Kismet in Khiva

Former news anchor and serial entrepreneur Timothy Go launches his first boutique hotel in Uzbekistan.

- ADI MOVLAMOVA

As legend has it, Khiva in Uzbekistan was born from a vision. In biblical times, Shem, one of Noah’s sons, founded the city after having dreamed of a fire. Timothy Go is also connected to Khiva in western Uzbekistan by flames. On his first trip to this ancient city along the Silk Road in 2018, the former news anchor and serial entrepreneur dreamed of leaves burning. Five years later, he’s back, this time to set down financial roots. “Noah’s son built the city after having dreamed of a fire. Now, here I am, opening a hotel,” says Go.

It all started after a chance encounter on his first visit when Go left his hotel room looking for Wi-Fi and struck up life-altering conversations with a young Uzbek in the lobby. They realised they had the same dream of opening a hotel and clicked over their ambitions, so they decided to take the plunge.

Go and Muhammad Ali Erkinov opened Hotel Bankir Khiva this March. The name, meaning “banker” in Russian, was inspired by the fact that both had bankers in the family and the street where the building was located was known locally as “where the banker lives”. Go calls the events leading up to the meeting with his business partner “destiny”.

ECLECTIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP 

While being a hotelier is uncharted territory, the Singapore-based entrepreneur is familiar with the trials of a start-up, having launched a business every few years since leaving the television news broadcasting industry in 2016.