Booking a hotel for your next vacation? Check out Minor Hotels.

Minor Hotels now has over 500 hotels, resorts, and serviced suites in 56 countries. They have brands like Avani, NH Collection, Elewana, and Anantara.

In 2023, they had a net profit of 153.4M THB ($4M) and 359.1M THB ($10.1M) in assets.  

But the Minor Hotels was far from an overnight success. Bill Heinecke spent the last 55 years of his life building the hotel chain into what it is today.

He never could have imagined that starting a business at the age of 17 would lead to where he is today.

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🫶🏻 Humble beginnings

Bill Heinecke was born in the US but grew up in Bangkok. His father was a US Marine, but his mother paved his way into the world of advertising.

His mother sold ad space for Newsweek. She encouraged Bill to do the same! “Success was also about the people you knew and I learned the importance of contacts and connections from her,” Bill later said.

Through his mother, Bill met the editor of the Bangkok World newspaper. He was passionate about go-karting and wanted to write a column about it!

The editor agreed to let Bill write, as long as he raised the money for ad space himself–and he did!

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🛣️ Forging a new path

After the advertising manager of Bangkok World quit, Bill started to sell more advertising space for the newspaper.

But he shocked his parents with a huge decision: he wasn’t going to college.

He was given an offer by Georgetown University. His family was excited that he’d be their first college graduate!

But Bill enjoyed the freedom of being an expatriate. He wanted to start his business in Bangkok, surrounded by his family and friends.

His parents were disappointed in him and refused to give him financial support.

So in 1967, at the age of 17, Bill Heinecke started two companies: an advertising business and office cleaning business. All he had was a $1,200 loan.

Because he was a minor at the time, he decided to name his company Minor!

“Everyone was sure I was going to fail,” he said. “But you know, I think that’s what kept me going. The will to prove everybody wrong.”

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💪🏼 Just getting started

In 1978, Bill opened his first hotel, the Royal Grand Resort Pattaya. His company was called Royal Garden Resort Co. They only had 3M baht at the time.

Two years later, Bill and his team brought Pizza Hut to Thailand. The first branch was at their hotel!  

The Minor Food Group also started selling household goods and other lifestyle products.

The business was growing fast! Minor started listing their three businesses on the Thai stock exchange from 1988 onwards.

In 1991, Bill became a nationalized Thai citizen.

“Thailand is very much my home. I wanted to distance myself from the people who live here, make their money and then return to their own countries,” he said. “I am proudly American-born. But I am also equally proud to tell you I am Thai.”

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🤯 Challenges along the way

In 1997, the Asian financial crisis meant that Minor took a hit.  

But Bill didn’t panic—he stayed committed to his brand. He changed the hotel room rates from baht to USD and even sold his stakes in Thai brands to raise cash.

Most importantly, he kept morale high. While the group found their footing again, he told the team to pick up hobbies outside of work. Playing golf or scuba diving? Bill said, go for it!

He wanted them to feel happy outside of work first. This would get them ready to fight for their brand to survive!

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✅ Nowhere to go but up

Through their hard work, Minor survived.

In 2001, they opened their first luxury hotel brand called Anantara in Dubai. There, they set the standard for their next hotels to always have a touch of Thai hospitality and culture. Some hotels have beautiful Thai-themed spas, while others offer Thai food in their cafes!

In 2005, they changed their name to Minor International Public Company Limited (MINT). They also acquired the Pizza Public Company.

In 2009, Minor put all their businesses under one umbrella.

Minor International has since opened hotels in Australia, Africa, and South America.  

Some of the hotels are in remote places. People would often criticize him for that, saying those hotels won’t make as much money. But for Bill, the most important thing is that people have an amazing experience!

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🤩 Here and now

Minor International gets 80% of their revenue from their hotels. The other 20% is from their 2,600 restaurants in 24 countries!

Some of these restaurants are Thai Express, Burger King in Thailand and Myanmar, Benihana teppanyaki, and more.

What’s their secret to success? “We dare not plan beyond three years,” said Bill. “It’s a little like climbing a mountain, you know. You take one step at a time. And when you get to the top, you suddenly realize how far you’ve come.”

Minor may have had simple beginnings. But over the past 55 years, Bill never lost sight of his goal to make traveling a special experience for everyone!

Now, Minor International stays focused on their core mission: making every hotel stay amazing and every meal a delight.