SPECIAL REPORT
uncommon to find Pizza Company and Coffee Club locations alongside the hotels .
His main export with the hotels is Thailand ’ s strong hospitality culture . “ That ’ s where we make a huge difference ,” he says . “ If you can begin to translate that kind of service to other parts of the world , you ' ll certainly raise the standards there .”
FASTER , BETTER “ Bill will always say , ‘ I ’ m happy to learn , and I ’ m open to learning and understanding new things ,’” says Dillip Rajakarier , COO of Minor International and CEO of Minor Hotels since 2007 . “ As an entrepreneur he didn ’ t come from a professional hotel background or a professional food background , but I think it ’ s something he ’ s created with his willpower and passion with the people around him .” He will “ throw a hundred things at you ,” Rajakarier says , but then it ’ s up to the team to get results .
Heinecke says he ’ s a “ demanding , probably ,” boss , but he tries to surround himself with people who know more than he does . “ We like to celebrate our successes , but we try not to celebrate for too long because there ' s always someone around the corner trying to pass us ,” he says . “ I want to do it
Heinecke with a Cessna ; one of his hobbies is flying .
quicker or faster or better than the next person . So , I think that keeps you on edge a little bit , and I think it keeps you young , too .”
He continues , “ Surrounding myself with fine hotels like Marriott or St . Regis or Four Seasons over the years has helped me to understand things better and recruit people that are , I think , much smarter than I am in the hotel business .”
It ’ s also helped in other ways . “ We had the opportunity to see them at work and then see whether we could build a better hotel ,” he says . “ You also begin to see , what could you do better ? Because what inhibits some hotels is that very often , they don ' t own their hotels , so that inhibits what they can do . They ’ re focused on either their brand , or they ’ re focused on trying to make money for of the
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WILLIAM HEINECKE ’ S ART-FILLED PENTHOUSE ATOP THE ST . REGIS BANGKOK ( available for about US $ 8,400 per night ) features two ornate costumes worn by Yul Brynner in the Broadway production of “ The King and I ” – the king being Thailand ’ s Mongkut , or Rama IV .
Lacking a mentor in the traditional sense , Heinecke names Rama IX , Bhumibol Adulyadej , who reigned for 70 years in a constitutional monarchy until his death last year , as a major influence .
“ He was incredibly talented as a monarch ,” says Heinecke , who met him several times . “ He never traveled from the time that I knew of him outside of Thailand . His interest was always the Thai people , the Thai country .” Some Minor hotels are located on royal land . The king ' s death and the subdued mourning period that has followed partly account for a dip in Minor ’ s 2016 profits .
“ The king ’ s reign really resonated with Bill ,” concurs Michael Sagild , principal and managing director of Bangkok-based Sagild & Associates , an adviser to hospitality owners and developers .
Heinecke is “ very passionate about the country ,” says Dillip Rajakarier , Minor Hotels ’ CEO . “ I think his legacy is his contribution to Thailand ... I think that ’ s a legacy that will go with him .”
34 hotelsmag . com November 2017