William E Heinecke was a minor when he registered his first company in Bangkok, a city which he, an American, had lived in since his early teens. While still at high school, he sold advertising for a newspaper and cleaned offices by night. On graduation, he borrowed $1 200 and registered an office cleaning service and a radio advertising company. Just 17, he had planted the seed of the Minor International, today a multi-national empire which spans 30 companies.
Heinecke’s first hotel venture was the purchase of the Royal Garden Resort in Pattaya in 1978, a property he planned to sell on. But the deal fell through – fortunately – as the budding entrepreneur realised he’d developed a passion for the hospitality trade. Nowadays, Minor Hotels comprises six brands across over 150 hotels with some 20 000 rooms in over 20 countries.
Minor Hotels’ brands include Heinecke’s brainchilds, the über-luxurious Anantara Hotels, Resorts and Spas, and the upscale AVANI Hotels & Resorts. Other brands acquired over the years include the Elewana Collection of African lodges, camps and boutique hotels, Oaks Hotels & Resorts for the long-stay market, and PER AQUUM Hotels & Resorts boasting some of the world’s most impressive locations (Maldives, the UAE and soon Zanzibar). PER AQUUM differentiates its product with ‘world first’ experiences, such as underwater spas, floating restaurants and entertainment by famed global artists.
Recently taken on board is the 14-strong Tivoli chain, contemporary four- and five-star properties in Portugal and Brazil.
Also in the Minor Hotels stable is an assortment of upmarket branded residences in the ballpark of US$13m-US$15m, Anantara Vacation Club, and MSpa International with over 50 spas in 15 countries. In a strike for integrated marketing, the group also owns the Elemis brand within Asia, a range of spa and cosmetic products used in all these spa facilities.
Minor Hotels is a member of the prestigious Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), the world’s largest alliance of independent luxury hotel brands.
Minor Hotels became a force to be reckoned with in Southern Africa when it acquired a number of Sun International properties and took over the management of Rani Resorts in 2014. Said Heinecke recently of his plans for Africa: “I look at Africa as the emerging Asia; it’s like Asia was 30 years ago. So if an entrepreneur was to ask me where should he go now, frankly Bangkok is so competitive, unless you’ve got huge capital resources, and you’re very good, you better be careful because you can get burnt badly in Thailand. But in Africa, where many of the brands are not present, at least in our fields, there’s limited competition.”
For more, visit: http://www.minorhotels.com/en/
