Booking Hotels With Regard To Corporate Culture

This month's China Hospitality News booker is reader Chris Wang, who is assistant to the general manager of the Nanjing Branch of ThyssenKrupp Elevator Company. Her main responsibilities are arranging itineraries for the general manager and organizing various meeting events for the company.

When choosing a hotel or meeting venue, which of these elements-service, price, location, facilities, brand, or the decoration style of a hotel, attract you most?
We value a hotel's service, location and brand.

Which domestic hotels do you most often choose for your events?
Beijing: Kuntai Royal Hotel Beijing.
Shanghai: InterContinental Shanghai Pudong and the St. Regis Shanghai.
Nanjing: Nanjing Kinsley Sheraton Hotel, Sofitel Galaxy Nanjing, Sofitel Zhongshan Golf Resort Nanjing.
Others: Hilton Hefei.

Which hotels have impressed you the most, and why?
Sofitel Galaxy Nanjing and Sofitel Zhongshan Golf Resort Nanjing, with which we've been cooperating, are both very good. First, I should say that I am very satisfied with the excellent service of the Accor brands. Second, the hotels feature unique decorations and have a variety of room options for clients. They treat their long term partners like us as VIPs. Apart from a free room upgrade, they always supply us with fresh flowers, fruit, and desserts in our hotel rooms, which creates a cozy atmosphere for our clients and our top management. Third, the hotels' service managers can often remember the names of our major clients and our management. When they see them in their hotels, they will say hello and address them by their family name and this has deeply impressed them. Fourth, the two hotels are located in different areas–one (Sofitel Galaxy Nanjing) in a bustling business area and the other (Sofitel Zhongshan Golf Resort Nanjing) in a picturesque suburb east of Nanjing. Our clients and principals who have stayed in the two hotels are all very content.

What regular events does your company hold each year? Where do you usually hold these events?
Our regular events include the China Region General Managers Meeting and major project signing ceremonies. We usually hold these events in Nanjing.

Through which channels do you select hotels or venues for your company events?
We do this based on the suggestions and recommendation of our associates. We also choose hotels that have previously signed agreements with us.

China Hospitality News is committed to offering the most comprehensive reporting on China's tourism industry with the aim of providing the latest industry news to buyers both home and abroad. What do you think of our products? Which columns interest you most and why?
China Hospitality News features abundant and valuable information. I like the Hotel column as I can share the information in this column with my counterparts.

What do you think of the "Hotel MICE Directory" we have just added? As a meeting booker, which meeting elements do you think we still need to add to the directory to make it more professional and accurate?
First, I think it's very considerate of you to launch the Hotel MICE Directory column on your magazine. By integrating the main meeting facilities with the relevant graphics in major cities in China, this column helps us bookers save both time and energy.

Second, I hope to see more detailed hotel information in this column. For example, regarding meetings, I wonder whether you can add such information as which famous companies have held events and meetings in a hotel so bookers can make their decision by combining the hotel facilities with their own situation. Companies have different corporate cultures, so their demands for meeting venues will often vary. As for accommodation, I think if you provide information on which celebrities have stayed in the hotel, it will be helpful for new clients to get a basic understanding of the hotel's facilities.

Lastly, I wish that your magazine will become more prosperous day by day and can provide more and detailed hotel information for bookers.

Can you please recommend some tourist destinations, both inside and outside of China, for our readers?
Domestic: Yunnan, Jiuzhaigou, Sanya.
Overseas: Spain, Vienna.

What are your hobbies and which kind of traveling do you like?
I like traveling and prefer to travel FIT.

Do you have any travel plans for the coming months?
I plan to go to Prague in October this year.