58_ttg_lux_life_in_luxury 10/6/09 12:42 Page 58
leadership from our chairman, Michael
Kadoorie, whose family started the
company. It is important to be deemed
credible, and our development of a strong
corporate social responsibility strategy is
key to that. Just one of the things we do is
support the Make a Wish Foundation for
vulnerable children. Our work in that area
is very important to me.
Shanghai will be only your ninth hotel
– will the group ever be much bigger?
The company has a careful approach to
expansion and will stay small. Our strategy
involves us taking a significant or majority
share in our hotels and that can come with
restrictions, which doesn’t suit all partners.
We have very precise requirements
when we are looking for new hotels, and
you will see us continue to add one here
and there over the coming years. We would
love to be in London, but it has to be
exactly the right project. Until then, Paris is
our next hotel after Shanghai. It will open
in 2012 as our first hotel in Europe, on
Avenue Kleber in Paris, a stately building
from 1908. We focus on having hotels
which have a leisure market in a very strong
business destination; a purely leisure or
resort project would have to be something
very special for us to get involved.
You went back to running hotels in 1994,
with a spell at The Peninsula Hong
Kong. How was it?
It was my great privilege to do that and to
meet a lot of great people there – there was
so much energy you could touch it – and
we were engaged in a huge project to
y
refurbish and reopen the landmark hotel.
Peter Borer, chief operating officer of Asia’s oldest Everyone did their jobs phenomenally well
hotel company, has a lot of heritage to uphold
but also knew how to have fun. The most
compelling thing for me was to change the
while also ensuring the hotels are relevant in the
culture at the hotel – there were only 30
21st century. How does he do it? People, people and
women out of 900 working there when I
people, says the lifelong hotelier, who loves to hike
joined as general manager, but when I left,
half the people running the hotel were
in the hills of Hong Kong. April Hutchinson reports female and we made it a modern hotel.
uxur
Where do you love to go?
How is life at The Peninsula Hotels? East. You have to have many things aligned I love Hawaii, or skiing somewhere like
The start of the year has been challenging, to make a hotel really work, including the Whistler and, to really relax, Soneva Fushi
but we have much to be happy about. The right partners and the right location, and I in the Maldives. I love food and wine but
Peninsula Hong Kong celebrated its 80th believe that’s what we have in Shanghai. also like to keep fit and Hong Kong is
anniversary last year and continues to actually a very good place for that with lots
flourish; we have been rolling out our ESPA What makes The Peninsula Hotels of hiking trails where you see beautiful
spas in hotels, including New York; and we successful? beaches and monkeys along the way.
have a hotel opening in Shanghai this year. If you are a good luxury brand, people seek There’s a lot to applaud about Hong Kong.
The latter marks a return to one of the roots you out, as a guest, an employer and a
of the company – The Peninsula Hotels partner. The hotel business is about much
business is part of Hong Kong and Shanghai more than bricks and mortar, it’s about
Hotels – so it is great to be back in the city. people. I have always thought it very
PETER PREFERS...
In Hong Kong, customers are tremen- important to be involved with the
What is your favourite city? Hong Kong, where I’ve made my home for
dously loyal and China’s economy is still back-of-house operations, as that is where
the last 28 years
growing so we are doing quite nicely there. the culture of a hotel really starts.
If you had a travel agency, what would you call it? “Perfectly Classy
Breaks” as my initials are PCB – Peter Clement Borer
Our philosophy has always been to
What was the first place you went on holiday? The Swiss mountains
Why the wait in Shanghai? create teams of genuine, caring people, as
as a boy with my family, as we lived in Naefels
a life in l
It took us 10 years to source the right we see people as fundamental to our
And the most recent? Hawaii Loa
location for The Peninsula Shanghai. We business. The Shanghai hotel will have 800
How to get ahead – any tips? Work hard, work with passion, be loyal
and be helpful
were able to secure the only new-build site staff for 235 rooms by the time it opens in
What is your little luxury? My Mini Cooper S – perfect for letting off
on The Bund, allowing us to totally design the autumn. But this is not about trying to
steam and driving around Hong Kong!
the hotel we wanted, but one reach some perceived necessary staff-guest
How do you survive a long flight? I take a sleeping pill as soon as I
which is still in sympathy with ratio for a luxury hotel: it’s about wanting
get on board, so I’m oblivious to the world during the flight but wake
up at my destination feeling as refreshed and relaxed as possible
the historic area and where to employ all our own people, not third
What is the best thing about your job? The people around me – my
interior design reflects the parties, from our own fleet of drivers to a
colleagues. We have many incredibly loyal and long-serving staff, and
1920s and 1930s, a time when team at the airport to take care of guests.
they are truly like a family to our guests and Peninsula colleagues
58
Shanghai was the Paris of the We are also fortunate to have strong
profile
summer 09 ttgluxury.com
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