Managing A People Business In The Westin Beijing Chaoyang

The general manager of The Westin Beijing, Chaoyang, Daniel R. Aylmer, has many years of hospitality industry experience across three continents. Aylmer spoke to China Hospitality News about his experiences in, and expectations for, the hotel industry in Beijing.

In your opinion what is the biggest challenge The Westin Beijing, Chaoyang, faces in the Beijing market? Compared with other business hotels in the same area, how do you position your product and service advantages?
Like any hotel in Beijing, the market remains competitive. However, we are seeing continual RevPAR growth and the future looks promising. Westin is about renewal, it is about our promise to our guests that when they leave our hotel, they will feel better than when they arrived. We stand apart from our competitors by providing our guests space to breath, services that provide renewal and a team of associates that not only understand the traveler of today but also genuinely care.

As a senior professional manager in the hospitality industry what is your management philosophy?
Simply that our business is about people and to lead a market you must work with the best in the industry. You must also treat and lead your team as you wish them to treat our guests. You must also always lead by example.

Please evaluate the overall performance of The Westin Beijing, Chaoyang, in 2009. What is your market forecast for the Beijing hotel market in 2010, and what are your plans?
2009 was the first full year of operation for the hotel and it has been a promising start for us. Even though there have been many challenges around the world, Beijing included, The Westin Beijing Chaoyang has performed well above the industry average and we are expecting 2010 to outperform this year.

The Westin Beijing, Chaoyang, has an excellent location, what is the percentage composition and the source markets of your guests? What are your plans for the next three years?
The largest segment we have is that of the Chinese business traveler and MICE groups. Of course with Westin being an internationally known brand, our guests are from around the world. With the growth in international travel in the new year, we expect next year to provide us with more inbound business than the current trend.

Many hotels are focusing on business development in the MICE sector, what special expansion plans does the Westin Beijing, Chaoyang, have for targeting the MICE market? What innovations do you have for serving MICE guests?
The team here at the Westin focuses on providing tailor made innovations for each and every MICE group. We never treat a MICE event as just another event and we spend a lot of time understanding not only who our customer is, but also what are they trying to achieve. The hotel has fantastic MICE facilities and in addition to the location, brand and services provided, we have so far been able to receive rave reviews.

If MICE guests have three to five days to stay in Beijing, in addition to attending their meeting, what resources does the city have to attract these guests to stay longer?
New Beijing has much to offer to visitors. Apart from the historical sites such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, and Yuan Ming Yuan, visitors should not miss the "new" sites such as the Bird's Nest (Olympic Stadium), Water Cube, and the National Grand Theatre. In addition to these sites, the local-entertainment wining and dining scene has also taken on new heights with the recent establishment of Sanlitun's The Village, The Hidden City, Solana, and Houhai. Shopping is also another activity that can be fun and enjoyable at venues such as Yashow and Silk Street for fashionable items, while Panjiayuan flea market offers visitors more variety of collective antique and cultural items.

When China Hospitality news talks to our readers, we get many comments from professional bookers about the details that are promised in the contract but are not fulfilled by the actual service provided. What are your thoughts on this? What plans do you have in terms of improving the standards of hotel service and employee training?
As the party that is committed to providing assistance and support to event organizers, hotels should be able to offer alternatives in situations whereby what is promised cannot be delivered due to unforeseen circumstances. Clients will show more understanding if any challenges can be addressed prior to the event.

With the support of our corporate training team, the hotel features consistent training programs for associates, in particular to those who are in constant guest contact. Out-of–class and class workshops are regularly planned to give associates the different learning environments that will impact their attitude towards service, thus aiming at improving standards of employee training.

How do you measure the value of personalized services to guests?
Service value is different to different people: plainly because we all have different expectations. But the best way is to receive feedback and seeing returning guests and, more so, those who would bring in more clients.

With business becoming increasingly competitive, what value-added services will you supply, throughout the sales cycle, to professional bookers?
Timely follow-up and pro-activeness on the part of the sales person are essential, for sure. This includes extending assistance and support outside the hotel's area e.g. assisting client who is unfamiliar with the city by suggesting or checking out venues or providing information and contacts.