Coming home to a vibrant niche market (hktdc.com)


	Having enjoyed success in Hong Kong for her first boutique hotel, JIA owner Yenn Wong is building her brand in other key cities in Asia

In 2004, Singaporean entrepreneur Yenn Wong opened JIA, a fashionable, Philippe Starck-designed boutique hotel in Causeway Bay.

It was an ambitious move for the businesswoman, who was only 23 and had little experience in the competitive arena of hospitality. But Ms Wong chose the right place and the right time to get started. Just two years later, she is steadily building a stable of prestigious establishments in the Asia-Pacific region, with JIA growing as a recognised luxury brand.

Ms Wong moved to Hong Kong after her father bought the building JIA now occupies, and advised her to check out the opportunities there. "At the time (the building) was a two-star hostel targeted at Chinese mainland tourists. I looked at the environment - not classy, but with lots of character and full of Hong Kong flavour," Ms Wong said. "I knew it was the perfect opportunity to create an exciting and innovative hotel development, something which is aesthetically beautiful and provides a fun experience for people.

The 'New York of Asia'

"Already there were many very successful five-star hotels and I thought, Hong Kong is a trend leader in Asia, like the New York of Asia - we should have a really cool boutique hotel. The location was perfect. You have all types of shopping, from big malls with international brands to traditional street markets; and fabulous dining, from the best international restaurants to famous local eateries."

Having known of French designer Philippe Starck's reputation for designing unique boutique hotels, Ms Wong decided to approach Yoo - the London- based design company owned by Philippe Starck and John Hitchcox, the property developer credited with bringing "loft living" to London - and the concept for JIA was born.

Admitting it was "very scary" for a young, inexperienced new player in the market, Ms Wong found support and encouragement in Hong Kong's "amazing business environment". "Opportunities present themselves everywhere; it's bustling, and there are loads of interesting and smart business people to meet and to learn from," Ms Wong said. "Hong Kong has a great vibe and is a fast moving business city. There is a big international crowd and lots of exciting business opportunities. This makes launching a business exciting with lots of room for growth."

Building brand image

Hong Kong's sophisticated market also helped boost the JIA brand image. Consumers here appreciate the finer things in life, and expect a higher level of quality in terms of products and service. Ms Wong's strategy is to "focus on what I want to achieve and learn from the big brands".

Because JIA doesn't have the economies of scale of the large hotel chains, its niche is personalised service. The name 'JIA' is Mandarin for 'home, and the concept is to treat everyone as your house guest, Ms Wong said. Making the rooms at JIA feel more like an apartment than a hotel "worked really well for us". "Many of our guests are extremely frequent travellers and they feel totally relieved and refreshed that it's not another hotel room again. So many hotels rooms today are direct replicas of a work space - that's why we added the relaxation touches such as full audio visual system DVD library. We understand the businessman still needs his business amenities such as broadband access, which we provide as a complimentary service, but we offer an alternative to his everyday business environment. The businessman of today works more and more hours, and his hotel room needs to be a retreat."

Healthy growth

Following the success of JIA in Hong Kong, Ms Wong has opened a restaurant, Graze, in Singapore, and has JIA Shanghai and JIA Krabi under development, due to open in September and December 2006 respectively.

"My aim is to make JIA a successful boutique hospitality brand that is known internationally," Ms Wong said. "If JIA can work, earn a market share and receive great comments in a market like Hong Kong, when there are so many highly competitive developments sprouting out so quickly, it gives us a lot more confidence when we launch the brand with experience elsewhere."

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