Asia’s Oldest Hotel Company An Interview with Peter C. Borer, Chief Operating Offi cer, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited The Peninsula Hong Kong with its fl eet of Rolls-Royces EDITORS’ NOTE Peter Borer joined be successful if we are fully accepted, promote the hotel with the launch of Peninsula The Peninsula Hotels in 1981 as welcomed, and embraced by the local Academy and Grand Opening early next year. We Food and Beverage Manager of The community, who are proud to have a will also showcase The Peninsula Paris in new Peninsula Manila. Since that time, he Peninsula hotel in their location. and traditional markets, including South America, has held various executive and man- We embrace our heritage as Asia’s Middle East, Russia, and Continental Europe. agerial positions within the company oldest hotel company. The Peninsula Paris is a city of elegance, glamour, and so- in Hong Kong and Bangkok, includ- Pageboys are the personalities behind phistication, maintaining a great balance between ing General Manager of the fl agship the Peninsula brand and they bring the heritage and modernity, inspiring us with its tradi- The Peninsula Hong Kong, Regional hotel experience to life. The white tions well served in terms of food, fashion, culture, General Manager of Asian properties, Pageboy uniforms date back to the open- and architecture. The Peninsula Paris will show- and Group General Manager for Asia. ing of our fi rst property in Hong Kong in case how Paris has inspired us and, hopefully, vice He is a graduate of the Lausanne Hotel 1928, and have become a symbol of our versa. School (Switzerland). Peter C. Borer heritage and our approach to personal- Do you foresee additional growth oppor- ized service. tunities for the brand in the North American COMPANY BRIEF Incorporated in 1866 and Which characteristics make a Peninsula market? listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, The hotel and how do you customize your prod- North America is a mature market with di- Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited ucts for local markets? versifi ed growth opportunities. There are defi nitely (hshgroup.com; HSH) is the holding company of Each hotel is distinct and refl ects its destina- additional cities on our radar, but we are waiting for a Group which is engaged in the ownership, devel- tion in terms of design and atmosphere. Examples the right opportunities and we are highly selective opment, and management of prestigious hotel, com- include the restoration of The Peninsula Paris by in this regard, such as fi nding the right partner in mercial, and residential properties in key locations France’s leading artisans and the myriad Japanese place and the right building. in Asia, the United States, and Europe, as well as the design elements of The Peninsula Tokyo, includ- In addition, The Peninsula Chicago will be provision of transport, club management, and other ing over 90 individual artworks by Japanese art- undergoing a major renovation this year for a fab- services. The hotel portfolio of the Group comprises ists. The hotel provides a wonderful introduction to ulous new look. Its rooms and suites will undergo The Peninsula Hotels in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Japanese culture for Western guests while ensuring a chic design upgrade, together with the instal- Beijing, New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Tokyo, that Japanese guests feel at home and that their lation of our cutting-edge in-room technology. Bangkok, Manila, with Paris and London in de- culture is being honored. We expect that this will position The Peninsula velopment. The property portfolio of the Group in- We are also keen to introduce unique elements Chicago as one of the most advanced hotels in cludes The Repulse Bay Complex, The Peak Tower of local culture into our hotels – for example, the the city, and will greatly enhance our value and and The Peak Tramways, St. John’s Building, The Peninsula Academy classes and activities in each appeal to guests. Landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and the hotel introduce hotel guests to the destination’s What are your plans for expansion into Thai Country Club in Bangkok, Thailand. cuisine, lifestyle, and culture, while other items, new markets? such as the tuk tuks at The Peninsula Bangkok and We have signed an agreement to take over What makes the Peninsula brand so special jeepneys at The Peninsula Manila give guests a fun a beautiful old building in Yangon, Myanmar and and what has been the secret to its success? fl avor of the destination that no other hotel can transform it into The Peninsula Yangon. Formerly It is our ownership structure, which comes provide. the headquarters of the Burma Railway Company, from the Kadoorie family, that makes the Peninsula To ensure consistent Peninsula-standard ser- it is an elegant colonial building and one of the brand unique. In today’s hotel landscape, it is very vice across all properties, we introduced the most distinctive in Yangon, located a few minutes important that the company is family owned, as “Peninsula Ambassadors” program, whereby a from the UNESCO World Heritage Shwedagon there is not the same constant pressure with regard group of carefully selected staff members visit one Pagoda and famous Scott’s Market. to return on investment. of the overseas Peninsula properties and work We have also announced our fi rst hotel in In addition, we believe it is best to own the there for a period of time in order to truly absorb the U.K. – The Peninsula London. In July 2013, we hotels we manage – or at least have a signifi cant the Peninsula spirit and what it means to work with purchased a 50 percent economic interest in 1-5 stake in those hotels – so we do not have manage- Peninsula. They then return to their operations to Grosvenor Place, Belgravia, London. The site is a ment contracts. This allows us to focus on our impart their learnings to their colleagues. spectacular location at the entrance to Belgravia, brand and our standards of quality without having What is your vision for how The Peninsula opposite the Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner to make too many compromises. Having such a Paris will impact the Parisian market? with views across to the gardens of Buckingham large fi nancial involvement in the hotels gives us a The Peninsula Paris sets spectacular new stan- Palace. Our goal is to commence demolition and greater say in what we do with them and how we dards in design, luxury, and comfort. The century- construction by 2016. run them. old classic building has been meticulously restored Apart from the Chicago renovation, there will All Peninsula hotels are very much of their and modernized to create the latest example of also be a renovation at The Peninsula Beijing at destination, and this concept is carried through the Peninsula excellence. We are so excited that it has an investment of around RMB890 million this year, entire hotel from design to artwork and cuisine to been performing extremely well given it is only a with some exciting new F&B concepts to be intro- culture. We believe very strongly that we can only few months in operation. We will continue to duced in the hotel.• 84 LEADERS POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2015 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. VOLUME 38, NUMBER 1.