Ho was able to overcome the conservative business conditions and "cracked Hawaii's bamboo curtain and gained a toehold in the haole establishment; he was the first Oriental named a trustee of one of Hawaii's landed estates, the huge Robinson estate, a bastion of Hawaiian conservatism.
Three years later, he bought $1.2 million of stock in the Waianae Sugar Company, the first time an Asian had executed such a large purchase.
The building is featured in the balcony scene during the opening credits of the TV show Hawaii Five-O.
"[3] Ho was popularly considered to be the inspiration for the character Hong Kong Kee in James Michener's novel, Hawaii.
He changed his name to Chinn Ho later, to adopt the Western practice of placing the surname last.