Chapter 400 No Objection to Becoming a Hotel Tycoon
After getting off the plane, Lin Haoran instinctively tightened his coat. For this trip to New York, Lin Haoran had specifically prepared winter coats for his bodyguards, and now they came in handy. The temperature in New York was significantly lower than in Hong Kong. It was said that there had even been a heavy snowfall just two days ago. By comparison, Hong Kong's daytime temperatures still easily reached over twenty degrees Celsius. As long as it wasn't raining and there wasn't that damp chill, Hong Kong's winter was actually quite pleasant.
Stepping out of the airport terminal, Lin Haoran quickly spotted Su Zhixue among the many people waiting with signs — his sign was in Chinese. Lin Haoran led his group of over a dozen people straight toward him.
"Boss, I've arranged for a company driver to bring a minibus. Tonight, you'll be staying at The Ritz-Carlton near Times Square," Su Zhixue reported after greeting Lin Haoran.
"Alright, thanks for your hard work," Lin Haoran nodded lightly, not particularly concerned about whether the vehicle was luxurious. After all, traveling with more than ten bodyguards, a private car would have been impractical — especially since the thirteen secret guards didn't speak English. This time, their operations in the United States would be relatively open. All of them wore ordinary coats, with no matching bodyguard uniforms, so outsiders would likely think they were just a corporate group visiting the market.
The decision to place Lin Haoran near Times Square was simple: the NASDAQ Stock Exchange, where Apple would soon go public, was located there. Moreover, the office building Lin Haoran had purchased in New York, now the headquarters of Universal Investment Company's U.S. branch, was also nearby.
After a thirty-minute drive, Lin Haoran's group arrived at the underground parking lot of a towering skyscraper. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel they were staying in occupied more than twenty floors of this building.
Lin Haoran's room was a luxurious presidential suite with three bedrooms — enough for Li Weidong and Li Weiguo to stay in the guest rooms, while Lin Haoran occupied the master bedroom with its own private bathroom. The other thirteen bodyguards were assigned rooms on the same floor.
The hotel's security measures were robust, so Lin Haoran had little concern for his safety here.
After freshening up, Lin Haoran found himself unable to sleep. He had already rested quite a bit on the plane, and the jet lag had yet to fully settle.
Through the glass windows of his room, he could see a large part of Manhattan's nightscape. However, by now it was past eleven at night, and many of the lights had gone out, so the view wasn't particularly dazzling. Below, the streets were illuminated like daylight by the streetlights.
Scattered around the sidewalks were numerous homeless people, loitering and occasionally casting wary glances at lone pedestrians. In the distance, Lin Haoran saw a couple being chased by a group of strong men — only stopping when a patrol car's siren suddenly blared.
Sitting in the hanging chair on the balcony, Lin Haoran gently rocked back and forth, his eyes observing the nighttime life of the city's ordinary citizens.
Chaotic. Unsafe. Those were his deepest impressions of New York.
During the day, with the bustling crowds, New York presented itself as a vibrant international metropolis. But at night, when the streets emptied, the city's darker side emerged.
No wonder, during his last visit, a driver had kindly warned him to avoid going out at night after receiving a generous tip.
The room's heater kept the inside warm and comfortable compared to the freezing temperatures outside. The facilities and services at The Ritz-Carlton were indeed world-class, living up to its reputation as a top luxury hotel brand.
Still, Lin Haoran couldn't help but feel that the Mandarin Oriental and Oriental Hotels under Land Holdings Group were in no way inferior to The Ritz-Carlton.
Unfortunately, neither of those hotels had a presence in New York yet. Otherwise, he would have chosen to stay in his own properties.
Lin Haoran fell into deep thought.
With the continuous expansion of his international business ventures, business trips would soon become routine. From the standpoint of both safety and privacy, staying in hotels he owned would be the best choice.
In his memories from another world, Mandarin Oriental Hotel eventually became one of the top luxury hotel brands globally. However, its influence never matched that of giants like Hilton, Marriott, InterContinental, or Wyndham. Even compared to Shangri-La, Mandarin Oriental seemed slightly inferior.
If Lin Haoran hadn't worked in Pengcheng before, he might never have known about Mandarin Oriental — not because of its lack of quality or service, but because of its limited scale. Even forty years later, Mandarin Oriental operated only about forty hotels worldwide.
By comparison, Hilton had over 5,000 hotels. Marriott had more than 3,000. Even Shangri-La had opened over a hundred hotels globally.
Thus, Mandarin Oriental's relatively low global visibility was primarily due to its limited presence.
Lin Haoran understood that Mandarin Oriental deliberately positioned itself in the ultra-luxury market, focusing on delivering an unparalleled guest experience rather than chasing large-scale expansion.
This boutique strategy emphasized quality and detail over sheer numbers.
However, now that Mandarin Oriental and Oriental Hotels were under his control, Lin Haoran was not content with the old path. In his view, leveraging brand power for profitability was the most efficient and powerful approach.
Take Hilton and Marriott, for example. They owned numerous sub-brands and aggressively expanded through franchising, adopting an asset-light model.
Though the initial investment appeared smaller, their extensive brand influence and network layout made them the most profitable hotel giants globally.
As the new owner of Mandarin Oriental, Lin Haoran had no intention of letting it remain a small, niche luxury brand. Such a positioning was too narrow and would not bring in substantial profits.
He was unwilling to let wealth slip through his fingers.
Sitting on the balcony swing, Lin Haoran entertained a new thought:
"Perhaps I could develop Mandarin Oriental into a global hotel giant, like Marriott or Hilton.
Not just dominating the luxury segment, but also branching into high-end hotels, upscale hotels, standard hotels, and economy hotels.
If I separate Mandarin Oriental into an independent hotel group and model its development after Marriott, there's every chance I could build the world's largest and most profitable hotel group."
In his memory, Marriott was one of the most profitable hotel groups globally — its business model was definitely worth studying.
Lin Haoran understood that a successful model could create enormous competitive advantages.
More importantly, he currently had ample financial resources to rapidly expand Mandarin Oriental's scale according to a clear strategic plan.
Whether through building new hotels or acquiring existing ones, he was confident he could elevate Mandarin Oriental to new heights quickly.
The opportunity was there, and Lin Haoran clearly saw the tremendous potential.
Once he returned to Hong Kong, he planned to discuss this vision carefully with Ma Shiming — mapping out a detailed strategy for the future of Mandarin Oriental and Oriental Hotels.
The hotel industry was a resilient, evergreen sector. If managed well, he wouldn't mind becoming a hotel magnate one day.
At present, Mandarin Oriental and Oriental Hotels had fewer than ten properties combined, mostly located in Hong Kong and Bangkok.
Moreover, although both brands technically fell under Mandarin Oriental Hotel Management, they still operated independently — a situation clearly unfavorable for Lin Haoran's grand ambitions.
To realize his vision, it was essential to break down these barriers, integrate resources, and establish unified management.
As he thought about these plans, a wave of drowsiness washed over him.
Putting aside further worries, Lin Haoran returned to bed and fell into a peaceful sleep.
As for the hotel expansion strategy, he would plan it carefully once he returned to Hong Kong.
He slept soundly until late the next morning.
Upon waking, he felt fully refreshed, with no lingering effects of jet lag.
It was already December 11th, New York time — only one day remained until Apple's IPO.
After enjoying a hearty buffet breakfast at the hotel, Lin Haoran decided to visit Universal Investment Company's New York office with his bodyguards to check how the employees were settling in and whether everything was running smoothly.
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