What it does: Owns, operates, and invests in hotels across the Middle East, Asia Pacific, South America, Europe, and the Indian Ocean.
Best known for: Operating 537 hotels in 55 countries around the world. Anantara Hotels, with multiple branches in Thailand and the UAE, is arguably Minor Hotel's best-known hotel brand. Other hotel brands include NH Collection, NH Hotels, nHow Hotels, Avani Hotels & Resorts, Resorts & Spas, Elewana Collection, Tivoli Hotels & Resorts, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, and Minor International, among others.
Staff stats: 55,000 worldwide.
The good bits: Minor Hotels is a fast-growing company in the midst of expansion. Expect lots of career opportunities on both administrative and hotel operations and comprehensive training.
The not-so-good bits: Insiders reported working under high pressure in a demanding environment, which can lead to challenges in work-life balance.
Minor Holdings was founded in 1967 by 17-year old American born Thai businessman William E. Heinecke. The group's name was meant to acknowledge Heinecke's tender age. In 1978, the young entrepreneur embarked on his first hotel venture with the opening of the Royal Garden Resort in Pattaya (now known as Marriott Resort & Spa). Since then, the group branched out across a variety of industries by developing brands and acquiring companies to expand its portfolio.
Anantara Hotels Resorts & Spas, the first property of the group's brand and arguably its most popular opened in the seaside town of Hua Hin in 2001. Anantara's operational portfolio now includes 39 properties around the world in Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, and Africa. Anantara's sister brand, Avani Hotels & Resorts, was launched in 2012 and now owns 32 properties globally. Minor Hotel's acquisitions include Oaks Hotels & Resorts in Australia, Tivoli Hotels & Resorts in Qatar, Portugal and Brazil, Elewana Collection in Kenya, and NH Hotel Group in Spain, among others.
Today, Minor Hotels is a leading hospitality player with over 80,000 rooms across 530 hotels in 53 countries. It has received numerous accolades over the span of four decades including 14 Travel + Leisure US 2019 World's Best Awards, 32 Conde Nast Traveler Readers Choice Awards, 24 Wine Spectator Awards 2019, 11 DestinAsian Reader's Choice Awards 2019, and 8 World Spa Awards 2019.
The recruitment process varies from role to role, but graduates may expect a series of three to four phone, video, or face-to-face interviews with HR representatives and department managers. Insiders describe the process to be quick and straightforward.
Minor Hotels offers fringe benefits that may include annual medical benefits, provident funds, and performance bonuses among others. The company offers training courses in marketing, leadership, accounting, sales, English literacy, and software program, among others.
Minor Hotels employs what it calls the 'Drive Culture', which puts a premium on leadership as well as hiring and grooming talent with the best potential. The company hopes that great leaders will 'drive' the company towards organisational growth. For Minor Hotels, finding and retaining the right leaders is crucial, so much so that the company's CEO takes a hands-on role in acquiring top talent by personally interviewing all its general managers.
Minor Hotels' corporate social responsibility is focused on various initiatives, from enforcing sustainability among its hotels to developing, funding, and supporting projects that benefit the local communities where its hotels and resorts are located.
The Heinecke Foundation offers 400 scholarships annually to less fortunate children with exemplary academic performance. The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation assists captive elephants by improving their welfare and participating in conservation efforts. The Mai Khao Turtle Foundation, established in 2002, supports the turtle population in Sirinath National Marine Park and its surrounding ecosystem through integrated coastal management plans, beach and reef cleaning, recycling projects, educational workshops, turtle rescue and release, mangrove tree planting, and supporting other marine conservation organisations.
As an organisation in the midst of constant global expansion, Minor Hotels offers a plethora of possibilities for new graduates aiming to work in the hospitality industry. Graduates may expect career growth as the company grows along with them, but they may need to watch out for long hours and taxing workload.