Hotelier's feat: 10 hotels in 10 years

Hotelier's feat: 10 hotels in 10 years
PHOTO: Hotelier's feat: 10 hotels in 10 years

Running his family-owned hotel chain never crossed the mind of 33-year-old Park Hotel Group chief executive Allen Law.

He had wanted to chart his own course and become an entrepreneur.

But as fate would have it, his father, Mr Law Kar Po, tasked him - when he was fresh out of university in 2003 - to run a hotel which the family business had just acquired.

In the last decade, the younger Mr Law grew the business: From owning its first hotel in Hong Kong, it now has 10 upper-tier and luxury hotels in the Asia-Pacific region worth more than US$2 billion (S$2.5 billion).

His dream as a bachelor was to live and retire in a resort which he owned. "I dreamt that I'll be running a resort. And when the guests ask for the general manager, my staff will point to the sea and say 'He's over there, surfing on the waves!'" said Mr Law with a laugh.

But those plans were put on hold. And now, apart from running the hotel chain, Mr Law has settled down and started a family.

He married Ms Tan Shin Hui, granddaughter of billionaire banker Wee Cho Yaw, in 2010 and they have an 18-month-old son and are expecting a second child in June.

Ms Tan, 29, his then-fiancee, joined the Park Hotel Group in 2009. She is now its head of marketing communications.

When asked what it is like to work with his wife, Mr Law chuckled and said: "I can always count on her to be the devil's advocate and give her honest opinion.

"Sometimes, people at the top do feel lonely. So I'm glad to have a counterpart that I can trust and discuss issues freely with."

He added that they had set ground rules before she joined the business to draw a line between their work and private lives. This is a practice he picked up from the previous generation.

"The family abides by the rule whereby the head of each division or business arm makes the final decision," said Mr Law.

"There could be no explanation given, and you may not like it, but the rule states that the family will respect, accept and abide by the final decision made by whoever's in charge (of that unit)."

Another ground rule allows any family member to stop a heated argument before it escalates.

"When you're angry, you may say irrational things that can worsen conflicts, so being able to stop a discussion when it's going nowhere really helps."

Earlier this month, the hotel chain surprised some in the market with the sale of Park Hotel Clarke Quay. But Mr Law said it was part of the company's strategy to be less asset-heavy.

The hotel was sold to Ascendas Hospitality Trust for $300 million, but will be leased and continue to be managed by Mr Law and his team.

This is in line with his strategy to focus more on hotel management than ownership.

Mr Law has also set himself a target of managing and owning 15 new hotels in the next three years, up from the 10 hotels in Park Hotel's portfolio.

This includes entering the mid-tier hotel market and breaking into new territories in Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. The hotel chain's core business will, however, remain in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Mr Law also dismissed market speculation that he will sell another hotel soon.

"I have no intention to sell any other hotel," he said. "But if a good offer comes along, I'll consider it as it is a commercial property after all."

During the hour-long interview at Grand Park City Hall, Mr Law was in a relaxed mood as he sipped on a cup of cappuccino in the ground-floor deli. He broke out in fits of laughter when asked about his family and personal life.

A sports enthusiast, he said: "I used to play football. But as it got harder to find 11 or 22 people, I switched to basketball as it was five-a-side.

"But finding five or 10 people was tough too, so I switched to tennis which required only two people. Now I swim and jog on my own because it's hard to coordinate everyone's schedules."

His weekends are spent with his son, Ian, swimming, kite-flying and visiting animal and fish farms.

When asked if he will give any property to the next generation, Mr Law replied: "I never got a cent from my parents after graduating from university.

"If I can be financially independent, I believe that my children can earn their own keep and buy their own property too."

Mr Law said he is open to handing over the management of the hotel chain to an executive who is not from the family.

"Maybe it's because I'd spent 10 years studying overseas, and I've seen many cases of family businesses failing because they insisted that it be handed to the next generation," he said.

"If there are professionals who can do a better job, why not let them manage the business?

"My children can still have ownership and be stewards of the family business."

So, will the successful hotelier change anything in his life - perhaps relive his dream to run his own resort?

Mr Law burst into laughter and said: "No, every step and experience is part of my journey in life and a learning experience.

"Besides, I don't think my children will want to live on an island resort away from the city!"

rjscully@sph.com.sg


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