It's All in the Family

Justin Ma’s latest hotel, The Arca, is now open in Wong Chuk Hang. The founder and CEO of the Yulan Group reveals how his close friendship with his father, tycoon William Ma, is the cornerstone of his business

- Tara Sobti

When the doors of The Arca swung open in May, it was immediately clear that it was the brainchild of someone obsessed with art and design. The stylish property is the latest art-filled and design-focused hotel opened by Justin Ma, founder of hospitality company the Yulan Group, who says he is creating “a new breed of hospitality experiences” with the business.

The Arca has 187 rooms with sweeping views of both Aberdeen Harbour and the mountains of Southern District. Inside, the rooms were created by local studio Design Eight Five Two and combine an earthy colour palette of greys, peach and copper with timber furniture to create raw yet cosy spaces.

“We want people to feel comforted and welcomed, and good art and design has a way of doing that. It plays a big part in creating a world-class hospitality experience,” says 29-year-old Justin, whose love for unique getaways was fostered at a young age. “As a kid, I was lucky enough to travel around the world with my family, and my favourite part of each trip was getting to experience new hotels. I think that’s when I became passionate about becoming a hotelier.”

As the son of property magnate William Ma—chairman and chief executive of Tai Sang Land Development—Justin could have used his family name alone to gain access to the industry. However, he was determined to start from the bottom, so he studied hospitality management at the University of San Francisco. After graduating, he worked on the front desk of Hong Kong co-working space The Hive, eventually becoming its community manager. Today, he serves as head of business development at Tai Sang Land Development and is also an angel investor in ChargeSpot, the world’s first mobile power bank rental service provider.