Service with a smile: Adrian Lee and the Klapsons hotel brand

Lots of people fret about hitting the big three-oh without anything to show for it. But that wouldn't be the case for hotelier Adrian Lee. As director at Jit Sun Investments, a private investment firm started by his father and brother, Adrian spends his days developing opportunities across the company’s diverse portfolio, spanning property, equity and fixed income markets. His most recognizable project to date? Conceptualizing the bastion of designer chic that is Klapsons The Boutique Hotel.

For someone with a job description this big, Adrian comes across refreshingly unassuming. The finance graduate from Glagow’s University of Strathclyde talks to CNNGo about venturing into the hospitality industry, the story behind the Klapsons name, and what he gets up to when he can drag himself away from work.

CNNGo: Is your entire family involved in different aspects of the business?

Adrian Lee: The term "family business" conjures the image of uncles, aunties, cousins and in-laws trying to grab a piece of the pie. We are far from that. The only family involved in the business is my brother, my dad and myself. My brother runs all our public-listed entities while I handle the private businesses. My dad is our guiding light. All other aspects of the business are handled by capable, qualified professionals.

CNNGo: Klapsons is your company’s first hospitality venture. How did that come about?

Lee: In early 2000, we took over the current Tower Fifteen (in downtown Tanjong Pagar), which had a large plot of land beside it that was undeveloped. Both my brother and I travel a fair bit and have experienced many hotels, and we realized we did not have a proper design-driven luxury hospitality product in Singapore, like the W hotels and Bulgari hotels overseas. So after weeks of discussion, we decided to build a hotel. I came up with the initial idea of what Klapsons was about, then together with my designer, William Sawaya, we developed it further.

CNNGo: We hear the Klapsons name is a composite of the names of your family members.

Lee: It took us almost two years to think of a name. We wanted something that could stand on its own feet and did not sound run-of-the-mill. Klapsons is a combination of all my family members’ names. KS is my dad, Lionel is my brother, Adrian is me, and Peggy is my mom. 'Sons' represent my brother and I at the back of it all.

CNNGo: How did Klapsons end up joining the Design Hotels stable?

Lee: Associations are very important to us and we wanted to be on a platform of hotels that shared similar philosophies. Being new, we also needed an existing database we could leverage on. Design Hotels fit perfectly. We approached them and have since had an excellent working relationship.

CNNGo: Did the 2009 credit crunch affect business at the hotel?

Lee: We opened our doors mid-2009, and I think we achieved what we set out to do, which was to identify ourselves to the media and public. Occupancy and F&B figures have been very encouraging so far, and we think the rest of 2010 will be better.

CNNGo: How do you feel about the integrated resorts opening, especially since you’re located so close to both Marina Bay and Sentosa?

Lee: I see the opening of the IRs as a great thing both for us and for Singapore. We will get some spillovers, but essentially our target segments and branding are worlds apart, which is why we don’t see them as a threat.

CNNGo: With globalization, nothing much comes as a surprise to the jet-setter anymore. How do you plan to keep the boutique hotel experience unique?

Lee: The problem with globalization and jet-setting is that most of the time we lose track of where we are. This is a problem I face myself where I wake up and for a split moment forget which country and what time zone I am in. At Klapsons, our customers know exactly where they are, thanks to the design, service and functionality of the hotel. It’s easy to say but hard to execute.

CNNGo: What other challenges do you think you’ll face in 2010?

Lee: Operating costs will continue to be a challenge. Being small, we do not have the benefit of a larger establishment where they have economies of scale throughout the operational process.

CNNGo: What do you like to do when you’re not hard at work?

Lee: I do not get away from work much but I try to play basketball, wakeboard and play tennis at least once a week. The key word is 'try!' I also enjoy going out on my fishing boat, and I try to organize a yearly snowboarding trip.

CNNGo: Complete this sentence -- People are always taken aback when they find out that I…

Lee: Am only 1.6m tall, but am actually a terror on the basketball court!

getting there

Klapsons
15 Hoe Chiang Rd, Tower Fifteen, Singapore
tel +65 6521 9030
www.klapsons.com