hollywood billionaire

Chapter 180 Magnificent and Aman

"Rosewood...and Aman."

Ruben-Keehoon has certainly heard of both hotel brands.

They are not only the pride of Asia, but also the jewel in the crown of the world hotel industry.

Aman Resort was founded in Phuket, Thailand in 1988 by Indonesian businessman Adrian Zecha.Zecha's original plan was to build his own holiday villa in Phuket, but the plan quickly expanded into a small boutique resort.Adrian Zecha, Anil Dasani and their two other friends had to use their own funds to implement the plan because no bank was willing to lend to such a small resort brand without any success stories.

But fortunately, Adrian Zecha himself came from a wealthy Indonesian noble family.His family, Liu-Sin-Zecha, are one of a handful of "Kaban Atas" in Indonesia.In Indonesian, the word literally means "highest branch", referring specifically to those Chinese gentry families who served as military officers in the Dutch East Indies.

The descendants of Liu Shen Zecha, who started his career in Batavia and flourished in Sukabu, know how to combine the two completely different aristocratic cultures of the East and the West to create a luxurious lifestyle that is acceptable in both Paris and Tokyo.His father is the first generation of Indonesian college students studying in the United States, and he himself was educated in the United States. His cousin, Adrian Zecha, who also holds an important position in the Malaysian royal family, is synonymous with elegance and refinement.

Under his careful planning, Amanpuri in Phuket received an unimaginable warm response as soon as it opened. On 24 hectares of land, 40 Southeast Asian-style garden swimming pool pavilions are lined up with 40 Buddhist architectural style villas in Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand. The four supporting restaurants provide Thai, Japanese, Italian and Mediterranean cuisine respectively to meet the needs of any high-end customers around the world.

Although the average price of Amanpuri was more than five times more expensive than any hotel on Phuket Island at that time, the extraordinary service quality and the lifestyle of the top class still attracted all the high-spending people who came to Thailand for vacation.

With the popularity of Amanpuri, the status, prestige and income of Aman Resort Group itself began to rise rapidly in the luxury hotel circle like a rocket. In 1989, Amandanin in Bali, Indonesia, Amanchulan, the second branch opened in Bali in 1992, and Amanguchevel, which was put into operation in the Courchevel Resort in the French Alps in the same year... With the opening of Amanemu in the verdant mountains of Ise Shima on the shore of Ago Bay this year, Aman has opened 28 resorts around the world in the past 30 years.

There is no doubt that whether it is the inaccessible tropical jungle of Borobudur or the crowded steel sky of the neon capital, the price of Aman Resort is definitely the most expensive one.

Although so far, Adrian Zecha and his Aman resorts have only opened branches with different suffixes and distinctive features in resorts in East Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and have not set foot in North America, but this does not mean that they have no interest in the US market.In fact, Aman has been examining key cities in North America such as New York, Miami and Los Angeles, and even the secluded beaches of Baja California Sur.

In addition to Aman's unique brand value and product positioning, the reason why Zecha can expand aggressively in less than 30 years is also an indispensable factor for the strong support from the capital market.

In 2000, Lixing Development Co., Ltd., established by Hong Kong King Wu Hanhui and Hang Seng Bank founder He Tim, purchased a majority stake in Aman Group, and in 2007 transferred the shares to DLF, India's largest real estate developer, for US$4 million, including a corporate debt of US$2014 million. In 3.58, DLF made another price of [-] million U.S. dollars, making Aman resort change owners again.This time the owner is a real estate oligarch from St. Petersburg, Vladislav Doronin.

After Doronin took over Aman and kicked Adrian Zecha out of management, he carried out a series of drastic reforms within the company.Re-employ European and American executives, launch the sub-line brand Janu with higher cost performance, and officially promote the landing of the first Aman in the North American market.

First stop - New York.

Aman took a fancy to the legendary Crown Building at the intersection of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue, a 1921-story multifunctional skyscraper completed in 26.Doronin's team wants to take the top 11.7 floors in one go, use 95000 square feet of space to build a seven-star luxury hotel, and use the remaining 22 square feet to carve [-] perfect works of art—the world's first Aman apartment.

Of course, the matter of buying a building in Manhattan, where land is very expensive, is obviously not something that Doronin can do alone.He needs an investment close to a billion dollars to turn his wildest dreams into reality.

Where can such a large sum of money be found?
Well, let's see: part of the cash from Aman and parent group OKO can be raised partly through asset pledges on Aman's most profitable outlets, but it's not enough.At least half of the funds need to be raised through debt financing.

Perhaps in the financial circles of St. Petersburg and Moscow, Doronin can call the wind and rain, but on Wall Street, any foreign speculator must honestly pay tribute to the banker.

The way OKO Group pays tribute is to hire Walker and Dunlop, the largest commercial real estate financing and consulting service company in the United States, as a financing consultant, and put the financing plan of Aman New York on the desks of every giant.

These giants include Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone Group, Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs Group...and David Rubenstein of Carlyle Group.

Similar to Han Yi's situation, if Doronin wants to lead Aman to make a name for himself in the United States, he must obtain the approval of the actual controllers behind the scenes in the United States.

However, the situation of the Russian oligarchs is better than Han Music, which is still unknown in the capital circle so far.After all, Aman is, in any case, a top hotel brand recognized worldwide.This kind of cash cow with many successful cases has come to North America to do their best business, the prospect of Aman New York, and almost everyone on Wall Street is optimistic about it.

Who can really be indifferent to a high-quality project with an investment amount of less than one billion yuan, a high probability of making a profit without losing money, and helping the investment group to further gain recognition among the ultra-high-net-worth crowd?

Therefore, the major capitals tried their best to beat the competitors, win this project, and provide financial support for Doronin's OKO and Aman New York.

To be honest, in this particular field of competition, the Carlyle Group really does not have any particular advantages.When it comes to hotel investment and commercial real estate development, Blackstone Group is definitely the top spot.In terms of the safety and strength of financial strength, who can compare with JPMorgan Chase, the First Bank of the United States with total assets of more than 3 trillion US dollars?As for customer relations, Goldman Sachs Group, which has been deeply involved in the Russian and Far East markets for many years, knows how to deal with oligarchs.

But history is so wonderful, especially the history that has been stirred up by the traversers.The Carlyle Group, which had no chance of winning, saw a ray of hope after two or three regular calls between David Rubinstein and Han Yi.

Under Han Yi's instigation, the Carlyle Group was going to hand over a proposal to Doronin that no other capital giant could think of.

Provide a one-time financing line for two Aman North American projects.

Aman New York, in accordance with the normal debt financing process.

As for...

"Aman Las Vegas, which is about to rise on the current site of the Circus Casino Hotel, will be fully funded by the investment fund jointly led by us and the Carlyle Group. According to the requirements of the Aman Group, the caravan camps and motels will be demolished, and a resort with only a few dozen rooms and a seven-star standard will be built."

"Aman is very excited about the idea of ​​opening a branch in Las Vegas. Next month, our partner Carlyle Group will invite Aman's executive team to Las Vegas to conduct a field inspection of the Circus Casino Hotel."

Except for the names of several groups, there is not even a single word of the sentence Han Yi threw at Ruben Keehoon that was true.

The Aman Group has never seen the cooperation proposal of the Carlyle Group, let alone Han Yi and David Rubinstein's plan for Aman Las Vegas, and the executive inspection team is naturally impossible to talk about.

But why does a Nevada senator have to know the real progress of these business negotiations?
Confidence is more important than truth.

"If you have time next month, Mr. Keehoon, I think we can sit down and have a meal with Mr. Doronin and listen to his views and plans for Las Vegas."

"I'm so happy." Ruben Keehoon was a little dazed by the heavyweights that Han Yi threw out one after another, not because David Rubinstein and Vladislav Doronin were more prominent than Obama and Clinton, but because he never expected that this foreign rich man, who looked immature from any angle, had such deep connections in the United States.

Having a joint investment fund with the Carlyle Group is obviously much more powerful than being invited to meet in Obama's suite.

"Then, Mr. Han..."

Ruben Keehoon shifted his position to look more serious and humble.

“If Aman is going to take over the RV site and the motel at Circus Circus, then Rosewood…should take over the three hotel buildings?”

"As I said before, Mr. Keehoon, after the demolition of the Circus Casino Hotel, we do not plan to build according to the old drawings. Whether it is introducing Aman and Rosewood, or making other changes to the site, there is only one purpose, and that is to let people completely forget the positioning and history of the Circus Casino Hotel."

“Here, there will be a modern skyscraper that is taller and more spectacular than the Venetian Palace Resort and the Wynn Encore Hotel. It will remind you of the magnificent skyline of Victoria Harbour. Above it is the Rosewood Hotel and Rosewood Apartments. Below, there are the most luxurious shopping malls, the most upscale Michelin restaurants, and the most popular nightclubs in Las Vegas.”

"Beside the Las Vegas Boulevard, create another Hong Kong." Jordan Bromley put the finishing touch on Han Yi's description.

"Yes...create another Hong Kong."

Han Yi turned his head to look at Jordan, and nodded approvingly.

One and a half months ago, when Han Yi visited the Las Vegas festival site for the first time for Mad City, Han Yi noticed that beside the open ground, there were... piles of extremely abrupt buildings.

Dull white exterior walls, faded and rusted neon signs, cold, musty air.

In Las Vegas, a city that represents the ultimate sin of human beings and luxurious material desires, there is actually such a dilapidated and decayed concrete corpse half a century ago that has been eroded beyond recognition by time in the golden area of ​​its downtown.

Someone has to do something about this.

This is Han Yi's most original idea.

In the words that flashed through my mind, the protagonist was definitely not myself.

But back in Los Angeles, the idea played over and over again, and the impending decline of the Circus Circus became more and more entwined with the Getty Center’s permanence.

Han Yi really wants to be like Paul Getty.

Use inexhaustible wealth to establish an eternal great cause.

Maybe the Circus Casino Hotel that happened to be his Getty Center.

And... For the Chinese, Las Vegas, a gambling city with no taboos, is the most suitable place for industrial development, since it does not involve political restricted areas, nor does it have high-tech.

Just look at Yau Dewei's Hakkasan.

In other places in North America, he can only open Chinese restaurants honestly, but in Las Vegas, he can cooperate with MGM to turn the Hakka name into one of the most successful commercial nightclubs on the planet.

Once this kind of thought takes root and sprouts in the mind, it will spread like weeds and cannot be restrained.In one and a half months, through frequent communication with David Rubinstein, Jordan Bromley, Antoine Gachet and other professionals, Han Yi's originally vague "Circus Casino Renovation Plan" gradually became clear, and he gradually found his most unique competitive advantage in Las Vegas.

There are Venetians, Londoners and Parisians in Macau, but Asian capitals have never brought an entertainment matrix with modern Far Eastern characteristics to Las Vegas.

How to introduce the things that best represent the development level of modern China and the modern life of modern Asia into the hinterland of North America under the premise that Western society is completely acceptable?

Rosewood Hotel, especially Rosewood Hong Kong, which opened in the Victoria Harbor Cultural District in 2019, and K11, which coexists with it, are the best answers to this question.

Although it has now become a leader in the luxury hotel industry in Asia, the original Rosewood Hotel was born in Dallas, Texas, one of the cities farthest from the Far East in the world. In 1979, Caroline Rose Hunter, the daughter of Texas oil tycoon HL Hunter, opened the Rosewood Hotel's 32-year history of white family operations.

Caroline Rose Hunter, who has never known what it means to be short of money in her life, is not an ambitious expansion master.After all, she has too many other hobbies and careers besides luxury resorts.The bath and skin care brand named Lady Primrose, the antique shop opened in England on a whim in 1987, as well as a novel and two cooking guides that were painstakingly written, all took too much energy from Caroline.

Therefore, until the company changed ownership in 2011, Rosewood Hotels only had more than ten hotels in Virgin Gorda, Los Cabos, New York, St. Martin and Dallas.

Fortunately, Hong Kong New World Group, the new owner of the Rosewood brand for US$8 million, is much, much stronger than the precious daughter of the Hunter family in terms of financial resources, executive power, and business layout.

Because, the parent group of New World Group is the ninth largest luxury industry giant in the world, spanning many fields such as jewelry, real estate development, hotels, casinos, ports and department stores, Chow Tai Fook.This Asian jewelry emperor with a gross profit of US$2016 billion in 72.9 has promoted Rosewood Hotels to bloom all over the world, which can only be described as easy.

As soon as it took over, Chow Tai Fook announced the opening plan of four branches in Huaguo, the country with the deepest roots. At the same time, the stores in Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Paris, London, Hong Kong and Costa Rica also began to break ground.

In April 2015, New World Hotel Group, to which Rosewood Hotel belongs, sold three of its hotel assets in Hong Kong, including Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, Renaissance Harbor View Hotel and Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui, to a joint venture with 4% shares held by New World Development Corporation and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, in exchange for a development fund of 50 billion Hong Kong dollars, most of which were used for the expansion of Rosewood Hotel.

Therefore, the Rosewood Hotel under Chow Tai Fook does not need to rely on debt financing to open new stores like Doronin’s Aman, but as a hotel management company, New World Hotel Group is also open to opening Rosewood branches in cities that do not have its own assets through management contracts or leasing contracts.

To give a very simple example, Rosewood's branch in Venice is exactly such a cooperation model.Italy's local Barretta Group is responsible for raising funds for real estate development, and then invites Rosewood to enter the site as the hotel manager.

This was Han Yi's plan for his main hotel building in Las Vegas. New World Hotel Group had to sell three hotels at once, and had to negotiate with people for two to three years before they could get a construction fund of more than two billion US dollars. But for Han Yi, all he needed to do was spend money like crazy.This means that Han Yi does not need capital to help him share the financial pressure, and it is even more impossible for Chow Tai Fook to jointly develop the future tallest building in Nevada, giving others a share of the pie for no reason.

...Of course, at that time, I will definitely release some of the financing share to the Carlyle Group or other private equity giants, but that is for myself to be able to sail smoothly in this sea area that is becoming more and more dangerous to the Chinese.Any other company that can't help him stabilize Capitol Hill and the White House wants to get the invitation to the ball, it is tantamount to wishful thinking.

The best way to cooperate with Rosewood is to sign a management contract with this hotel brand controlled by Hong Kong people for a period of not too long or not too short.

"New World Hotel Group especially hopes to set a benchmark for luxury hotels and high-end resort apartments in Las Vegas. We just discussed with Ms. Zheng's team three days ago. As soon as the new building breaks ground, the two parties will jointly issue a press release for Rosewood Las Vegas Hotel and Rosewood Residences."

Like Han Yi's description of Aman, only the nouns are genuine in the passage introducing Rosewood to Ruben Keehoon.So far, Han Yi himself, or his legal counsel, Jordan Bromley, have not had any form of contact with New World Hotel Group.It is still David Rubinstein who has friendship with Zheng Zhiwen of New World and the Zheng family who control 72.39% of the entire Chow Tai Fook Group.

His Carlyle China has a close cooperation with Chow Tai Fook in China's commercial real estate field.

For Rubinstein, landing Rosewood on the Carlyle-co-invested Las Vegas casino-hotel project was just a phone call away.

This is the energy that a true world-class millionaire possesses.

At this moment, Han Yi is still far away from this kind of energy.

Without them in the memorandum and the reward mechanism they provided, it would take at least ten years of hard work to successfully implement this project.

And even with rewards and cashbacks, Han Yi still had to rely on David Rubinstein's contacts to clear the way for his plan.

So far, Han Yi has only met two big shots in the capital circle.

One is Douglas Le Pen, whose influence is limited to the west coast, and the other is David Rubinstein, who can radiate the world.

Next, in addition to Hollywood, social activities on Wall Street must also be on the agenda.

It is quite dangerous to pin all hope and safety on one person.

"So... there you go, Mr. Keehoon. Rosewood Las Vegas, Aman Las Vegas, luxury apartments, high-end shopping malls, Michelin restaurants, world-class nightclubs and casinos, these are my blueprints for 2880 Las Vegas Boulevard."

The thoughts in his mind turned quickly, but Han Yi's expression and speech speed showed no change to Ruben.

"I probably understand."

Ruben Keehoon was silent for a moment, and decided to lead today's conversation to substantive negotiations in the most straightforward way.

"You... need me to do something?"

"We urgently need a business consultant who has a deep understanding of the local culture of Nevada and Las Vegas, Mr. Keehoon. Your father, Armando, may be able to provide us with many valuable suggestions."

Han Yi was not in a hurry to answer Ruben Keehoon's question, but showed the candies he left for the other party one by one.

Armando Kihuen took a job at the real estate development company that Han Yi is about to set up in Las Vegas. He can comfortably get a six-figure annual salary, which is one of the candies.

Of course, most of the hundreds of thousands of dollars in remuneration, in addition to taxes, will flow into the pocket of his son Ruben.

After all, what time does a science teacher who still teaches in middle school have time for "consultants"?

"In addition, I will donate 30 US dollars to your campaign through various channels. If you are elected, Ruben, I will donate more to the second campaign two years later."

"As for the terms of exchange, it's very simple, I just need you to do two things..."

"One, on Capitol Hill, to speak out for the good of the music industry ... in other words, to support the Music Modernization Act edited by Jordan."

"Second, in Las Vegas, help us convince Fire and Rescue, City Hall, City Council, and any other naughty bastards who might stand in the way of the demolition process, to get permission for the implosion demolition."

"If you can do these two things, Mr. Keehoon, I assure you that in your future political career, you will have a loyal and unsparing ally who will use his selfless dedication to the public cause to help you better serve the American society."

"After all...we're all 'Dreamers,' aren't we?"

(End of this chapter)