人物档案/Profile

 

　　吕志和博士 嘉华集团主席

 

　　香港酒店业主联会主席

 

　　Dr.Lui Che-woo

 

　　Chairman of K. Wah Group

 

　　And The Federation of Hongkong Hotel Owners

 

 “品牌乃酒店重要的无形资产，有助于酒店将自己区分于其他同业之外，同时能吸引认同那些价值的顾客。如今，旅客的需求日趋成熟，酒店并不只是制造标准的产品和服务，而是让顾客有一个独一无二、宾至如归的难忘体验。”

 

　　——吕志和

 

　　从上世纪50年代创立首间嘉华公司;60年代涉足地产发展;80年代开始拓展酒店业务;90年代初将业务拓展至中国内地;2002年更投得澳门娱乐牌照成为六个博彩营运商之一，发展集渡假、消闲、购物、商贸会议及娱乐于一身之旅游事业。吕志和，六十多年来的事业旅途创造无数传奇，也令其成为业界脊梁。

 

　　在第十三届中国饭店金马奖颁奖典礼上，业界公认的行业翘楚吕志和博士被授予酒店行业至高荣誉“中华英才终身成就奖”，站在广州大剧院的耀眼舞台上，成就卓著、德高望重的吕志和谦逊地说道：“酒店品牌之路，任重而道远，望与业界精英与专家一并努力耕耘!”。本刊通过独家专访吕志和博士，展示这位商界领袖人物打拼的企业帝国所拥有的神奇力量。

 

　　香港良心 政商桥梁

 

　　波光粼粼的维多利亚港湾，层层叠叠的山麓下放眼望去，尽是节次鳞比的高楼大厦，在香港人眼里，这是香港繁华都会的写照。不过，嘉华集团主席吕志和所看到的，却是他六十多年前创业留下的回味和记忆。不少由平地而起的高楼，都是吕志和艰辛创业数十年的标志。

 

　　由吕志和博士一手创立的香港嘉华集团，如今核心业务涵盖房地产开发与投资、大型娱乐渡假设施、酒店及建筑材料，投资遍及全球，今日亮丽的光环炫目耀眼，而殊不知，当年的吕志和，凭着一份热诚，开山筑石、填海筑路，开拓出香港的“秀丽"和“茂盛”。

 

　　上世纪六十年代，吕志和投得安达臣道石矿场开采权，把自动化设备应用于以人手开采为主的采矿业，由此在香港开启了高效、安全、机械化采矿之先河。当年，面对非常艰难的营商环境，吕博士凭着坚毅不屈及拼搏的精神，为战后香港建设及经济发展作出莫大贡献，带领旗下的嘉华建材发展成为本地最大型的一站式建材企业。石矿业务上轨道后，吕志和于上世纪六十年代乘着香港经济发展，随后进军建材、地产及酒店等行业。

 

　　仰望香港的高楼大厦，惊叹发展商为之骄傲的杰作，却没有人会去细想脚下的基础出之何处。高矗云天的高楼，是香港房地产商的骄傲，吕志和曾经转投房地产开发，但其视建材为建筑的基础，为了打好香港的基础，本着低调踏实的个性，吕志和没有因为地产市道兴旺而参与投机活动，他让嘉华集团坚持自己的本业，即使在商界涉足多个领域，也没有放弃为香港开山筑路打基础的那一份事业。

 

　　恰是因为这份坚持，这份对香港发展的关心，这份执着于“香港是我家"的真诚，为吕志和赢得了来自业界的尊重。政府表彰吕志和称，“这些年来，吕志和已成为了政府与商界的桥梁。”

 

　　品牌之路 任重道远

 

　　自上世纪七十年代起，吕志和就独具慧眼，在香港投资经营酒店项目，三十年前已在尖沙咀开设了第一家拥有五百多间客房的五星级酒店，引入了西方国家惯用的“特许经营”酒店管理模式，此项目赶上了上世纪八十年代香港旅游业的迅速发展，当时酒店住房需求大增，投资获利甚丰。

 

　　嘉华集团率先以特许经营模式与享誉国际的酒店品牌合作，透过旗下香港仕德福酒店国际集团及美国Stanford Hotels Corporation，在全球拥有及管理20多间酒店，包括洲际、万豪、希尔顿、Doubletree及喜莱登等品牌，房间总数接近10,000间。

 

　　集团在香港的首家五星级旗舰海景嘉福酒店于1981年开业，至于总部设于旧金山的Stanford Hotels Corporation，专责北美洲市场的酒店发展与管理，早年被评为全美12大酒店业主及发展集团之一，吕志和本人，也被美誉为新一代的“酒店大亨”。如今，集团在香港、澳门及美国全资拥有与经营两百多间酒店物业，并携手包括洲际、希尔顿、喜达屋、万豪等国际酒店管理品牌，经营的酒店客房总数已超过一万间，规模也在继续扩充中。

 

　　吕志和智慧地把握了二十一世纪亚洲最具投资潜力的商机，充份运用“西为中用”的优质管理哲学，运用最好的团队、最强势的专业人才，逐一实现他的宏图大略，他凭着超前的商业判断力挑战并驾驭着所有扑面而来的商机。2002年更投得澳门娱乐牌照成为六个博彩营运商之一，将世界一级水平，集渡假、消闲、购物、商贸会议及娱乐于一身之旅游事业于该地发展。现嘉华集团旗下银河娱乐集团有限公司拥有及经营五星级星际酒店及娱乐场，经营着四间城市娱乐会，并拥有以“亚洲心”为服务宗旨的世界级渡假城“澳门银河综合渡假城”，为澳门创建了一个极具亚洲特色的渡假新胜地，进一步落实集团在澳门及区内的长远发展。

 

　　“我有信心，我们中国人发展的酒店品牌在国际市场占一席位，指日可待。”吕志和博士曾多次表达其心系国内酒店品牌发展的心愿。吕博士表示，随着中国酒店品牌的崛起以及品牌意识的逐步提升，这是一个无法抵挡的发展大趋势。以银娱的澳门银河综合渡假城为例，就是在全球最大的旅游娱乐度假市场的澳门，打造的一级的综合度假项目品牌，糅合了中西合璧的装饰设计，并以其最核心的“亚洲式热忱”服务核心理念，在世界旅游酒店业的大舞台上，为中国自主特色酒店品牌增光。

 

　　业界脊梁 裨益社会

 

　　透过吕志和博士六十载的奋斗历程，透过他长期以来努力不懈的创新与拼搏，透过他敏锐超前的投资谋略，特别是透过他以及他一手创办的嘉华，由一个建筑材料供货商，逐步发展成为一个横跨港澳、中华大地乃至国际经济舞台上举足轻重的跨国企业，不难发现，吕志和的成功是一个必然。

 

　　吕志和身上具备了商界领袖令人向往的天份：坚毅与顽强、出奇制胜的谋略、敢于挑战一切的勇气、坦然接受任何结局的心境。而同时，吕博士宅心仁厚，贡献惠泽四海，对医疗、高等教育、基础教育与酒店及旅游业发展尤为热心，并担任多项社会公职，在香港乃至中国大陆享有著名慈善家之美称。

 

　　早于上世纪七十年代，吕志和就已意识到香港需求大量国际星级酒店以配合其经济发展，他走在业界前端，与Holiday Inn以特许经营模式合作，引入国际品牌酒店先进管理系统，于尖东开设首家五星级酒店(即现今海景嘉福酒店)。香港理工大学也有建立新学系科的构想，但一开始只想发展低档的酒店学科，吕志和建议应该提升，设立正式的学位课程，建立酒店及旅游业专属学院。

 

　　世界上没有一个酒店学课程建立自己的酒店品牌，吕志和还建议理大率先建立学院酒店品牌，“我认为，品牌对酒店来说非常重要，就像西方的 Hilton、Four Seasons、Ritz Carlton等等，名声很响。为什么我们没有自己中国人的品牌?因为知识不足，所以我们要向中国人灌输何谓品牌，要学习如何让一个品牌兴起，让世界各地知道我们的品牌。等于我们常听说外国的牌子LV、Chanel、Hermes等，他们之所以值钱，正正是因为建立了品牌。"在吕志和品牌理念的推动下，理工大学酒店学系注重形象，注重理念，很快取得国际认同。

 

　　“酒店品牌建立与人才培训息息相关，硬件与系统可轻易复制，但人才却需悉心栽培，方可成为酒店品牌的表率!”吕志和博士意味深长地感叹道。恰是深谙培养本土酒店管理专才的重要性，吕志和素来不遗余力，贡献其所学、裨益业界、造福社会。

 

　　Lui Che-woo A Hong Kong Heart Lifts Up An Industry

 

　　“Brand is the most important intangible property of hotel, it distinguishes it from the rest of the competitors while attracts customers who value the same spirit. Nowadays, travelers are more rational and mature than ever before which suggests that hotels are more encouraged to provide them with unique yet unforgettable memories than simply offer them the so-called standardized products and services.” ——Dr. Lui Chee-woo

 

　　How many roads must a man walk down, before they call him a man? This lyrics sounds really plausible and touching when one takes all the weal and woe that Dr. Lui Chee-woo had gone through in the past 60 years into consideration. After witnessed and experienced Hong Kong’s economy miracle and social unrest, Lui Chee-woo and his empire stands impeccably still and stronger.

 

　　Known as the Conscience of Hong Kong and the Connector Between Politics and Commerce

 

　　It’s not entirely an exaggeration to say that Lui Chee-woo’s name is imprinted behind every bricks of the row upon row of skyscrapers on the chain of mountain overseeing the Victorian Bay. In the past 60 years, he has given all his efforts into revamping Hong Kong into a more splendid and flourishing city that glistens proudly. Today, his great aspiration and endeavor has helped K. Wah developed into a multi-national conglomerate involving properties, entertainment and leisure, hospitality, and construction materials with over 200 subsidiaries and more than 20,000 employees worldwide and the foothold of the business covers Hong Kong, Mainland China, Macau, North America and Southeast Asia. Apart from that, he also actively participated in the game of exploiting the Anderson Road Quarry and introduced a series of automatized equipments to make sure of the efficiency, safety and mechanism, leading the K. Wah Construction Material towards the largers one-stop buy enterprise.

 

　　More than often when we are looking upon the buildings in Hong Kong we fail to realize the basic fact about architectures which stress the prominent achievements that the Hong Kong real estate developers had made. For Lui Chee-woo, however mesmerizing the business world may look, he never tend to neglect the construction material business which laid the foundation for K. Wah empire.

 

　　Thanks to his big concerns towards Hong Kong’s development and his sincerity that emphasizes the notion of “Hong Kong is home to us all”, Lui Chee-woo earned the respect within and outside the industry. “In the past days, Lui Chee-woo is our essential bridge between government and the business circle.” So praised the Hong Kong Special Administration Government.

 

　　Brand building: long and heavy way to go

 

　　Since 1970s, Dr.Lui invested in hotel projects in Hong Kong with astuteness and business flair.K Wah. Initiated the management mode of special permission in cooperation of many world renowned hotel brands such as Stanford Hotels Corporation, for which he was honored “The Hotel Baron”. Needless to say, of all the investors in Hong Kong, Dr. Lui captures the heartbeats of the 21 st century business opportunity best.

 

　　Imparting western experiences into eastern management philosophy, he picked the best team and professionals to work together. In 2002, he ventured into Macau’s gaming business and is now one of the six gaming operators in Macau where he aims at developing world class travel, leisure, shopping, meeting, convention, exhibition and entertainment facilities. Among which Galaxy Macau is the most highly appraised new resort must-be in Asia.

 

　　“I have faith in the future of China hotel industry when our Chinese hotel brands become the showstopper.” Having this dream in mind, Dr.Lui takes the example of his property, Galaxy Macau to demonstrate that with the eclectic design insight in mind and the crucial “Asian Heart”, the national hotel brand is bound to give the world a fresh look.

 

　　The Pillar of the Industry that benefit the Society

 

　　Charity is the best gift you can give to your community. Dr. Lui Chee-woo certainly knows how to present people the best one. Back to 1970s, when realized that Hong Kong needs to work in joint effort with a bunch of international hotels to boost its economy, Lui Chee-woo embarked on his journey involving the cooperation with Holiday Inn and the introduction of advanced management system adopted by international hotel brands before he opened the first five-star hotel in East Tsim Sha Tsui. Meanwhile, he strongly supported the establishment of the College of Hotel and Tourism under the leadership of Hong Kong Science and Engineering University. Despite the fact that there’s no hotel brand founded relating to one hotel management course, Lui Chee-woo advised the university to set up its own hotel brand. To Lui, the reason why China still lacks its own name brand as prestigious as Hilton, Four Seasons an Ritz Carlton lies in the fact that we haven’t had enough understanding of the importance of branding.

 

　　“Hotel branding and talents training are mutual benefit. So easy to copy the hardware and system but story is so different when it comes to talents cultivation.” Lui Chee-woo commented. In the recognition of the great power of local hotel managers, Dr. Lui spare no efforts in benefiting the society and the whole hotel industry with all his precious knowledge and experiences.