Heinecke sets sights on world hotel prize
William Heinecke, chairman and group chief executive of Minor International Plc, is vying for the title of Corporate Hotelier of the World 2017.
If successful, it will be the first time that a Thai executive and a Thai hotel chain have won the prestigious title.
The announcement of this year’s winner is expected to take place in the US in November. Some of the criteria include how service standards are defined, along with how service and performance are delivered.
A source at Minor who asked not to be named said Mr Heinecke is among four finalists worldwide, including
Selim El Zyr, vice-chairman of Rotana Hotel Management Corporation (Abu Dhabi); Neil Jacobs, chief executive of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Apas (Singapore); and Michael Levie, co-founder and chief operating officer of Citizen M (Amsterdam).
“These are famous and veteran nominees for the Corporate Hoteliers of the World 2017 award, and only one of them is from Thailand,” the source said.
Apart from the Corporate Hotelier of the World award, there is another category, Independent Hotelier of the World, viewed as the most prestigious individual accolade in the global hotel industry.
In this category, the four candidates are: Daniel Hostettler, president and group managing director of Ocean House, Watch Hill in Rhode Island; Richard Kessler, chairman and chief executive of the Kessler Collection in Orlando, Florida; Edward Mady, general manager of the Beverly Hills Hotel and regional director of West Coast USA for Dorchester Collection; and Philip Wood, manager of the Jefferson in Washington.
All candidates in both categories can receive votes from the public online.
Mr Heinecke, a naturalised Thai citizen, is one of the country’s best-known businessmen. He created his first two companies in Bangkok in 1967 at the age of 17 after borrowing US$1,200 to start an office cleaning business.
Today, Minor owns and operates multiple companies focused on restaurants, hotels and lifestyle products. Its subsidiary, Minor Hotel Group, runs more than 156 hotels in 24 countries under the Anantara, Avani, Oaks, Per Aquum, Tivoli, Elewana Collection, JW Marriott, Four Seasons, St Regis, Radisson Blu and Minor International brands.
Mr Heinecke started his hotel business in 1978 with the Royal Garden Resort in Pattaya, before later creating the Anantara brand.
A keen corporate social responsibility advocate, Mr Heinecke created a foundation to help provide education for underprivileged children in Thailand.