Building Hotels with Heart

Building Hotels with Heart

Written by Miranda Cook

“If you don’t take risks, then you don’t move forward,” says Old Boy and hotel developer Arthur Liu ‘92.

He is an insightful source of wisdom for BGS students seeking to embark on an entrepreneurial journey. Despite preferring to “listen and learn”, he said he is honoured to share advice on the highs and lows of life in business.

Having been one of the first Taiwanese students to attend BGS, Arthur is the owner and developer of Novotel Brisbane South Bank, and his story is one of calculated risk-taking.

Arthur migrated to Brisbane from Taiwan when he was 15 after his parents were inspired to move to the city after experiencing World Expo ‘88, at South Bank.

There is always risk in entrepreneurship but being prepared for the worst is crucial.

“The School wasn’t as multicultural as it is now, but I was excited to start and was amazed by the school spirit,” he said.

In coming full circle and wanting to give back to the city which has “given his family so much”, his property company Kinstone Group developed the $70million Novotel Brisbane South Bank, which is a 4.5-star and 238-room hotel in the heart of the tourist and cultural hotspot.

In addition to the jobs created during construction, Arthur’s hospitality company, South Brisbane Hotel, employs more than 130 staff to run the hotel.

Despite being a remarkable building in terms of its modern architectural design and décor, Arthur is most proud of his staff and their ability to record stronger demand than pre-pandemic levels.

His team was recently awarded the best performing Accor hotel in the Pacific region — a monumental feat considering Accor has more than 400 hotels in this region alone.

“Once a building is built, it is hard to make changes other than to renovate — you can’t change its essence.

“But with management and staff, the situation is changing every day, which I find fascinating.”

As the construction industry grappled with the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, Arthur took a financial hit when the builder on one of his projects folded.

“There is always risk in entrepreneurship but being prepared for the worst is crucial,” he said.

“It’s not about whether the sky is clear or not, if you have the best aeroplane and team with the best knowledge, then you will navigate the storms.”

His advice to budding innovators is to utilise networks and carefully allocate resources, whether that be money, materials, time and relationships.

“When our builder went under, we had an emergency fund and were able to pull strings to get someone else to continue the project for us.”

Through his other investment company, Liming International, Arthur and his team have their sights set on the probiotics industry — quite a change from hospitality, tourism and property.

He is curious by nature, which is a big reason behind his success.

His business portfolio is diverse and spans across many countries, including introducing new products to Southeast Asia, opening a new manufacturing factory in China, and setting up trade companies, specialising in chemicals and raw materials, in Taiwan and Australia.

“I want to explore and find a better way of doing things all the time.

“I find there is always a better point of view in the room than yours.”

He now shares his love of business and Brisbane with his wife and three children.

“I love the environment in Brisbane — it is the best for families.

“You can’t possibly ask for more.”

It’s not about whether the sky is clear or not, if you have the best aeroplane and team with the best knowledge, then you will navigate the storms.