The company also operates a smaller number of mid-range, business-oriented Traders hotels. Nonetheless, founder Robert Kuok holds an active interest in the group, and has stated his desire to see Shangri-La reach hotels in his lifetime. The Kuok family immigrated to Malaysia, then under British control, from the Fujian province in China in the first decade of the 20th century.
Under patriarch Kuok Keng Kang the family entered the trading business, dealing in rice, flour, and sugar. Son Robert, born in , went to the Raffles school in Singapore, where he became good friends with Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Hussein Onn, both of whom later became Malaysian prime ministers, and Lee Kuan Yew, who became the first prime minister of Singapore after its independence.
Although his education was cut short by World War II, Robert Kuok's friendships were to play an important role in his later career. Kuok's use of "guanxi" which in Chinese refers to having a network of prominent allies enabled him to build his empire rapidly both during and after the war.
Kuok also was gifted with the ability to spot opportunity, and especially to see into the long term. During the Japanese occupation of Malaysia and Singapore during the war, Kuok went to work for Mitsubishi, where he learned Japanese. This enabled him to emerge as an important supplier of basic foodstuffs. Following the war, Kuok recognized that heavy competition and low margins had made the rice trade unattractive.
Instead, Kuok switched his efforts to the sugar trade, and moved to England, where he learned his way around the commodities markets before returning to Malaysia. Following Malaysia's independence in , Kuok's guanxi enabled him to build a true sugar empire, developing significant plantations.
In , Kuok entered sugar refining as well. Before long, Kuok had established a reputation as the "Sugar King," controlling as much as 10 percent of the world's sugar supply. Despite remaining a minority in Malaysia, the ethnic Chinese community had long dominated the country's economy.
Growing demands for a more equitable distribution of wealth in the country led Kuok to transfer his business empire to Singapore in the late s and early s.
Nonetheless, Kuok supported the need to establish a more equitable distribution of wealth, if only to ensure the country's political and economic stability. At the same time, Kuok had begun to expand his business interests into other areas. In the mids, for example, Kuok entered flour milling and trading. Yet among Kuok's most significant and most successful ventures was his entry into the real estate and property development sector in the early s.
Kuok's Kerry Properties became his real estate flagship, emerging as one of the leading property groups in Hong Kong, with significant real estate holdings and developments throughout the Asian region, including the Chinese mainland, as well as Australia and elsewhere.
Among Kuok's early real estate purchases was a hotel property in Singapore. Built in , this property became the starting point for the later Shangri-La luxury hotel chain. Initially, the Kuok group turned over the management of its hotel property to Westin Hotels. In , however, the company added its second hotel, in Kowloon. Register for free to vote for the application.
Already signed up? Already registered? Login here! Each Shangri-La Hotel has its own individual touch, with art and design representing the country the hotel is in. At the same time, guests will see familiar Shangri-La touches, which run throughout all its hotels.
Many of the hotels invest in supporting local artists and display their work throughout. Shangri-La guests can choose from a range of vibrant cultural experiences, recreational and rejuvenation activities amidst the natural splendour of a tranquil, tropical retreat, or a bustling city centre hotel.
Shangri-La Hotels offers golfing experiences in some of the most beautiful destinations around the world.
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