Ex-CNA presenter Timothy Go owns this 22-room boutique hotel in Uzbekistan
Former CNA presenter Timothy Go, 49, who left the channel in 2016, has since gone on to start a series of businesses, from a Subway franchise outlet, to a tour agency and an online tech media platform.
And now, his latest project is this gorgeous hotel in Khiva, Uzbekistan. Timothy spoke to local luxury lifestyle magazine The Peak to share more about his new venture.
The hotel's just two months old
The hotel was opened in March this year by Timothy and his co-founder, Uzbekistani Muhammad Ali Erkinov. Named Hotel Bankir Khiva, The Peak describes the 22-room boutique hotel as “a modern homage to heritage”.
Timothy also shed more light about the reasons behind the hotel’s name. Both Timothy and Ali have bankers in their family, and the street the hotel is on happened to be known to the locals as “where the banker lives”.
Therefore, Timothy and Ali decided to include “Bankir”, which means “banker” in Russian, in the name.
Life in Khiva.
So, how did the opportunity to open a hotel in Khiva come about, and why was Timothy drawn to the city in the first place?
In 2018, Timothy first travelled to Khiva, a city with a population of 93,000, which has since been designated as a tourist capital of the Islamic world for 2024 by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
As he shared with The Peak, he had a chance encounter with Ali in a hotel lobby there, where they struck up “life-altering conversations”, which eventually led to them opening Hotel Bankir Khiva together.
Hotel Bankir Khiva overlooks the ancient walled city of Ichan Kala, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Speaking about the wonders of living next to such a historically significant location, Timothy shared: “There’s something to appreciate, walking the same path as legendary traders.”
8days.sg was unable to get the approximate prices for a night’s stay in the hotel as of press time.
Here's what your room at the hotel will look like.
Timothy, who now divides his time between Singapore and Uzbekistan, mused: “I feel like I’m starting over again and it makes me feel good. Most people would have settled down and thought about retirement.”
It typically takes about 12 - 16 hours to get to Uzbekistan from Singapore by plane. There's no direct flight and one would have to transit in either Kuala Lumpur or Seoul.
He went on to add: “If I could move to Singapore when I was 25 with neither money nor wisdom, I can do it now at 40-something with better financial stability and more wisdom.”
Timothy, who was born in Manila, Philippines, and grew up in Vancouver, Canada, moved to Singapore in 2001 to take on a news anchor job with CNA.
He went on to share that he even helped out with the construction of the three-storey hotel, by carrying lumber, and learning how to install tiles and chandeliers.
“Once our hotel was built, neighbours also took it upon themselves to upgrade their homes and surroundings,” Timothy said.
Left: The hotel's dining room. Right: The hotel's facade.
Photos: Timothy Go/Instagram, Hotel Bankir Khiva/Instagram
