SPECIAL REPORT
an owner or whatever … There were many things we could do if we owned the hotels , not only managed them , so we had the fortunate ability to be able to then go out and build our own hotel chain .” Anantara came out of those efforts .
BIRTH OF A BRAND “ He is a very driven , very unusual individual . He ’ s someone that you constantly learn from ,” says Chris Stafford , COO of 137 Pillars Hotels & Resorts in Bangkok and former head of the Anantara Resort Group , who worked with Heinecke in the early days of the brand . “ You need stamina to work with him .”
The two worked together through two political crises in Thailand and the 2004 tsunami , which destroyed the Anantara Royal Coco Palm in Khao Lak shortly after it opened . Heinecke arrived within hours , helping retrieve and identify the bodies of guests and staff . Stafford recalls searching the wreckage of the resort with him .
“ It was pretty awful ,” he remembers . But Heinecke “ didn ’ t shy away from anything
Minor International runs an annual elephant polo game to raise money for the company ’ s elephant foundation .
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I GET MORE EXCITED ABOUT OPENING A SMALL HOTEL IN AFRICA THEN I DO ABOUT OPENING A 450-ROOM CITY HOTEL SOMEWHERE , BECAUSE IT ’ S ALL ABOUT THE IMPACT YOU MAY HAVE ON THE COMMUNITY AND THE EXPERIENCE YOU ' RE GOING TO GIVE TO GUESTS .
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– to me that is a true leadership skill .”
Among Minor ’ s sustainability initiatives is the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation , founded to rescue street-begging elephants in Bangkok ; the elephants live in camps alongside their trainers , or mahouts , and families , at northern Thai hotels . A game of elephant polo started as a high-profile annual fundraiser in 2001 ( Heinecke himself has played ). Other programs include protecting wild elephants in
Africa ; a turtle sanctuary in Phuket ; reintroducing coral in the Maldives ; and education programs set up after the tsunami . “ Some of the kids have just graduated ,” Heinecke says .
“ You leave an impression on people and you try and do something that will be positive for the world ,” Heinecke says . “ But I think you ' ve got to be cognizant of your legacy and what you are leaving . And the world belongs to all of us , so we better take care of it .”
36 hotelsmag . com November 2017