How big are the Harilelas? They have their own Wikipedia page. One of the most prominent families in Hong Kong, the Harilelas own and operate The Harilela Group, which focuses on hotel development and management. Last year, in December during the middle of a pandemic, the Group opened the doors to its latest property, The Hari Hong Kong.
The Peak speaks to chairperson and CEO of The Harilela Group, Dr Aron Harilela, about this bold move and his thoughts about the future.
How do you deal with the pressure of the family name? And does that make you more careful of the decisions that you make knowing the legacy?
Business decisions always require careful consideration whether one comes from a big family. A decision maker must take all stakeholders into consideration. This includes not only shareholders but also directors and all staff. The hospitality industry has suffered in the last 18 months and the decisions made will impact the livelihood of staff.
For example, in December 2020, we opened a hotel in Hong Kong during a tough time as we were encountering a fourth wave of Covid related infections. Borders had been closed for most of the year and we encountered severe indoor dining restrictions. We opened the hotel regardless and transferred many of our staff from our existing hotel to the new one so we would let no one go.
The entrance lobby to The Hari Hong Kong, shot by Dennis Lo.
How did the pandemic affect the opening and operations of The Hari?
At some point, we have to find a way around the pandemic rather than shutting down and maintaining constant stringent restrictions. People still need to earn a livelihood. For this reason, we pushed ahead with the opening. The Hari’s staff remain vigilant with everyone’s health and safety. Hong Kong is vibrant, quirky, and colourful, and we want to represent these qualities while welcoming all of our guests, and as a gradual return to some normalcy.
We always set our minds to reinvest in Hong Kong. Neither protests nor Covid-19, nor a trade war, nor even the swift passing of the National Security Law in June has shaken our confidence in this city as a family. Hong Kong is our home.
Could you share some highlights of your career that you’re proudest of?
My family has been building and growing our company for 50 years. My father set it up in 1959 with a simple business model – we buy or build hotels that are then offered to third parties to manage. But we always knew that we would have a brand that we would own and manage ourselves. We just had to find the right property to start with. In 2010, when we started renovating our London property, it just felt right.
It took us another four years before we eventually took the jump. In 2016, we unveiled The Hari London. We’ve created a five-star luxury brand with actual personality and character. We focus on impeccable hospitality and service, with a large dose of wit and quirkiness.
The Hari’s homecoming to Hong Kong was an important step for me. Following the success of The Hari London, we brought our latest brainchild home to Hong Kong. There have been many Hong Kong hotel brands that have successfully travelled abroad and we want The Hari to be just that: a hotel brand that’s reminiscent of Hong Kong’s dynamism, multiculturalism and charming efficiency.
The Hari Hong Kong, which was built from scratch, is symbolic. It is the physical representation of my family’s importance to a city where so many luxury hotel brands, including The Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental, Shangri-La, Rosewood, Langham and Ovolo, reside in. We can consider hotel rooms to be one of the city’s most important exports.
The living room of The Hari Suite in The Hari Hong Kong.
