While searching for a new holiday home at the age of 32, Ho Kwon Ping chanced upon an unexpected find during his walk along a beach at Bang Tao Bay on the island of Phuket. He fortuitously stumbled on a piece of land that was pockmarked with craters, desecrated by decades of tin mining.
Unlike most who would only see despair, he saw business potential. And so began the remarkable story of the Banyan Tree Holdings, one of the most iconic hospitality groups in the world.
In Behind the Banyan, the company's founder and executive chairman peels back the layers of the company's successes and failures. Kwon Ping shares how he and his co-founders built a company from nearly nothing. From constructing a resort in the mountains of Lijiang in China to rebuilding his properties in Phuket after the 2004 tsunami, he opens on the highs and lows over the course of his extraordinary 30-year entrepreneurial journey.
In so doing, Kwon Ping delivers powerful insights in how to deal with technological disruptions, build a positive company culture, and handle succession in Asian family businesses.
A must-read for all aspiring entrepreneurs, business students, resort and spa lovers, Behind the Banyan teases and teaches important business lessons while delivering an emotional punch through masterful storytelling.
Contents:
Foreword
Introduction
KP and His Ideals:
When Time Stood Still
Rise of a Student Protestor
The Hardest Decision
A New Start and an Epic Failure
A Moonshot
KP and His Ideas:
How to Build a Brand
The Day My Mother Went Skinny-Dipping
Think Big
Riding the Chinese Elephant
Inside Out: Distilling Company Culture
The Courage of Mind
Disruption: Airbnb vs Hotels
Innovate or Die
Beyond Profit
Keeping It in the Family
Pandemic Pains
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Excuse Me, Are You an Entrepreneur?
Index
Readership: Aspiring entrepreneurs, business students, resort and spa lovers. Key Features:
Intimate insights from one of the most successful businessmen in Singapore: Ho Kwon Ping
Clear and powerful storytelling
Lessons on dealing with crises especially coming from a hospitality business that survived COVID