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Feature: Hotel shows manager's adventurous spirit

Le Midi Hotel's pool was among the many facilities that had to be renovated or rebuilt after the Nantou County hotel was severely damaged by mudslides and flooding brought by Typhoon Toraji in July 2001. PHOTO: JACKIE LIN, TAIPEI TIMES

Standing in front of Le Midi Hotel's (米堤大飯店) splendid six-floor complex with green mountains as its lush backdrop, one could hardly imagine that this five-star hotel had been deserted for more than four years.

Having survived heavy rainfall brought by Typhoon Herb in July 1996 and the devastating 921 earthquake in 1999, Le Midi was seriously damaged when Typhoon Toraji swept through the nation in late July 2001, with mudslides and floods that slammed Nantou County in particular.

Located over 1,000m above sea level in Luku Township (鹿谷), Le Midi turned into a dark abandoned building overnight, with marks left by mud and water everywhere.

"I could hardly reach one-tenth of the lobby before I had to turn around and move toward the entrance," general manager Lee Li-yu (李麗裕) said, recounting his first impressions of the extensive damage.

Windows were broken, tiles peeled or swollen due to water leakage, and the big outdoor pool was full of mud.

"Fixing leaks and getting bulking tiles back to the normal shape are not as easy as people think. Rebuilding a damaged hotel is actually more difficult than constructing a new one from scratch."

Roger Lin, assistant executive general manager of Le Midi Hotel

The hotel might have looked beyond repair, but after many rounds of deliberation, Lee and his younger brother Lee Li-sheng (李麗生), now the hotel's chairman, decided to take it over from its previous operator, Shin An Entertainment Ltd (新安育樂事業), as the price was very attractive.

"Compared with the hotel's original construction cost of NT$2.7 billion [US$80 million], the price they demanded was relatively cheap and therefore we decided to buy it," Lee Li-yu said during a media tour last week.

He declined to disclose the exact figure but said they had forked out more than NT$400 million, including nearly NT$100 million for the lobby alone, since the rebuilding project began last March with the aim of recapturing the glamour it once had.

One major public relations point will be the two giant stone lions, each weighing thousands of kilograms, standing in front of the hotel, Lee Li-yu said.

Originally posed as auspicious guardians on either side of the main entrance, the female lion on the left was miraculously caught by her male partner on the right, instead of being washed down the road by mudslides during Typhoon Toraji.

Lee Li-yu decided not to move the two "lovers" from their side-by-side position, and has arranged an engagement party for the lions to turn them into a symbol of love for couples visiting the hotel.

Now the reconstruction has entered its final stage and all the 243 guest rooms -- except the presidential suites on the top floor -- are ready for the trial run period. A grand opening ceremony is scheduled for September, or October at the latest, to mark the rebirth of what the operator claimed to be a 14th century French-style palace.

With such a high-stake investment, the Lee brothers are novices competing against numerous veterans on the market. Owners of the Rong Hsin Group (榮鑫集團), with businesses ranging from textile to real estate to creditors' rights, the Lee family is entering Taiwan's competitive hotel industry for the first time.

The only hotel-related business Lee Li-yu, the general manager, has ever been involved in before was a hotel he purchased in 1984 for several million US dollars -- purely for investment purposes -- outside of Seattle, Washington.

"During my decade-long ownership, I entrusted my uncle to manage it and never set foot in the hotel. After about 12 years, I sold it, making over US$1 million," the 55-year-old businessman said.

He also proudly recalled how key Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) figures, including President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), former DPP chairman Shih Ming-teh (施明德) and others stayed in his hotel when they visited Seattle.

This time, he has decided to participate in every part of Le Midi's management, hiring several top executives from other five-star hotels to help make up for his lack of experience.

Roger Lin (林榮洲), former vice general manager of Chateau Beach Resort Kenting (墾丁夏都), joined the team as assistant executive general manager last September when Le Midi faced its most challenging phase of reconstruction.

"Fixing leaks and getting bulking tiles back to the normal shape are not as easy as people think. Rebuilding a damaged hotel is actually more difficult than constructing a new one from scratch," said Lin, who has been in the hotel industry for nearly 40 years since entering it at age 17.

As the hardest hit area during the 921 Earthquake and Typhoon Toraji, Nantou has recovered well.

Lin said Le Midi could rake in sales of NT$500 million per annum and break even in three to six years, with more than 85 percent of its guests expected to be domestic tourists.

Despite competitors' optimism that the opening of Taiwan to Chinese tourists could benefit the domestic tourism industry, Lin said Le Midi would target the recreational and conference needs of Taiwanese, since the location is a bit far from where most international tourists travel.

Lee Li-yu suspects that Chinese travelers will head to Sun Moon Lake, which is 30 to 40 minutes by car from Le Midi, while Taiwanese tourists generally prefer a "forest shower" in Chitou Forest Recreational Area (溪頭森林遊樂區), which is only 500m from the hotel.

Lee Li-yu's new business venture also seems to have stimulated great interest in him.

"Now I've had several hotel ventures in negotiation, including some new ones and the possibility of taking over others from their current operators. Decisions will be made when Le Midi's operation is on track," Lee Li-yu said. "I believe my adventurous spirit will make many things happen."
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