Hanno Soth Interview - The Bali Times
 The Bali Times Interviews Hanno Soth
November 2006
We visited with Hanno Soth at the offices of PT. Hanno Bali and C151 Resorts in the posh Oberoi neighborhood of Bali, at the companies land mark office building overlooking their new ultra luxurious C151 Resort. As we drove up to the property, on the top of the 4 story glass building’s sat the company helicopter – the set up looked like something out of a James Bond movie. However, to our surprise we did not find a short bald Dr. No running his an empire from a high tech chair, but a charming young man who although in his early 40’s looked years younger then his age and appeared to be amused by the look of surprise on our faces.
 The Bali Times : Are most people surprised when they meet you in person?
Hanno Soth : Yes, I suppose they are. Many people tell me they expect to meet someone of Asian decent and a bit older.
The Bali Times : Where are you from?
Hanno Soth : I was born in Germany grew up in Canada, USA - Hawaii.
The Bali Times : How did you come to live in Bali?
Hanno Soth : I first came to Bali in the early 90’s on a surfing vacation. I had been involved in some nasty litigation over an estate with a Church in Hawaii - which left me disillusioned and questioning continuing my pursuit of law - so on the advice of a good friend, I packed up my surfboard and decided to go surfing in Bali. Like so many people I got the Bali bug and became a regular visitor to the island - eventually moving here.
The Bali Times : How do you go from being a surfer from Hawaii to running a huge development, resort and media company in Bali?
Hanno Soth: Well I guess I started by doing something I liked, which was chasing and developing real estate. Bali has some of the most beautiful real estate anywhere in the world and it did not take much for me to fall in love with a piece of land and start building.
The Bali Times : It could not have been easy coming from North America and setting up a business in Indonesia?
Hanno Soth: No - it was not easy. When I first moved to Bali it was just before the Asian economic crisis when Soharto was removed from power. Once things settled down we experienced the tragedy of the terror attacks which further devastated Bali economy. This coupled with a tremendous language and cultural learning curve it was not easy, but perseverance led to some fantastic opportunities.
The Bali Times : We understand that your company owns and is developing a number of Islands of the coast of Singapore. How did you get involved with Islands?
Hanno Soth : We starting looking at Islands a few years ago. Private Islands have a great appeal and as you know Indonesia is made up of more then 17,000 Islands, one more stunning then the next. Initially we were very interested in Island off the coast of Lombok, but unfortunately due to bureaucracy we lost interest in Lombok and started concentrating our efforts in the areas closer to Singapore - where we felt tourism could be better developed. At the moment we are planning to develop the world’s first private Anti-Aging Island for the rich and famous, with the American Academy of Anti-Aging A4M.
The Bali Times : How does a resort company get involved in the Anti-Aging business?
Hanno Soth : Well the two businesses are actually quite a good fit. People with means want more then a spa and massage experience when they visit an upscale resort. Anti-Aging has moved from being seen as hocus pocus into being mainstream preventative medicine. Anti-Aging gives our clients another great reason to stay at our resorts.
The Bali Times : What is the idea behind the Anti-Aging Island?
Hanno Soth : Besides the obvious appeal of being on a private Island and receiving cutting edge treatments, the private Island provides our guests with privacy, comfort and convenience. The latest and greatest treatments are a the moment still only affordable to the very wealthy so we are catering to their whims.
The Bali Times : You look very young, do you take any Anti-Aging treatments yourself?
Hanno Soth : Thanks, of course I am taking treatments. Anyone who has studied Anti-Aging will tell you that the science supports taking treatments and it makes a difference how one looks and feels.
The Bali Times : Where do you see you company over the next 5 years?
Hanno Soth : Our company has substantial land holdings in Bali. We see our selves continuing to develop resort and residential projects in Bali as well as other prime areas throughout Asia including our numerous islands. In Bali the government has set a target for Bali to become the #1 Tourist Destination in the world by the year 2011. I really believe this is achievable since Bali is such a unique destination and PT. Hanno Bali and C151 Resorts are poised to be a big part of this effort.
The Bali Times : What is your latest project in Bali?
Hanno Soth : At the moment we are just about to start construction on our two Beach Clubs in Bali – which will be very exciting and a lot of fun.
The Bali Times : Have you ever considered taking your company public?
Hanno Soth : No – we are happy to be a privately held company. We are growing at a fast enough pace and are enjoying what we are doing for the moment.
The Bali Times : How many people work for your companies?
Hanno Soth : We have around 1000 employees at the moment – but that includes our construction workers. We try to minimize our core operational group as much as we can.
- Read full Hanno Soth article in The Bali Times here |
