mr Arora's hotel chain, is made up of 14 separate hotels and before working in hospitality, he worked for British Airways in customer service, after coming to the country with his mother and aunt aged 14.

"It doesn't matter what you aspire to, with hard work and a bit of luck it can be achieved.

"We have built step by step, we have been touched by the recession, but so has everybody."