Jon Stonham founded Hong Kong-headquartered Paragon Travel Ltd to provide real solutions for travellers in Asia

Briton Jon Stonham, CEO and co-founder of Paragon Travel Ltd (the operator of asia-hotels.com), arrived in Hong Kong in 1993 to escape "the rut" of London life. A passionate traveller who had already seen North and South America, Africa and most of Europe, he intended to use Hong Kong as a hopping off point to Asia. Mr Stonham was so impressed, he decided to stay.

'For me London had become a bit of a dull rut after 10 years, and I wanted to move on. I was instantly struck by the energy of Hong Kong, and the 'just do it' attitude. The high concentration of interesting and motivated individuals made me realise the business potential here. And I loved the fabulous social life - work hard, play hard is a huge understatement.

When I first arrived I worked for other people, but even then I saw a real 'give it a go' mentality where people are prepared to throw themselves in at the deep end, and sink or swim. The true value for the entrepreneur only came a few years later, once I started my own company. In basic terms Hong Kong is a very easy place to do business. It's easy to set things up and the red tape is minimal, and corruption non existent.

Our business is an online hotel information and reservation service. It started out of my own frustration as a traveller. Asia is full of independent hotels but which one is the right one for you and is it a good hotel? These are questions we set out to answer for customers by offering in-depth, independent information on the region's hotels. This is supported by a knowledgeable and client-focused customer service. We have contracts with almost all the hotels in the region and our customer base is worldwide. Some 35,000 people use the website every day.

Hub of Asia

Hong Kong is a great place to base a travel business because it is the central hub of the region. Given we were contracting with hotels in 21 countries, it makes a great stepping off point. In time we moved our back office functions to other countries when it made commercial sense, but Hong Kong remains the holding company hub because of its sophisticated financial services, lack of corruption, simple structures and ease of communication. Hong Kong also has an excellent and reliable legal framework, and its tax advantages surpass most other countries.

As a travel destination, Hong Kong has an edge. Many people see it for its New York-style skyline, but Hong Kong has so much more to offer - from superb sailing to trekking in country parks, fabulous restaurants, extensive shopping, and some interesting events and attractions ranging from horse racing in Happy Valley to traditional local markets. Hong Kong is a fabulous city to explore.

As a jumping off point, Hong Kong sits best with a visit to China due to its proximity and language. It's nice to get a comfortable intro to Asia in Hong Kong before hitting the more difficult places such as China. That said, its is also a nice combo place to visit - four days in frantic Hong Kong then a slower week on the lovely beaches of Bali or Phuket makes for a great holiday.

Unrivalled lifestyle

From a lifestyle perspective, it's a great place to live. There's a fantastic variety of places to eat and drink, and plenty to do for the family or on your own. The danger can be in overdoing it! One great plus is that nothing is far away - I can get from home to the office, the shops or yacht club, all within 10 minutes.

In February 2005, our business was acquired by the world's largest travel company, Cendant (owner of Avis, Budget, Ramada, Galileo, Orbitz ), which also uses Hong Kong as its regional head office for Asia. The business is being folded into the Cendant family of companies intent on creating the leading online travel portal globally. It all started in Hong Kong - one of the best, if not the best, places in Asia to be based for both lifestyle and running a business.'

Related link
asia-hotels.com