LEGEND
amount . But in the end , it ’ s the guest that measures whether you ’ re achieving what you should do .” His learning curve has included two takeover bids ; now the company controls all its hotels with the exception of Paris and Beverly Hills .
“ In the end of the day it ’ s control ,” Kadoorie says . “ I think that is a great strength of this company in that everyone believes in the future of it .”
‘ BLEEDS PENINSULA ’ “ Everybody there bleeds Peninsula ,” says John Miller , a 22-year veteran of Peninsula ’ s design and planning department . “ One of Mr . Kadoorie ’ s MOs , if you will , is that he believes in a few extremely good projects rather than a great number of ones having compromises . It did mean that people were able to spend a great deal of scrutiny and energy and passion in each project , and that all came from him .” And , adds Miller , now senior vice president for design and construction at Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts ,
People who work for him very quickly get the same spirit … You very quickly develop this approach , which is , ‘ We ’ re Peninsula . We ’ ll find a way to do that .’
— JOHN MILLER , SVP FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION , FOUR SEASONS HOTELS & RESORTS
Kadoorie has “ the greatest sort of self-deprecating sense in recognizing that it ’ s all about the people in the room who created it . That ’ s why people appreciate it .”
The flip side is high expectations , but “ if people can defend a position , he ’ s prepared to listen in spite of the fact that he ’ s so incredibly demanding and won ’ t take no for an answer ,” says Miller , who describes
Kadoorie ’ s perspective as being one of a pampered guest .
Kadoorie ’ s focus has also settled on technology , despite the not-terribly-smartphone he pulls from his breast pocket to illustrate his status as a “ fossil .” A guestroom ’ s light , sound , television , air temperature and drapery – and even mood , if one pushes the “ spa ” setting in the salle de bain – are controlled via tablet and wall pad , built in Hong Kong and tested relentlessly in prototype rooms .
He knows that the younger generation prefers skipping the front desk and minimizing interactions with hotel employees . “ Everything is so immediate ,” he says . “ How do we cater for that , and how does the hotel still cater for the likes of me ?” His answer is anticipation and provision of a guest ’ s desires . “ We try and keep data on everyone so that ’ s all ready , and that ’ s ongoing .” He adds , “ And upgrades for people coming very often , where ’ s the future in it ? Well , I think we will always have , or I hope in my generation , anyway , there ’ ll always be a personal touch . There ’ ll always be a welcome . There ’ ll always be someone recognizing you .”
FINDING SOLUTIONS Not settling can mean finding unexpected solutions : The Peninsula Tokyo ’ s design included a hidden atrium referred to as “ the void ,” Miller says , from the eighth to the 23rd floor . Kadoorie commissioned a metaland-light sculpture to fill the space , hidden from view except from a handful of floors .
In Paris , the centerpiece of L ’ oiseau Blanc is a full-sized replica of the engine of the 1927 biplane for which the restaurant is named , created at Kadoorie ’ s request . Outside , suspended over the courtyard at eye level , is a replica of the plane itself . The original was piloted by Frenchmen who left Paris a few days before Charles Lindbergh ’ s Spirit of St . Louis left New York in hopes of beating the American ’ s trans-Atlantic
20 hotelsmag . com April 2017