Background

A native of Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

, Chang dropped out of high school to help his parents manage a Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 hotel.

Prior to becoming a developer in New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, Chang operated hotels and restaurants in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. His first New York project was in 1997.

Business

Chang is the chairman of McSam Hotel Group, and is one of the largest hotel developers in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. His company has completed 25 hotels in the five boroughs, with a stated goal of at least 50. He currently has 4,000 rooms under development for a variety of national hotel chains.

Many of Chang's hotels are designed by New York architects Gene Kaufman and Michael Kang. Tritel Construction (of which he is a 50% partner) handles much of the construction.

Chang was honored as a 2007 "Developer of the Year" by Hilton Hotels

Hilton Hotels

Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...

, for the multiple Hilton properties he is developing in Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

 and Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

.

Investments

Chang has a 7.5 percent stake in Trump Entertainment Resorts

Trump Entertainment Resorts

Trump Entertainment Resorts, Inc. is a holding company that owns and manages two casinos/hotels in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. Formerly known as Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts, it was founded by Donald J. Trump, who was Chairman of the Board of Directors until his resignation in 2009....

. In February 2009, Trump Entertainment filed for bankruptcy relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy code. In March 2009, Chang told Forbes he had lost $50 million in the investment.