专访宁波万豪酒店总经理李忠信及其团队
2010-07-06 15:05阅读：
宁波，浙江第二大城市，一个文化与经济并重的城市。作为浙江省经济文化重镇，宁波酒店行业的竞争也越来越激烈，此次我们采访了宁波酒店行业的执牛耳者——宁波万豪酒店总经理李忠信及其团队。让我们一同了解，是怎样的一个人和一个团队，用两年的时间，就让宁波万豪在宁波酒店行业中脱颖而出并成为佼佼者的。
宁波万豪酒店坐落于宁波市中央商务区中心的一幢39层全新多用途大楼，它是和义大道滨江商务休闲区的核心部分，东临姚江，南至宁波影都。整座酒店由德国gmp建筑事务所负责建筑，美国Hirsch
Bednar
Associates负责其室内设计，它拥有333间客房，其中39间为套房、另有一间大使套房及一间总统套房，并设有行政楼层，每间客房都享有秀丽的姚江景观。
李总之前历任万豪旗下上海扬子江万丽酒店驻店经理和副总、越南胡志明市万丽酒店运营总监等职位，这一次执掌宁波万豪，是他第一次担任万豪旗下酒店总经理一职。讲到由万丽到万豪，从驻店经理到总经理的双重提升，李总直言肩上的责任重大，也自信自己在万丽和万豪的工作经历会帮助他更好地带领宁波万豪走向成功，毕竟他为万豪工作了18年，骨子里已经是一个万豪人了。“我把青春献给了万豪。”李总如是说。这位儒雅的总经理谈起宁波和宁波万豪时，毫不掩饰的自豪和骄傲让他显得万分自信，“首先宁波各方面对万豪的进驻都表示了极大的欢迎，
因为随着宁波经济和政治地位的不断提高，这里需要一个真正的国际化的五星级酒店，而万豪作为世界上最优秀的酒店管理平台，理所当然是受到欢迎的。”
李总的自信并不是空穴来风的，宁波万豪开业至今仅仅两年的时间，在当地已经成为酒店业的领头羊，并且成功的举办了多次对宁波影响巨大的会议、活动等。比如新加坡总理来访宁波、美国海军司令到访都是宁波万豪负责会议、接待等事务。除了商务会议和政务接待之外，宁波万豪也致力于一般顾客中打造品牌亲和力，比如应对现在如火如荼的世界杯，酒店就推出了与之相呼应的世界杯在万豪的推广活动，“我本人是一个铁杆球迷，我觉得由我们提供一个空间，让喜欢足球的朋友和客人都聚在一起看足球、喝啤酒，是很惬意的事情，在这个世界杯开幕的第一天，来宾将近三百人，场面盛大。”
说到顾客和朋友，我们早有耳闻李总是一个很会交朋友的人，那么他是如何区别客户与朋友的呢？“我并不特别的区分顾客和朋友，往往是我们的顾客在接触了一阵子之后，就自然而然成为朋友。”其实，宁波万豪在开业之初，入住率等业绩都并不令人满意，是李总亲自上阵，不断的开拓、拜访客户，并通过个人魅力逐渐使客户成为朋友，并最终认可了宁波万豪的服务和品牌。这不仅仅是顾客为李总的人格魅力所征服，同时也离不开管理层的共同努力。
被问及曾在其他国际品牌酒店工作近十年的宁波万豪新任财务总监陈积文时，他表示：“我认为李总的工作态度和管理方式是我所认同和向往的，并且万豪的平台和发展前景我个人也非常看好，所以我毅然决定成为宁波万豪的一份子。”无独有偶，市场传讯经理吴嘉敏亦是如此。作为一名专业的公关，从酒店出去打拼一段时间后，最终还是回到万豪酒店，“当我刚从酒店行业走出去的时候，才发觉依然有很多新的知识需要学习，在奢侈品牌的工作经验，让我对酒店业的公关及品牌推广有了新的理解，我相信凭借我这些经验累积，我可以做得更好。正好李总又给了我这样一个机会，我还是回来了。”
听到这里我们已经非常好奇，这样受员工认可的总经理，是怎样开展管理工作的呢？他有什么独特的管理风格么？“谈不上管理风格,
虽然有很多员工说笑的说我是个工作狂，其实我只是目标明确，并且坚持信念。有时想法过于新颖，这时我的管理层会共同探讨及辅助，使之更好的实施，最终为酒店盈利。”当然，工作之外的李总是个非常有亲和力的人。和同事的关系都非常好，所以整个团队的集体作战意识也特别高。不仅仅对待同事，李总的个人魅力还体现在工作能力之上，就是这样一个“工作狂”，一个凭着坚定的信念在工作的人，使宁波万豪从开业时的冷落到现在的火热。在他的带领下，6月初刚过两周年生日的宁波万豪就获得了集团内和顾客的赞誉,
其中包括2009年第三季度宾客最满意指数奖及最佳登记入住感受奖。2010年开始至今，酒店在集团中依旧保持着最高的宾客满意指数。相对的经营业绩也从最早约40%的入住率提高到现在的80%，“泉”SPA也逐渐有了固定的客户群。我们可以说，宁波万豪的成功，是在李总带领下并且由整个高管团队共同努力无私付出而取得的成绩。
其实李总管理的秘诀就是坚持，当问到这句话时，他说：“我的坚持有三个方面：坚持让员工处在一个开心的氛围里；坚持服务本位意识，不要与客人斤斤计较；要相信自己的眼睛，不能相信自己的耳朵。”这样的领头人和他的团队，怎么会不成功呢？我们和李总以及其团队一样在期待着，期待宁波万豪成为宁波酒店业的最大传奇。
Ningbo, the second biggest city in Zhejiang
province, China, is a city with profound culture and prosperous
economy. As a stronghold of the culture and economy, the city of
Ningbo has witnessed the competition among the hotels heating up.
We interviewed Benny Lee, the acknowledged leader of the hotel
industry in Ningbo and his team, to find out how they managed to
establish Ningbo Marriott Hotel as one of the best in the local
hospitality industry within only two years.
Ningbo Marriott Hotel is located in the heart
of the central business district of Ningbo within a mixed-used
project containing a 39-story building that will house the hotel
and office space. The hotel will face the southern tip of Jiangbei
across the Yuyao River, which is now home to a newly-redeveloped
historic neighborhood housing trendy restaurants and entertainment
spots. Within walking distance is Tianyi Square, Ningbo’s main
shopping area. The project architect is GMP Architects, and Hirsch
Bednar Associates is the interior design firm. There are 333 guest
rooms in the hotel, including 39 suites, one executive deluxe suite
and one Executive Suite on executive floors with a stunning river
view.
Mr. Benny Lee has taken office as Resident
Manager and Deputy General Manager of Renaissance Yangtze Shanghai
Hotel, and Director of Operations at Renaissance Riverside Saigon
Hotel, HCM City, Vietnam under Marriott Inc. This is the first time
for him to take the role of the general manager at a
Marriott-flagged hotel. Talking of his dual promotion from
Renaissance to Marriott and from resident manager to general
manager, Mr. Lee said frankly about the great responsibility upon
his shoulders. As a loyal member of the Marriott group who spent
his 18 year career in Marriot, he has firm confidence to lead
Ningbo Marriott Hotel to a greater success. “I devoted my youth to
the Marriot Group”, Mr. Lee said. The pride and excitement on his
face make him look so confident and determined as he began to talk
about the city of Ningbo and Ningbo Marriott Hotel. “Marriott’s
entrance was widely welcome in Ningbo, because the city needed an
international five star hotel as its economic strength and
political position had improved rapidly. And as one of the best
hotel management groups worldwide, Marriott had attracted most
interest and favor here.
Benny’s good spirits are well grounded:
Ningbo Marriott Hotel has become a recognized leader in Ningbo’s
hotel industry since its opening two years ago, and has already
held many meetings and events of propounding importance
successfully, such as the reception for the prime minister of
Singapore and U.S. Chief of Naval Operations during their stay in
Ningbo. Besides business conferences and Chief reception, Ningbo
Marriott Hotel also made a lot of efforts to establish brand
affinity among ordinary customers as well. For now during the World
Cup period, the hotel has launched the theme promotion activities
featuring the event. “I’m a huge football fan myself, and I believe
it’ll be a lot of fun if we can provide a place for guest and
friends who love football to watch the game and drink beers
together. And we had a grand occasion with around 300 guests on the
first day of the World Cup Beer Festival.
Speaking of customers and friends, we’ve
already heard that Benny likes making friends and wondered how he
distinguishes one from another? “To me there’s no big difference
between customers and friends, usually my customers become my
friends when we get to know each other.” As a matter of fact,
Ningbo Marriott experienced the low occupancy rate for a few months
since it was opened, and it was Benny who visited and developed
customers himself, and gradually cultivated friendship with the
customers with his personal charm. The recognition from the
customers is won by Benny’s personal charm as well as the endeavor
of the hotel executives.
When Leonard Chan, the new CFO of Ningbo
Marriott who had worked in another international hotel group talked
about Benny, he said: “I share the common attitude towards work and
management style with Benny, and I'm very optimistic about the
platform and future development of Marriott. That’s why I decided
to be a member of the Marriot Group.” So did Marketing
Communication Manager Carman Ng, a professional who came back to
the Marriott again, she said: “There was a lot of knowledge to
learn when I left the hotel industry, and my experience in the
luxury brands has brought me new ideas and understanding for hotel
public relations and brand promotion. With all these experience and
ideas I could achieve greater success. So I came back when Mr. Lee
gave me the offer.”
We couldn’t help to wonder how this general manager highly
recognized and respected by his team members carries out his
management responsibilities. What’s his unique management style?
“My team members call me workaholic, while I’m just goal oriented
and determined, pretty insistent on the proposals. When it comes to
a brand new idea, my team always gives the full support to discuss
and figure out the best solution to make profit for the hotel
together.” Of course after work Benny is a nice and friendly guy
and close to his team members, therefore together they make a
perfect team with solid teamwork spirit. Benny’s charming
personality is also reflected in his working capacity, he is the
workaholic who devotes himself to his career with unyielding faith,
who brought Ningbo Marriott Hotel out of its crisis into a role
model. Under his lead, Ningbo Marriott has already won a lot of
compliments from inside the group as well as from the customers
such as the 3rd quarter 2009 highest Guest satisfaction survey
award and best check in experience award. Hotel’s occupancy rate
has increased from 40% to 80%, and Quan Spa has a stable customer
base. The success of Ningbo Marriott should be attributed to the
joint endeavor of Mr. Lee and his senior leadership
team.
So the secret of Mr. Lee’s success is
determination. Benny said, “I insist on the principles in three
aspects, to create a happy corporate culture for my employees, to
follow the service-oriented concept and to believe in what we see
instead of what we hear.” How could a team with a leader like Benny
fail to succeed? We’re anticipating together with Mr. Lee’s team to
see Ningbo Marriott become the legend of Ningbo hotel
industry.
