“ FOR THIS COMPANY IT HAS TO BE A GATEWAY CITY . IT NEEDS TO COMBINE BUSINESS AND LEISURE .”
LEGEND
“ FOR THIS COMPANY IT HAS TO BE A GATEWAY CITY . IT NEEDS TO COMBINE BUSINESS AND LEISURE .”
— SIR MICHAEL KADOORIE record . They , and the plane , were lost at sea . The hotel company has funded a search for the wreckage . Kadoorie ’ s enthusiasm in telling the story of the “ white bird ” and as a self-described aviation freak started with a Cessna in the 1960s and helicopters in the 1970s ( the Peninsula Hong Kong has a helipad ). That enthusiasm includes cars . Rolls Royces – the Hong Kong hotel started the tradition with a fleet of them – and trickedout Minis are a mainstay of his hotels .
“ I suspect it ’ s in my DNA ,” he says . His father and grandfather motored around Europe ; as a child , his family and their governess drove from Anchorage , Alaska , to Los Angeles . He drives in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run every November , in a one-cylinder 1903 Cadillac that offers little protection from the weather . “ So it rains all over you , and my wife , who is Cuban , says only the English are stupid enough to do this ,” he says . “ But you have people coming out in the streets , all in the costumes of the day , all the way down to Brighton .”
He recognizes how this might sound . “ With the privileges ,” he says , “ come the responsibilities . With the responsibilities come the privileges , and I think one should enjoy both .”
THE RESPONSIBILITIES Kadoorie hopes that his grown children , two daughters and a son , follow in the business . The oldest daughter , who lives in Hong Kong , attends the executive meetings . “ I ’ m sure she will take her place ,” Kadoorie says . The second daughter is studying filmmaking in New York . And his son , who has studied Mandarin and worked at the company ’ s property office in London , is set to join his father
He ’ s really a man of the world . He ’ s a man who knows no boundaries , no limitations , embraces life , is extremely positive , always has a positive aspect of things , even if times are very challenging .
— PETER BORER , CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER , THE HONGKONG & SHANGHAI HOTELS LIMITED
this spring at the office in Hong Kong . “ He ’ s very interested ,” Kadoorie says . “ We ’ ve been blessed , really , because the three have their feet very much on the ground .” The children ’ s involvement extends to philanthropic interests , another aspect of the Kadoorie DNA .
“ It ’ s something , actually , which gives the most pleasure of all ,” he says , starting with his grandfather , who founded a school in Bombay .
When asked if there is one charitable effort closest to his heart , he replies , “ Each has its own , really own particular demand . Some of them are very humbling . Acid victims in Bangladesh who really have no future to look at … If a woman ’ s had a baby to her breast , the acid has fallen on that child as well . And to give them a reason to live , to give them an opportunity , to give them the light that we all have , that ’ s a privilege . It ’ s humbling .”
As for Kadoorie , while there is a succession plan , he doesn ’ t intend to step down , or back , any time soon . “ My father died at 94 , and he was in the office the day before . So God willing , if my health is all right and if I can contribute , if I have some value , I would like to continue , but you never know ,” he says .
Where else would he like to see a Peninsula flag ? “ For this company it has to be a gateway city . It needs to combine business and leisure ,” Kadoorie says . “ Our market is we hope , at the 6-star level , and those are the kind of people who we would want to serve . At the moment we ’ ve got so much on our plate I couldn ’ t even guess where the next one would be .” He adds , “ We believe that Rangoon will come up over the next 50 years , and we always look very long-distance .”
A hundred years ? “ A hundred years .”
22 hotelsmag . com April 2017