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Hotels
Hotel Corner
Meet Jørgen Christensen, General Manager of Mira Moon Hotel
Jørgen Christensen, “Scandinavian to the bones” General Manager of the just-opened Mira Moon Hotel, finds his home in Asia
I am a Scandinavian – born in Sweden, grew up in Denmark and baptised on Norway’s national holiday!
It was a desire to see the world that sparked my interest in the industry, and a lot of Scandinavians have that. Half the year we have no sun at all, so we tend to go off and explore.
I got into the travel business at a very early age, travelling whenever I had the opportunity. I worked in France, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, the US, Thailand and Maldives. Eventually I went to Switzerland, and spent three years there to get myself a bachelor of arts in hospitality management from a Swiss hotel school.
I wanted to move to Asia because I was inspired by its history, traditions, and the allure of the Hong Kong handover, which was on everyone’s lips when I was continuing my studies in the United Kingdom.
When I first came to Hong Kong I flew into the old Kai Tak airport – that was amazing. I watched how people in Sham Shui Po were brushing their teeth as we were landing!
My management style is strongly influenced by the Scandinavian management perspective which is based on trust and on giving people opportunities. There aren’t very many people back home, so each person needs to take a lot of responsibility in order for things to get done.
Viking blood runs through my veins, and that’s why I love to sail, even here in Hong Kong. I’ve always enjoyed the small boats, because then you’re closest to the water, but I have also learned to sail the really big boats here. I like being at the helm, taking the role of tactician. My favourite place to sail here is in Sai Kung.
I would tell people visiting to get out there and experience the natural habitat of Hong Kong. It’s very easy to see and think of the city as a shopping mecca, and surely it has its culinary delights, but it is really seeing and experiencing Hong Kong’s fauna and flora that is truly special.
