Kwee family (Pontiac)

Last updated

Kwee Family
Current region Singapore
Place of origin Singapore
FounderHenry Kwee
Heirlooms Pontiac Land Group
Website http://www.pontiacland.com/

The Kwee family is a Singaporean family that owns the Pontiac Land Group, a privately held luxury real estate developer and hotel owner based in Singapore. [1] The Kwee brothers Kwee Liong Keng, Kwee Liong Tek, Kwee Liong Seen and Kwee Liong Phing collectively run the group.

Family overview

Henry Kwee Hian Liong (郭贤良 in Chinese), father of the Kwee brothers, was a Chinese-Indonesian textile trader and real estate developer who migrated from Yuxi Town Fuqing City, Fujian Province, China, to Singapore in 1958. [1] [2] He founded Kwee Inc. Pte Ltd in 1959 and the Pontiac Land Group (PLG) in 1961. [3] Henry Kwee died in 1988. [4]

Kwee Liong Keng is the eldest of the Kwee brothers and is the managing director of PLG. [5] Kwee Liong Keng is married to Chua Lee Eng, from the Chua family that founded Cycle and Carriage. [6] He also was Singapore's Non-Resident Ambassador to Poland, among other public service positions. [7] Kwee Liong Tek is the chairman of the Group. [8] Kwee Liong Seen and Kwee Liong Phing are both directors on the board. Both Kwee Liong Tek and Kwee Liong Seen went to college in California and are alumni of Berkeley's Haas School of Business. [9]

The Kwee brothers via Pontiac Land Group own several luxury hotels in Singapore including Regent Singapore, Ritz-Carlton Millenia, the Conrad Centennial Singapore, and The Capella Singapore, as well as office blocks and malls, such as the Millenia Tower and the Centennial Tower. [1] PLG also developed and manage the Camden Medical Centre.

In October 2013, the Kwee brothers agreed to provide $300 million in equity, supported by an $860 million loan from a consortium of Asian banks to enable the 53 West 53 development in New York City. This is PLG's first major foray outside of Singapore amidst the tightening property market on the island state. [10] [11] In the Maldives, the Kwees developed the Fari Islands archipelago, anchored by luxury hospitality brands - Capella Hotels and Resorts, Patina Hotels & Resorts and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. [12] They are also redeveloping 2 of Sydney's historic sandstone buildings into a 240-room luxury hotel. [13]

Third generation of Kwees are represented by Evan Kwee, son of Kwee Liong Tek and maternal grandson of George Aratani. [14] Evan Kwee is a director of Pontiac Land Group and the executive director of Capella Hotel Group, [2] and is married to Claudia Sondakh. [2] His older sister Melissa Kwee is a social activist [15] and was chief executive officer of the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre in Singapore. [16] [17] She is also a director on Pontiac Land Group. [18] One of their cousins, Leland Kwee, is a director of Patina Hotels and Resorts, and investor. [19] [20]

Kwee Liong Keng's daughters Kwee Wei Lin [21] and Kwee Su-Lin [3] both hold senior positions at PLG. [3] [22]

According to Forbes , the Kwee family have a net worth of $5.8 billion, as of July 2019. [1] The Kwee brothers reside in Singapore. [1] The family support educational causes, arts and cultural causes, social causes and humanitarian causes. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sentosa</span> Island of Singapore

Sentosa Island, known mononymously as Sentosa, and formerly Pulau Blakang Mati, is an island located off the southern coast of Singapore's main island. The island is separated from the main island of Singapore by a channel of water, the Keppel Harbour, and is adjacent to Pulau Brani, a smaller island wedged between Sentosa and the main island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts</span> Canadian headquartered international hotel chain.

Four Seasons Hotels Limited, trading as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, is a Canadian luxury hotel and resort company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Four Seasons currently operates more than 100 hotels and resorts worldwide. Since 2007, Bill Gates and Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal have been majority owners of the company. As of January 2022, Cascade Investment owns 71.25% and Kingdom Holding Company owns 23.75% of the hotel and resort company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyatt</span> American multinational hospitality company

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational hospitality company headquartered in the Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vacation properties. Hyatt Hotels & Resorts is one of the businesses managed by the Pritzker family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts</span> Hotel chain

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is a multinational hospitality company, founded in 1971 by tycoon Robert Kuok. It is a subsidiary of Kerry Properties, the company has over 100 luxury hotels and resorts with over 40,000 rooms in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and Oceania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millenia Tower</span> Commercial offices in Temasek Avenue, Singapore

Millenia Tower is a 218 m (715 ft), 41-storey skyscraper at Marina Centre in Singapore next to Promenade MRT station. The building is located in Millenia Singapore, and is the centrepiece of the development, less than 20 minutes from Singapore Changi Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conrad Centennial Singapore</span> Building in Temasek Boulevard, Singapore

Conrad Centennial Singapore (Chinese：康莱德酒店) is a hotel located in the Downtown Core, Marina Centre, Singapore. The hotel has 512 guest rooms including 25 suites, and 31 floors with two basements. It was designed by Johnson Burgee Architects, and completed in 1996. The hotel's carpark is shared with Millenia Walk. Conrad Centennial shares the same laundry services with sister hotel, The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore. Both hotels are owned by the same owner, Pontiac Land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore</span> Hotel in Downtown Core, Singapore

The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore is a 32 floor luxury hotel located at Millenia Singapore, Marina Centre, Singapore. The hotel is run by The Ritz-Carlton group of hotels, and it has won several awards. The hotel was opened in 1996, developed and owned by the Kwee brothers' company Pontiac Land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company</span> American multinational luxury hotel chain

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC is an American multinational company that operates the luxury hotel chain known as The Ritz-Carlton. The company has 117 luxury hotels and resorts in 36 countries and territories with 29,158 rooms, in addition to 46 hotels with 8,755 rooms planned for the future.

Adrian Willem Ban Kwie Lauw-Zecha, better known as Adrian Zecha, is an Indonesian hotelier and founder of several international hotel companies including Regent Hotels, GHM Hotels, Aman Resorts, and Azerai Resorts, among others. Zecha was also part-owner of the renowned London’s Dorchester Hotel, and Bangkok’s The Sukhothai Hotel through his investment company.

Aman Resorts is the trading entity of Aman Group Sarl, a Swiss-headquartered multinational hospitality company. Founded by Indonesian hotelier Adrian Zecha in 1988, the company operates 34 properties in 20 countries. Vladislav Doronin is the chief executive officer, chairman, and owner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centennial Tower (Singapore)</span> Commercial offices in Temasek Avenue, Singapore

Centennial Tower is a 158 m (518 ft), 37 storey high-rise office skyscraper in the central business district of Singapore. It is located on 3 Temasek Avenue, in the zone of Marina Centre. The building is nearby other skyscrapers such as Millenia Tower, and Suntec City.

Kwee or KWEE may refer to:

Kwee Tek Hoay was a Chinese Indonesian Malay-language writer of novels and drama, and a journalist.

<i>Boenga Roos dari Tjikembang</i> (novel) Malay-language novel by Kwee Tek Hoay

Boenga Roos dari Tjikembang is a 1927 vernacular Malay-language novel written by Kwee Tek Hoay. The seventeen-chapter book follows a plantation manager, Aij Tjeng, who must leave his beloved njai (concubine) Marsiti so that he can be married. Eighteen years later, after Aij Tjeng's daughter Lily dies, her fiancé Bian Koen discovers that Marsiti had a daughter with Aij Tjeng, Roosminah, who greatly resembles Lily. In the end Bian Koen and Roosminah are married.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millenia Singapore</span>

Millenia Singapore is an integrated landmark development of Pontiac Land Group, nested in the Downtown Core of Singapore. It sits on land reclaimed in the 1970s from Marina Bay with five buildings designed by award-winning architects Kevin Roche, Thom Mayne, Philip Johnson and John Burgee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Hotel Alliance</span>

Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) is the world's largest alliance of hotel brands. Based on the airline alliance model, it was founded in 2004 by four hotel chains, Kempinski, Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts, Rydges Hotels & Resorts, and Wyndham International. GHA uses a shared technology platform for its member brands, and operates a multi-brand loyalty programme, GHA DISCOVERY, which has over 24 million members, as of June 2023. The alliance encompasses more than 800 upscale and luxury hotels, across 40 brands in 100 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Regis Hotels & Resorts</span> Luxury hotel

St. Regis Hotels & Resorts is an American multinational luxury hotel chain, owned and managed by Marriott International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capella Resort, Singapore</span> Hotel and resort located on Sentosa Island, Singapore

Capella Singapore is a luxury resort hotel situated in 30 acres (12 ha) of grounds and gardens located on Sentosa Island, Singapore. It has 112 manors, suites and guestrooms designed by Norman Foster. It was developed by Pontiac Land and officially opened in March 2009. Capella Singapore's long-stay accommodation arm, The Club at Capella Singapore comprises 81 serviced apartments, penthouses and manors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raffles Hotels & Resorts</span> Luxury hotel chain

Raffles Hotels & Resorts is a Singaporean chain of luxury hotels which traces its roots to 1887 with the opening of the original Raffles Hotel in Singapore. The company started to develop internationally in the late 1990s. Since 2015, Raffles is part of Accor.

COMO Hotels and Resorts is a Singapore-based company that operates hotels in Australia, Bhutan, Indonesia, Italy, the Maldives, Thailand, Turks and Caicos, the United Kingdom and the United States. The company was founded by Christina Ong in 1991.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Kwee family". Forbes. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Staff, Forbes. "Next Tycoons: Singaporean Evan Kwee's Passion For Design". Forbes. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Pontiac Land makes its mark in US with style". The Straits Times. 13 May 2015. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "CONDOLENCES". 19 April 1988. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "Kwee Liong Keng". Singapore Tatler. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "Marriage unites two wealthy families". Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  7. ↑ "MFA Press Statement: Appointment of Singapore's Non-Resident Ambassador to the Republic of Poland". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  8. ↑ "Kwee Liong Tek". Singapore Tatler. Archived from the original on 11 March 2017.
  9. ↑ "Berkeley Haas Alumni Hall of Fame". 7 April 2020.
  10. ↑ migration (13 May 2015). "Pontiac Land makes its mark in US with style". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  11. ↑ "Singapore Billionaires Want A Piece Of The New York Sky". Forbes. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  12. ↑ Asia, T. T. G. "Pontiac Land to launch luxury resort Fari Islands in the Maldives | TTG Asia". www.ttgasia.com. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  13. ↑ Rashiwala, Kalpana. "Shaping the skyline here and overseas". The Business Times. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  14. ↑ "George Tetsuo ARATANI's Obituary on Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  15. ↑ Tan, Jessica (6 March 2009). "Life's Calling". Forbes. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  16. ↑ "Jetsetting with ... NVPC's CEO Melissa Kwee". TODAYonline. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  17. ↑ "2007 Melissa Kwee – Her World Woman of The Year". womanoftheyear.herworldplus.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  18. ↑ Teo, Esther (30 April 2013). "New luxury hotel for landmark Capitol site, part of $750m redevelopment project". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  19. ↑ "Singapore start-up BeMyGuest raises total of S$11.5 million after Series A funding". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  20. ↑ "The Patina, Thanburudhoo, brings new luxury to the Maldives". Breaking Travel News. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  21. ↑ "The Final Blog From Singapore - The Martha Stewart Blog". www.themarthablog.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  22. ↑ "Chope the good food" . Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  23. ↑ "Liong Tek Kwee | Wealth-X". Wealth-X. 23 October 2015. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.