In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

After getting off the plane, Lin Haoran couldn't help but tighten his clothes.

For this trip to New York, Lin Haoran specially prepared cotton coats for the bodyguards, which came in handy at this moment.

The temperature in New York is obviously much lower than that in Hong Kong. I heard that there was a heavy snow here two days ago.

In contrast, daytime temperatures in Hong Kong can easily reach over 20 degrees Celsius.

As long as it doesn't rain and there's no damp and cold feeling, Hong Kong's winter is actually quite pleasant.

Stepping out of the airport exit hall, Lin Haoran quickly recognized Su Zhixue holding a Chinese sign from among the many people welcoming him.

Then, he led a dozen people with him and walked towards Su Zhixue.

"Boss, I have arranged for the company driver to drive a minibus here. You will stay at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel near Times Square tonight." Su Zhixue first greeted Lin Haoran, and then reported the arrangements.

"Well, okay, thank you for your hard work." Lin Haoran nodded slightly, not caring whether the means of transportation was luxurious or not.

After all, he was accompanied by more than a dozen bodyguards, and it would be inconvenient if he took a private car, especially since these 13 secret guards did not understand English. This operation in the United States was equivalent to turning from secret to public.

They were all wearing very ordinary cotton-padded jackets and had no uniform bodyguard uniforms, so it was difficult for outsiders to detect that they were actually bodyguards. They would only think that they were a group of employees going out to investigate the market.

The reason for arranging Lin Haoran to stay in a hotel near Times Square is very simple. The Nasdaq Stock Exchange, where Apple is about to go public, is located in Times Square.

In addition, the entire floor of office purchased by Lin Haoran in New York, also located near Times Square, has now become the headquarters of the US branch of Universal Investment Company.

After more than half an hour's drive on a minibus, Lin Haoran and his party arrived at their destination - the underground parking lot of a towering skyscraper.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel where they were about to stay was located in this skyscraper, occupying more than twenty floors.

Lin Haoran lived in a luxurious presidential suite with three rooms, which was just enough for Li Weidong and Li Weiguo to stay in the guest rooms respectively, while Lin Haoran lived in the master bedroom with a separate bathroom.

Another 13 bodyguards also lived in rooms on the same floor.

In fact, the security measures in the hotel are quite strict, so Lin Haoran does not have to worry too much about safety issues here.

After washing up, Lin Haoran couldn't sleep.

He had slept quite a bit on the plane, and even after landing, he still hadn't adjusted to the jet lag.

Through the glass windows of the room, you can overlook the night view of most of Manhattan.

However, it was already past eleven o'clock at night and most of the lights had been turned off, so the night view was not particularly charming.

Under the building, the road is lit up by street lights as bright as day.

There are many vagrants scattered on the streets. They wander around and look at those who walk alone with scrutiny from time to time.

In the distance, a couple could be vaguely seen being chased by several strong men. It was not until the patrol car's alarm suddenly sounded that the strong men stopped chasing them in disappointment.

Sitting in the hanging basket on the small balcony of the master bedroom, Lin Haoran swayed gently, his eyes passing through the night, observing the nighttime life of the ordinary people in the city.

Chaotic and unsafe, these two words became his most profound impression of New York.

He saw none of that during the day when New York presented itself as a bustling cosmopolitan city with its bustling crowds.

But when night falls and the streets become deserted, those with ill intentions begin to show up.

No wonder the last time he came, after giving him a tip, the driver kindly reminded him to try not to go out at night...

There is heating in the bedroom, which makes it very comfortable compared to the sub-zero temperature outside.

The facilities and services of The Ritz-Carlton are truly outstanding, making it worthy of being the world's top luxury hotel brand.

However, Lin Haoran believes that the Cultural Hotel and Oriental Hotel under the Hong Kong Land Group are in no way inferior to the Ritz-Carlton in these aspects.

It’s a pity that these two hotels have not yet established branches in New York, otherwise he might not have chosen to stay at the Ritz-Carlton.

Lin Haoran fell into deep thought.

In the future, as his business continues to expand internationally, business trips will become the norm.

When it comes to business trips, staying at your own hotel is undoubtedly a better choice, both from a security and privacy perspective.

In my memory, in another world, Mandarin Oriental Hotel will become one of the world's top hotels in the future and a leader among luxury hotel brands.

However, its influence is ultimately not comparable to that of giants such as Hilton Hotels Corporation, Marriott International, InterContinental Hotels Group, and Wyndham Hotels Group. Even compared to Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Mandarin Oriental is slightly inferior.

If Lin Haoran had not worked in Pengcheng before, he might not even know that there is such an internationally renowned luxury hotel brand.

This is not because of any lack of service and facilities, but because of its relatively small size. Even forty years later, there are only about forty Mandarin Oriental hotels in the world.

In comparison, there are over five thousand Hilton hotels!
Marriott also has more than 3,000 branches.

Even the relatively niche Shangri-La Hotel has more than a hundred locations around the world!
Because of this, Mandarin Oriental hotels are relatively less well-known around the world, mainly because of their relative scarcity.

As for the reason behind this, Lin Haoran is very clear that Mandarin Oriental Hotel has clearly positioned itself in the high-end luxury market and is not in a hurry to pursue large-scale rapid expansion.

Instead, it focuses on providing guests with unparalleled service and a one-of-a-kind stay experience.

This boutique business strategy enables Mandarin Oriental Hotels to pay more attention to the quality and details of service rather than simply pursuing growth in the number of hotels.

However, now that the Culture Hotel and the Oriental Hotel have been incorporated into Lin Haoran's business portfolio, he disagrees with the future development strategy of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

The reason is simple. Lin Haoran feels that achieving profitability through the power of the brand is the most efficient and powerful way.

Just like the two hotel giants, Hilton Hotels and Marriott Hotels, they own many sub-brands, actively open up to franchising, and adopt a light-asset operating model.

Under this model, although the initial investment seems relatively low, they are able to sit firmly on the throne of the world's most profitable hotels by virtue of their strong brand influence and extensive network layout.

As the new owner of Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Lin Haoran does not intend to let the hotel continue along the old path and limit himself to building a top luxury niche brand.

Such positioning is too niche and difficult to bring huge profits.

Naturally, he didn't want to miss out on wealth.

Sitting in the hanging basket, Lin Haoran fell into deep thought.

An idea flashed through his mind: "Perhaps, I can also develop Mandarin Oriental Hotel into a global hotel giant, similar to Marriott Hotel and Hilton Hotel.

Not only should I occupy a place in the luxury hotel field, I should also make layouts at multiple brand levels such as luxury hotels, high-end hotels, standard hotels and economy hotels.

If I separate Mandarin Oriental Hotel into a new hotel group and learn from the development model of Marriott Hotel Group, then in the future, I will be able to build Mandarin Oriental Hotel into the world's largest and most profitable hotel group. "

In his memory, Marriott Hotel Group was one of the most profitable hotel groups in the world in its previous life, and its business model is undoubtedly worth learning from.

Lin Haoran naturally understood that a successful business model could often bring huge competitive advantages to a company.

More importantly, he currently has sufficient financial support, which enables him to rapidly expand the scale of Mandarin Oriental Hotels and layout it according to the established strategy.

Whether through self-construction or mergers and acquisitions, he is confident that he can push the Mandarin Oriental Hotel to a new height in a short period of time.

This indeed made Lin Haoran see huge potential for development.

After returning to Hong Kong, he decided to have a good discussion with Ma Shimin and carefully discuss how to develop the Cultural Hotel and Oriental Hotel.

The hotel industry is an industry that will continue to thrive.

If possible, he wouldn't mind becoming a hotel tycoon in the future.

Today, the number of Cultural Hotels and Oriental Hotels is relatively small, less than ten, and they are still in the early stages of brand development. The hotels are mainly located in Hong Kong and Bangkok, Thailand.

Even though the two hotel brands belong to the same Mandarin Oriental Hotel Management Company, the Oriental Hotel was only acquired by Jardine Matheson in Bangkok, Thailand in 1974.

Although the two hotel brands have been merged in name, they are currently operating independently.

This situation is obviously not conducive to Lin Haoran's long-term goal of turning the Mandarin Oriental Hotel into a hotel giant.

To realize this grand vision, it is necessary to break down the current barriers and integrate the resources and unify the management of the two brands.

As he thought about it, Lin Haoran gradually felt a little sleepy.

So he stopped worrying and went back to bed and fell asleep peacefully.

As for hotel affairs, he decided to make detailed plans after returning to Hong Kong.

Lin Haoran slept until noon before waking up leisurely.

After getting up, he felt refreshed and the discomfort caused by jet lag had completely disappeared.

Today is December 12th, New York time, and there is only one day left before Apple goes public.

After Lin Haoran finished a sumptuous buffet breakfast at the hotel, he decided to go to the office of Huanyu Investment Company with his bodyguards.

After all, he also wanted to see how the employees of Huanyu Investment Company were settled here and whether they could go to work normally. (End of this chapter)