Metro> Expats
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Metro> Expats
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Cruising to the top
By Ye Jun (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-26 08:04
He spent 14 years traveling the world on ship. From the Arctic to the Antarctic, he's been almost everywhere. He came to Beijing last September. After nearly a year, Regemorter, with 30 years of experience in the hotel business, still finds his work "very educational". "It's an environment different from either Europe or the Middle East," says the Belgian national, who has been an American resident for the past 30 years. "In Asia, you really have to develop your sense of diplomacy and patience. In America, business happens fast, and it is about what happens here and now; over here, it's a bit more cautious and slower, and involves a little research and relationship building. It's a different way to get things done." But, "oftentimes, business is more pleasant and courteous than in the West". Though people say a ship is a floating hotel, Regemorter finds a lot of difference between working on a ship and in a big city hotel. "On a cruise ship you live with the people you work with," he says. "You are the boss, the friend, the advisor, the surrogate father or big brother - all rolled in one. Everybody's away from family and may encounter difficult patches from time to time." The global economic downturn has made things difficult for international hotels in Beijing. "We in the hospitality business are at the end of the chain. For us to receive more customers, people will need to start doing business again so that in turn business people start traveling again." Despite optimistic estimates, Regemorter expects 2010 to be almost "flat", while 2011 might see a resurgence. "We'll need to manage carefully, and prepare ourselves for the recovery," he says. However, the hotelier says, it is when the business goes down that fine management skills become important. At a time when revenues go down, hotels should review operations, cut back on expenses and check on unnecessary waste while maintaining the same high service levels, he says. Meanwhile, the hotel has been nurturing relationships with existing clients while working on creating and adapting interesting and innovative services to attract new clients. "It's not a time when business comes knocking on your door; it's a time to go to find business and be convincing in new sales," he says. "It's a competitive environment. But it's good, because customers benefit from that." The Regent Beijing and Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing are hotels located right in the middle of Beijing on the busy Jinbao Jie. Besides a great location, Regemorter cites Regent's great tradition of excellent service as the hotel's advantage. "The luxury of Regent is what you find in the service: It gives you a feeling of satisfaction that everything is done just right." Currently, the hotel is creating special packages for customers from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan, in addition to other business groups coming to Beijing. Regemorter has plenty of experience working with Asian staff, because 70 percent of the employees on the cruise lines were from Asia. And he finds his Chinese employees "wonderful" to work with. "There is a profound interest and genuine desire on the employees' part to learn, grow, do well, and be pleasant, which I don't find in the West anymore," he says. "That creates a positive environment. And it gives an opportunity to pass on knowledge and develop staff. We often start with the basics, such as proper grooming, body language, mannerisms and go on to more technical standards and developing the ability to successfully multitask." He first visited Beijing in 2000, while on a cruise. He finds a huge difference in Beijing now. "It's an open city with a lot of trees, beautiful and clean," he says. "There's so much to see and experience" He particularly enjoyed the blue skies and plentiful sunlight of the past winter. He has been to Panjiayuan market, and the Silk and Yashow markets. He buys foreign goods at Jenny Lou's and gets supplies at Carrefour, where he finds good seafood and meat. Although he does not drive in Beijing, he's been many places in the capital. "It sometimes feels like a huge city made up of a lot of small villages," he says, referring to the different districts. "You don't need to go far to find anything." With 15 years of hotel F&B background, Regemorter finds Beijing's restaurants "incredible" and believes they offer a great variety. Among his favorites are Da Dong, Lei Garden and Made in China, besides Haidilao hotpot. He loves Peking roast duck, and spicy Sichuan and Hunan fares, although he still stays away from foods he considers adventurous, such as sea cucumber. He says that although he had to work every day on the cruises, he had a complete two months to himself after four months of work on the ship, which he spent with his family. Although they have not come to Beijing with him, he expects them to visit. For now, Regemorter says he wants to make the hotel successful. "I want to develop the business of the hotel the best we can, for the owners, for the company and for the employees who work here." The Regent Beijing is in its third year of operation. Regemorter believes that although the hotel is located in a beautiful area, this area is not yet driving huge business. "But I think we have a tremendous product." |
