Henry Kallan

Owner, HK Hotels

Talk to me about what you do as owner/operator of HK Hotels?

I try to create opportunities to develop new hotels. Obviously we look at prime properties, townhouses, office buildings, but my passion’s always been hotels. So I’ve been fortunate enough for the last twenty years or so I’ve been on my own. Looked at up and coming neighborhoods such as 21st Street, 46th Street, around Grand Central, around Park Avenue.. I think the fun part for me is and always has been, even though I enjoy the business, is creating something. Taking an old building and creating something which everybody will admire and enjoy, to be willing to stay there. So the other part of my day is typically making sure that the people who manage our hotels, they do a good job. So I’m in touch with them, talk to them about how the hotels are doing, what needs to be accomplished with respect to maintaining the property, making sure that the aesthetic aspect of the hotels are always where they should be.

Talk a little bit about how your hotels are different from other NY hotels?

I think it may have been different for very simple reason. First of all the size, they were small. They were hotels anywhere from fifty rooms to about a hundred five rooms. I think the type of ambience we hope to create anytime we do a project, as someone said in the past, I think it was defining of Kimpton hotels that people come to your hotel many times hungry, lonely and tired. And they expect to be taken care of. And I think in a small hotel you can do that. It’s not like checking into a big Hyatt or Marriott or Ritz-Carlton, 400 rooms. And it’s very difficult for the staff to focus on individuals and make them feel not only at home, but make them feel important and welcome and we can do that with the number of rooms we have in our hotels.

Did you know you wanted this to be your career when you were growing up?

I know during my school years, vacation, summer, summertimes I used to work in hotels. I grew up dealing with people and I enjoyed helping them. So I realized that maybe this was something I could do in the future. Of course I never dreamed in those days of being in Communist ruled Czechoslovakia that I could ever end up in New York one day and own several hotels. My dream became a reality in 1968, when we finally arrived in New York. Of course the beginning was pretty tough. No language ability, didn’t know anyone here, so we just took any types of jobs, and were lucky to make a living and have food on the table. But being young and sometimes ignorant is a blessing. You are strong and optimistic, you simply just go about your business.

Can you talk about the experience of coming here and working your way up?

What kept me going was I think the fear of not having the kind of life which I envisioned for myself. And I think fear is a tremendous motivating factor in life as I think. I remember having $20 in my pocket because I made a lot of money being in Europe, and I also was a professional soccer player, but I gave that up. My English improved and I took a position as a waiter in a hotel, the Peninsula Hotel. And I was fortunate because I was able to move on to the Plaza Hotel, where a Czech gentleman was the director of food and beverage, and I just sort of called him up out of the blue and he was kind enough to receive me.. From there on of course I worked at the Hotel Pierre, I worked at the Del Monico, and I worked for the Tisch Corporation, and so forth and I worked in every capacity in every possible job and I worked extremely hard. I think sort of what I realized getting ahead in life is, I never worried about who worked how hard next to me and how much money they made because I always had the confidence that for me this was just a stepping stone to the next and it would be better for me in the future.

How did you decide to go into designing, building and owning your own hotels?

I think as I was getting ahead in the industry I realized I ‘m good at some things and not so good at other things. And I was always good managing people ‘cause I always felt for them. I had the opportunity to buy a hotel with someone that his father approached me that he son’s buying the building on 92nd Street and Madison Avenue which was the Hotel Wales, which was the first sort of real little boutique European style hotel in New York, with the free complimentary breakfast, wine and cheese and chamber music in the afternoon. So it was a big success and that opened my eyes again to realize that I could do this on my own.

What do you look for in staff?

I think the, the most underlying quality I look for in an individual in my business is a happy personality. I think a very important aspect of running the business is to allow them or to make sure that they are empowered to make decisions on their own because otherwise they don’t feel part of the team and part of the decision making process and that takes a lot of energy away. And I think that running any business but especially hotels is a lot like show business. If there’s no energy there’s no life.

What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?

I think you have to believe in yourself. You have to do things in a way that you believe that you can do it. Positive attitude is very very important. So I think to succeed is simply, I believe is to want to make sure that you think in terms that anything is possible, and you commit yourself to it. And you do whatever is necessary…I truly believe that whatever you want to achieve or whatever you dream about in life, it’s waiting for you. You have to sort of prepare yourself to sort of face the challenges on the way to get there but it’s already there.

Do you find your job fulfilling?

Very much so. I don’t see my position or my activities as a job. I see it as something I love to do. The day goes by so fast that I wish that the day has 48 hours, not 24 hours, and I consider myself a very, very fortunate person.