Choo Chong Ngen
Overview
- Source of Wealth
- Hotels
- Industry
- Real Estate
- Residence
- Singapore
- Marital Status
- Married
- Children
- 4
Biography
Hotel tycoon Choo Chong Ngen made his fortune in textiles before launching his Hotel 81 budget chain in Geylang, Singapore's red-light district.
He has expanded into the mid-tier market, introducing five more hotel brands since 2009.
His privately held hotel empire, now called Worldwide Hotels, which daughter Carolyn has been helping him run since 2002, has 41 hotels across the island.
Since 2017, he has expanded into Australia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand, with eleven hotels managed by brands like Travelodge and Holiday Inn.
In 2024, Worldwide Hotels opened the world's largest Mercure hotel with 989 rooms at Singapore's trendy Club Street in the central business district.
About
Choo dropped out of school to become a fishmonger to help make ends meet at home.
In 1995, he opened his first Hotel 81 using the unit number of his home at the time.