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(The facade of Chiang Mai’s Akyra Manor Hotel, owned by Mr John Lim, pays tribute to the Thai city’s old wall. He co-owns The Edison (above) in Penang. PHOTOS: BEER SINGNOI, THE EDISON GEORGE TOWN, PENANG)
Mr John Lim, 39, owns Akyra Manor Hotel in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He co-owns two properties - in George Town, Penang, and Kyoto, Japan
He is a self-declared "very chiong" (Hokkien slang for going all out) person, a description that covers anything from his daily schedule to his list of accomplishments.
In 2011, Mr Lim founded Manor Group, a hospitality investment, development and management firm.
Less than six years later, the Singaporean owns a luxury hotel in Thailand and co-owns two properties in Japan and Malaysia.
"There is always something that John wants to do," says Mr Lim's wife, Jasmine Tan, 37, who works with him as the executive director of Manor Group. The couple, based in Singapore, have three daughters aged 12, 10 and six.
Mr Lim sleeps between four and five hours a day, and travels several times a month for work. He aims to launch more properties abroad and expansion plans for his current properties are well under way.
Despite a busy life, he is committed to being warm, personable and service-oriented.
"I like to please people. The spirit and willingness to serve has always been in me. I get very irritated by poor service," he says.
When he was 18, he wanted to go to a butler school overseas.
"I'm serious. I wanted to learn how to be a professional servant."
His parents said no, so he decided to leverage on his good grades in A-level chemistry and graduated with a biotechnology degree from London's Imperial College.
He then worked in the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) for about four years and spent another four years in the civil service before deciding it was time to fulfil his entrepreneurial ambitions in hospitality.
His first venture saw him plough all $10 million of his savings - he had made money from small-scale property development and stock- market investments - into building a luxury hotel in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
He had noticed an upswing in tourist numbers in the city, which was fast gentrifying.
Akyra Manor Hotel (www.theakyra.com/chiang-mai) opened its doors four years later, in October 2015. The 30-key, all-suites luxury hotel was designed around a courtyard-in-a-room concept and has "quirky, whimsical touches".
These include statement decor such as unicorns with candles in place of their horns and an elephant that looks like it is floating above the hotel's swimming pool.
The hotel sits in an area filled with cafes and eateries. Guests can also easily head to golf courses, markets, and nature trails from the hotel.
Mr Lim says the hotel is profitable and enjoys high occupancy rates of about 80 per cent.
It is ranked No. 3 on travel planning and booking site TripAdvisor, out of 374 hotels in Chiang Mai. Room rates start at 8,900 baht (S$357) a night.
In April last year, Manor Group bought the land next to the hotel and is planning an extension that is slated to open late next year.
Meanwhile, Mr Lim has forged partnerships with several individuals and is the co-owner of boutique hotel The Edison in George Town, Penang, and serviced accommodation Shimaya Stays in Kyoto, Japan.
His vision is for his company to attain excellence in hospitality management and development, and to manage hotels for other owners in the next two to three years.
"I'm a very 'chiong' person. And I'm having fun," he says.
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Article by Bryna Singh, originally appeared in The Straits Times.