[3][4] His father Naroomal Lilaram Mirchandani (later renamed Naraindas Harilela)[5] was the first of the family to venture to Hong Kong and Canton in search of his fortune and opened an antique shop there.

The family once again found financial success selling fair-priced and high quality textile products to British soldiers during the Second World War.

So he diversified into real estate and moved into the hotel business, starting the Harilela Group with his brothers George and Peter in 1959.

[1] By 2014, the group owns 19 major hotels in Hong Kong, including the Holiday Inn Golden Mile and the Intercontinental Grand Stanford, both in Kowloon, as well as various others across Asia, two in Canada and one in London.

[1] The Harilela Group of hotels in the Asia-Pacific region includes properties in Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Penang, Bangkok and Sydney.

He had a great voice in the government on numerous ethnic minority issues and colonial governors and chief executives consulted Harilela.

[12] Hong Kong University of Science and Technology receives HK$5M donation from Dr Hari N Harilela to Enhance Teaching & Research Excellence.

[15][16] Harilela won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 4th Annual Asia Pacific Hotel Industry Investment Conference on 27 March 2001.