“What is needed is “a practical way of doing good”.” – What Andrew guards and what he believes helps take the world further.

Andrew Jones, Guardian, Sanctuary Resorts, Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong is a busy place and so is its hotel and restaurant scene. Both are big, expensive, glamorous, visited by the world and adhering to high standards. A management position with one of the big hotel chains is a quite attractive job that many would wish to have. Andrew Jones had one and left it to lead a small organisation helping to solve community issues around the world through the vehicle of tourism, by establishing and advising hospitality projects and small boutique hotels. The main focus is not the profit of these operations but what it is used for – that is providing livelihoods in the community through a sustainable financial source.
One of Andrew’s projects is a surfing and scuba diving resort in Indonesia, strongly integrated in the local community and combined with a fruitful know-how transfer; another is a boutique hotel in Cambodia that, apart from providing jobs, helps to finance the vocational schooling of local disadvantaged youth.
We asked Andrew what the most difficult thing was about leaving his career, finding a new path and actually starting the enterprise. “Nothing!” – came Andrew’s immediate response. “I just did it. Nobody said it was going to be easy.”

Enjoy reading some of Andrew’s thoughts in the selected quotations below and you may be able to read more in our book “MyImpact”.

Andrew’s selected quotations:
“In the midst of a successful business career the feeling became stronger: “What do I really want to do in my life? I reflected about what I can, and like to do: I like to work with people, keep physically and mentally fit, I care about the environment and am involved in community service (charity), I like to help others realize their potential and I want to have some fun (!). I realised I could do all of these things in a resort, so, the idea of Sanctuary Resorts was born as a combination of my skills and interests.”

It was as if I had been practicing for this my whole life, but just had not realised it!”

“For me Sanctuary Resorts is not only a profitable business, but also a way of giving back through my vocation.”

“I would have been satisfied if only one project would have worked out. Now we are happy to have more, as more people join us on our journey, although we lost some in the tsunami. But yes, nobody said it’s going to be easy.” As a friend once told me, “You have to have Elephant legs to stay the course”.

“I think the “global village” of our world is not really working. Its leaders are supposed to lead, but instead they just lead for their own profit and make money from others hard work. There is not much reciprocity in this and there is not much moral leadership in this world.”

“There is much talking about the issues of the world. What is needed is not only talking but “practical ways of doing good in the community”. If everyone contributes just a little bit more each day, that means we are moving ahead.”

“I can still do a better job but I definitely feel a sense of satisfaction.”

“Business and community need to interact to be successful, running a profitable business and contributing to the community is not in conflict. This is important to realize. It’s the way it’s meant to be.”

“If I have more benefits than you, it’s not going to be a satisfying long-term relationship.” “Everything we do has to be a win-win process”

“The moment of truth comes when you find out if you have actually made a difference.”

“I have this vision of a village resort. The first thing would be to find an abandoned village and then to revive it through tourism.”

Some background on Andrew Jones:
Andrew Jones is British by birth, and a Canadian citizen. After graduating from The Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies, he initially trained in Food & Beverage Management at the Waldorf Hotel in London, followed by two years as Food & Beverage Manager at the Elbow Beach Surf, Bermuda.
Andrew has worked with Hyatt International hotels and spent over twelve years in various management capacities with Westin Hotels & Resorts in Canada and Asia, culminating in the position of General Manager.
He has also consulted with many major hotel companies in Asia as Director of Hotel Operations for Pannell Kerr Forster, and as Managing Director of Pacific Rim Hospitality Management, his own consulting practice. Andrew spent three years as Vice President, Human Resources for Marco Polo Hotels, prior to founding Sanctuary Resorts.
Andrew Jones is Director, Asia Pacific Affairs for the International Hotel & Restaurant Association, and is associated with the Asia Pacific International Hotel Environment Initiative. He holds the Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) designation from the American Hotel & Motel Association, as is a Fellow of the Hotel and Catering International Management Association (FHCIMA).
In addition to his vocational activities Mr. Jones is a Past President of the Rotary Club of Kowloon, and Chairman of the KELY Support Group, a charity for young people in need and at risk in Hong Kong.

Some background on Sanctuary Resorts:
Sanctuary Resorts was founded by Andrew Jones with the vision to provide responsible and sustainable tourism projects where people can balance their body, mind and spirit in an environmentally friendly space.
The services and facilities provided at a Sanctuary Resort assist people wishing to maximize their potential – physically, spiritually and mentally – by rejuvenating their bodies and expanding their minds in a conducive, natural, healthy environment. This is accomplished by combining the elements of spa treatments, physical exercise and mind stimulating programs.
Sanctuary Resorts has a head office in Hong Kong through which a small, experienced and focused group of associates is available to each of the resorts.
Sanctuary Resorts is a company that was since its beginning very active in community projects, and with the establishment of the Foundation of International Responsible and Sustainable Tourism (FIRST) in 2005 it wanted to create something that will transcend the normal involvement of business in the community and help to create and support more pro-active and practical working models that demonstrate that "giving back" to the community is part of doing "good business" in the communities in which the companies employees live and work.

Some background on KELY:
The KELY Support Group stands for “Kids Everywhere Like You”. It is a bilingual charitable organization that provides support services to the youth of Hong Kong. It is its mission to provide a safe, non-judgmental environment where one can find the necessary guidance to explore the many concerns facing adolescents today, which include peer pressure, drug-related problems and relationship issues. Its services range from interactive group workshops to individual confidential sessions, all directed under the close supervision of KELY counselors.
KELY was established by youth, as a self-help group for drug and alcohol problems. In 1991 a young woman recovering from her own crisis, realized that she found support through telling her story to her peers. From this self-help group a peer network quickly developed as those previously reluctant to come forth now had a place to turn to and share their own experiences.
The areas of concern that are dealt with include drug and alcohol problems, behavioral and emotional issues, family relationship difficulties, academic pressures and peer relationship problems. KELY's approach is to encourage youth to help themselves through a variety of services where youth can have positive contact with their peers. The concepts of peer support and self-help remain at the core of KELY's work.

If you would like to engage with the work of Andrew Jones and Sanctuary Resorts or get to know more about them please visit www.sanctuaryresorts.com,
If you are interested in KELY’s work, please visit: www.kely.org,
or, for more specific opportunities, contact joanna.stefanska@myimpact.ch or wolfgang.hafenmayer@myimpact.ch directly.