Be Cautious When Cooperating With New Hotels In China

Melody Yang is the assistant to the president in the president's office of Mercedes-Benz Auto Finance Ltd. She is in charge of the scheduling and arrangement of board meeting, annual meetings, outreach activities, and other business meetings.

China Hospitality News is committed to offering the most comprehensive reports on China's tourism industry with the object of providing the latest industry news to buyers both at home and abroad. What do you think of our products? Which columns interest you most and why?
Personally I like the Booker Opinion and Travel Experience. Our business occasions require up-to-date information about hotels, and China Hospitality News is quite helpful in this area.

We have launched a China MICE and hotel meetings facilities search website, 51mice.com, for meeting organizers. What do you think of this website? Do you have any suggestion to make? Would you consider using this product when choosing a meeting venue for your company?
Actually I do use information on 51MICE.com as a reference. But mostly I will choose a venue from colleague's recommendations and our long-term partner hotels.

What are your criteria for choosing a hotel or meeting venue? Which elements do you think are the most important?
First, hardware and software facilities should meet the requirements of events. Second, all-round service and management is important. Third, a hotel's location should be convenient for transport. Fourth, there should be multiple choices for food and beverage. Personally I think a people-oriented, thoughtful, professional management, and service is the most important, which I think is also the basis for cooperation.

Which domestic hotels do you most often choose for your events?
Usually I would choose hotels near the venue where meetings are held. Hotels I frquently use include Hyatt, Shangri-La, and Marriott hotels. These international brands also mean quality facilities and service, and they usually have several hotels in different areas of a city, thus offering more choices to buyers.

Which hotels have most impressed you by their personalized service and hardware facilities? And why?
The fashionable Park Hyatt Beijing has several venues suitable for different types of meetings. The Opposite House located in Sanlitun Village has a unique style and a wonderful food and beverage service. Hyatt on the Bund features the perfection location to enjoy a marvelous view of Huangpu River while having meals.

Has your company ever held any teambuilding activities? In which hotel? What's your comment on the hotel service? Could you please share with us some details or features of this case?
Our company held our anniversary celebration in Park Hyatt Beijing, and the hotel provided excellent services from communication to meeting venue setup and table setting. The outreach activity has moved indoors due to the cold weather in late November. The meeting venue was large enough for us to carry out our plan smoothly.

Which hotels' banquet and catering services have impressed you most? Could you please recommend several restaurants in hotels to our readers?
For the Beer Festival and Family Day we ordered food and beverage delivery service from Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center. The hotel's Paulaner Brauhaus is one of the few authentic German restaurants in Beijing. Park Hyatt Beijing's China Grill is the place to have a view of CBD and Chang'an Avenue — reservations are essential.

What problems have you encountered in using hotel products and services? What suggestions do you have for hotels?
There are times when sales people have changed so the handover and takeover work is not done in a timely way. We would prefer to maintain long-term cooperation with hotels that have higher staff retention and better service, and recommend them to colleagues and friends.

Have you had any unpleasant experiences when cooperating with hotels? How did it make you feel unpleasant?
Extra caution is needed when cooperating with new hotels. Once we have had an awkward problem at a meeting venue that no water was available in the temporary toilet. Though it was solved soon after the meeting started in a very good manner, but it could have saved us a lot of trouble if the hotel could tell us before the guests arrived or could have taken emergency measures in time. So my advice is that do double check on the hardware facilities and services when cooperating with a new hotel, or even triple check.

Through which channels do you select hotels or venues for your company events?
My first choice will be selecting from our company's partner hotels. Those that have cooperated in the past are also in the list. And recommendations from colleagues in public relation department are welcomed too.

Which hotels would you say are fashionable?
For me Banyan Tree hotels and Hyatt hotels are fashionable, including hotels such as Grand Hyatt Beijing and Park Hyatt Beijing.

Could you please recommend some travel destinations to our readers?
Shanghai, Sanya, Hong Kong, Germany, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

What are your hobbies and which types of travel do you like?
Personally I like yoga and Pilates very much as they help me to keep fit. And I like to go regularly to the theater for music, symphonies and the ballet. And independent touring is my favorite type of travel.

Do you have any plans for traveling in the coming months?
I plan to visit Taiwan and South Africa.