By Judy Clabes
NKyTribune editor
Hotel entrepreneur Shaun Pan is a quiet, unassuming, modest, and enterprising man who prefers to “stay in the background.” He is quick to credit “incredible luck,” a terrific team, and a supportive family for his success, and that, of course is part of it. But add to that, years of hard work, a keen business acumen, a hard focus on doing the right thing, and his strong sense of place, and you get a NKyTribune NewsMaker of the year.
The City of Newport and Pan’s colleagues in the hospitality industry marvel at the difference he has made — and is continuing to make — in the region. They call his handsome Hampton Inn hotel the “Gateway to Newport.”
“Shaun Pan is a phenomenal hotel entrepreneur and his projects are a testament to his vision of creating welcoming spaces for visitors,” said Julie Kirkpatrick President & CEO of meetNKY. “Shaun is passionate about not just creating a beautiful hotel product, he prides himself on setting the standard for hospitality which you can see in the high customer reviews on Google and Trip Advisor. He is also woven into the community where he builds and that says a lot about his strong ‘place-first’ focus.”
Pan immigrated to the region in the late 1970s, as a 12-year-old, following his mother who had come two years earlier from Taiwan to help her brother in his restaurant business in Kettering. His dad was a mechanical engineer.
As a junior high school student, the young Pan worked in the restaurant, too — serving water, cooking fried rice, and chopping onions. He still claims a certain practiced skill at “onion chopping,” but his tastes now run to steak and potatoes.
The family’s hotel story starts in 1980 when his parents bought a 21-unit hotel in Evendale, followed by another 53-unit hotel in 1981. Those hotels, he said, put him and his two siblings — a younger brother and sister — through college. He graduated from Ohio State in international business, having discovered no aptitude for engineering.
Pan, his brother, and two cousins eventually bought a hotel — and “got lucky” that they were able to purchase a Hampton franchise for it in 2016. As street improvements were being made — and a roundabout built — chaos reigned, but they made plans for a grand new Hampton Inn on the old Travelodge site — and the beautiful 122-room Hampton Inn & Suites emerged. It has become one of the top tourist-destination hotels in NKY.
With the tourist-magnet Aquarium close by and The Ark and Creation Museum bringing in tourists by the busload, the inn maintains healthy and steady bookings.
In the process, NKY Hospitality Inc., an LLC, emerged with Pan in charge, his brother, Lee, head of purchasing, and sister, Lynn, head of accounting. Another hotel, Tru by Hilton, in Sharonville expanded their portfolio in 2019. The man who calls himself “the front man,” credits his team which includes his v.p. of operations, Valerie Orr, and his wife Shirley and their three grown daughters.
Recently, Pan put his seasoned eye — and his love for Newport — on a well-placed, but under-used, block in downtown, a prime spot that has largely sat vacant for 25 years — bordered by Monmouth, York, Fourth and Fifth streets. It ultimately spawned World Peace Hospitality LLC. Leading his group, Pan bought the entire block and put his fertile imagination — and considerable expertise — to creation of an ambitious plan.
The plan initially included the iconic Peace Bell, but its owners ultimately removed it from the site because it needs to undergo extensive repairs. An alternative site on the riverfront is being considered, once it has been rehabilitated.
Still, Pan calls the downtown block the World Peace site and has fulsome plans. He has worked collaboratively with Newport officials to achieve all their best hopes and dreams.
Shaun Pan is a very good listener.
At the groundbreaking for the project, Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli Jr. said, “This is a huge step forward for Newport. It took a lot of work to get there, but we are nearing the finish line.”
“We appreciate Shaun Pan and his partners stepping up to the plate and helping the City achieve our vision in developing this consequential property,” said City Manager Tom Fromme. “This site has been a parking lot for 25 years and will now be an impressive, mixed-use development.”
The plans, which Pan continues to examine every day, include two hotels — Hampton brands, Home2Suites and TRU. A 207-room hotel will have a very large garage, with parking spaces set aside for the City’s use. He is working with a well regarded local development group for the amenity space, the offices, and a 97-unit apartment complex that are part of the mixed-use block. In the hotel lobby, there will be a special feature marking the spot where the World Peace Bell once rang.
Pan says it’s a “Win, Win Win” for everyone — and that’s what he wants.
His can-do attitude and his own winning ways are among the many reasons The NKyTribune is honoring Shaun Pan as a 2024 NewsMaker of the Year.
Tomorrow: NewsMaker Jason Payne