Face-to-Face: Christopher Koehler, General Manager, Grand Hyatt Beijing
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1) Beijing has seen a lot of new hotels enter the market recently; what is Hyatt Beijing doing to keep ahead of the competition?
Grand Hyatt Beijing is fortunate to be an established hotel in this rapidly growing and vibrant city, with great strength in the areas of service, consistency and quality. We continue to focus on what is important to all travellers, namely Authentic Hospitality, Efficiency, and a Safe and Secure Environment; we believe that this will keep us ahead of the competition.
2) How has the city’s hotel industry fared in the post-Olympic period?
The Olympic Games meant great developments in the city’s infrastructure, although the most important change it brought was exposure to the international market and, as a result, the number of enquiries from companies looking to host their conferences, incentives and meetings in Beijing has increased significantly. Beijing is an outstanding destination and it would be right to say that the hotel industry has fared quite well post-Olympics, despite the current economic situation.
3) With so many new hotels entering Beijing at the time of a global economic slump, is there a danger of over-supply of rooms in the city?
Over-supply is something that all global destinations have faced at one time or another. During these times, the hotels that continue to do well are those with a great location, and excellent service offered by empowered and experienced employees; we are confident that we are well positioned to continue to service our guests to their satisfaction.
4) Has the guest demographic at your hotel changed noticeably this year?
Our demographics remain very much the same, with a slight increase in guests from the local market as they begin to increase their patronage of five-star hotels.
5) What do you foresee 2009 holding for the Grand Hyatt Beijing, and the city’s hotel industry as a whole?
We are committed to continuing to provide the very best service and facilities, no matter what lies ahead, and will use the likely slower period to perfect everything we do. At a time when many other hotels are cutting costs, we are questioning everything we do and asking ourselves, “How can we do this better?”, “Is this what the guest really wants?” and “What can we do to further enhance our guests’ experience?”. As for the industry as a whole, I am very optimistic that Beijing will continue to mature in terms of service industry and that those working in this industry will have a better appreciation of the fact that their interaction with guests can have a great impact on the guest’s impression of their city.
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