2005

IN 1985, Ho Kwon Ping, chairman of Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, was walking along a beach in Phuket with his wife when he decided on impulse to buy a contaminated piece of land to develop in the future.

'I was actually looking for a piece of land to build a summer house on,' says Mr Ho. However, during the search, he came across an abandoned tin mine, which had been written off as contaminated by the United Nations Development Programme.

Mr Ho and his wife (Claire Chiang, managing director of Banyan Tree Gallery) were drawn to it as it possessed 'a sort of eerie beauty'. They promptly purchased it.

Fast forward to 2005, and the 'contaminated tin mine' is a bustling poolside resort, the first of luxury resorts and hotels developer Banyan Tree's impressive portfolio, while the land bought for the summer house continues to sit undeveloped.

Today, Banyan Tree has in its portfolio 16 resorts, 45 spas and 49 retail galleries in 19 countries across the world.

Social revolutionary

Running the Banyan Tree Group at first glance appears to be a far cry from Mr Ho's previous life as a journalist. As a student, he started out as a journalist for The Straits Times before going on to become the economic editor with the Far Eastern Economic Review.

After giving up journalism, he went into the family business with the Wah Chung/Thai Wah Group, before starting Banyan Tree Phuket in 1994 with the contaminated piece of land. Mr Ho proudly points out that the land is not only salvageable now, it is positively booming.

It is where the environment is concerned that Mr Ho's journalist roots are most evident. Describing himself as 'social revolutionary', Mr Ho says that his non-business roots are the reason Banyan Tree takes such an active interest in corporate social responsibility (CSR).

For example, the group is involved in sustaining village development in the areas its resorts are based by reviving market demand for traditional crafts. It also says that it minimises the use of products that are harmful to the environment.

In addition, Banyan Tree is involved in marine conservation projects in the Maldives and Seychelles, and is working to conserve elephants in Thailand.

Discerning consumers

In September last year, the group further established its commitment to its environmental and community support programme by setting up the CSR committee with Ms Chiang as chairperson.

Mr Ho insists that his CSR policies are integral to the organisation and not just tagged on to promote the Banyan brand unlike some other organisations which he accuses of doing just that.

'For some of the really big companies, they are doing it (CSR) to deflect criticism or to increase sales,' says Mr Ho, warning that consumers are smart enough today to 'see through things'. However, he admits that even engaging in CSR for the wrong reasons is certainly better than neglecting one's duty to society completely.

According to him, consumers are becoming more and more proactive. Brands that are not socially responsible will be shunned by the more socially-aware consumers.

Mr Ho certainly seems to have settled into his second life as a businessman well. According to him, what he most loves about his job is that it is a 'people-business' and he finds people fascinating.

'And of course, there's always the romance of travel,' he concludes.