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璀璨双星，闪耀浦东——对话上海浦东喜来登由由酒店和上海浦东福朋喜来登由由
(2008-03-31 16:05:56)
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璀璨双星，闪耀浦东
——对话上海浦东喜来登由由酒店和上海浦东福朋喜来登由由酒店新任总经理姜尔贤
Sheraton Twin Stars in
Pudong
——Newly Appointed General
Manager John O’Shea Talks about
Sheraton Shanghai Hotel &
Residences Pudong and Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai
Pudong
Chinese Version:
Clara English Version: Lily
Photos: Looki
Shanghai’s hospitality
industry prospers with new international hotel brands entering the
city every year. Accordingly, the number of 4-and 5-star luxury
hotels is on the rise. Setting out from Puxi and via the Nanpu
River or East Fuxing Road Tunnel we can easily reach Tangqiao in
Pudong, an area having undergone drastic changes with the launch of
high-end residential projects and large shopping malls as well as
the 5-star Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences Pudong and the
4-star Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai Pudong, both of which are
housed in the upscale You You International Plaza.
As a hotel lifestyle magazine,
Grand Hotels keeps a close eye on the hotel industry, thus bearing
witness to the growth of Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences
Pudong and Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai Pudong, jointly managed
by Mr. John O’Shea from Australia who assumed office only six
weeks ago. We are fortunate to be the first to interview the newly
appointed general manager.
While we were making
preparations for the interview, we noticed John’s 18-page
CV—quite impressive!—which lists in detail the veteran
hotelier’s extensive experience since his engagement in the
hospitality industry. John O’Shea started as bellboy and trainee,
and was promoted to event planner and coordinator two years later.
These early experiences laid a solid foundation for his development
in Starwood Hotels & Resorts, with which he’s been working
over the past 24 years. John’s latest post prior to his
appointment in Shanghai was the general manager of Sheraton Grande
Tokyo Bay Hotel, an 802-room luxury property enjoying a strategic
location in the heart of the Tokyo Disney Resort and pleasant
weather conditions. The majority of its guests are tourists. In
comparing Tokyo and Shanghai, he observed, both cities are suitable
for living, providing fertile soil for the growth of luxury hotels,
and Shanghai seems to enjoy a good prospect as the host of the
World Expo 2010.
Housed in the same building,
the 5-star Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences Pudong and the
4-star Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai Pudong are two brands owned
by the same hotel group and managed by one team. John said, “Since
we have two hotels under the same roof, we can put guests in a
suitable place according to their requirements. They have a bigger
freedom to make their own choices. Easy to coordinate in the high
seasons is also an advantage.”
We can tell that the general
manager has a strong belief in the prosperity of the two Sheraton
properties, as reflected in his observations. To the locals of the
older generations, Pudong used to be a remote suburban area
accessible only via ferry service. However, today’s Pudong is
closely linked with the old city center in Puxi. We don't
exaggerate when saying that the whole world is watching the
fast-developing area that is Pudong. “We are lucky to be near
Metro Line 4 that enables our guests to avoid busy road traffic and
reach downtown Shanghai and Nanjing Road in 15 minutes. I am very
happy, so are many of our guests who say the convenience of the
public transport far surpasses their expectations. You may say that
our hotels bring the guests closer to nature, and the metro line
shortens the distance between them and downtown Shanghai.” John
looked to the future, excitedly, “I believe Shanghai will become
the focus of world’s attention after the Beijing Olympic Games.
Shanghai should intentionally develop itself into a
cosmopolis.”
Pudong’s emergence has made
the area popular. Big national and international enterprises,
including some prestigious hotel brands, chose to start businesses
in Pudong long ago. We can see Sheraton Shanghai Hotel &
Residences Pudong and Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai Pudong are
fairly competitive in the marketplace despite numerous competitors,
on which John elaborated, “I think we have many advantages over
others. First, we enjoy a beautiful setting. You can feast your
eyes on the Nanpu Bridge over there and the World Expo Park once it
finishes construction. Second, our hotels feature brand new,
comfortable and state-of-the-art facilities. Sheraton Shanghai
Hotel & Residences Pudong offers 525 tastefully-appointed
guestrooms and 141 residences. Once you walk in, you’ll be
instantly impressed by the comfortable lobby and pleasant garden
views. The 326 rooms available at Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai
Pudong can satisfy a variety of guests. We have been warmly
received since opening by guests who love our diversified
services.”
As we mentioned earlier, John
O’Shea joined Starwood Hotels & Resorts twenty-four years ago
after he had served another hospitality company for four years. He
is quite satisfied with Starwood, either in terms of the company’s
prospect or its management style. The company aims high, and can
always overtake competitors. What’s more, Starwood provides a
harmonious environment fit for working. He added, “I am deeply
impressed by the fact that Starwood treats us like owners, leaving
enough space for us to make decisions and run business
independently. That is not all. The company cares about people very
much. What we manage are humans, not just hotel buildings. Starwood
also places heavy emphasis on staff training. I can’t find a
single reason why I should leave the company. Some people did
leave, and returned later. Starwood has never let me down, and I
would like to stay and grow with it. This is very
important.”
Optimistic by nature, John
thinks tomorrow is better than today, and the next week is better
than this one. He is more than happy to pass his enthusiasm to
guests, he said. During the conversation, the general manager
eagerly showed us the Chinese expressions he had just learned: Nice
to meet you; welcome to Sheraton Shanghai. John’s private life is
passionate and vigorous, always. He goes to the gym everyday, doing
cardiovascular exercise to keep his body healthy and full of vigor.
Golf is one of his favorite sports. John treats people around him
with the utmost cordiality, because, he often says, it is people
that make things happen. This focus-on-people attitude is also part
of John’s work style, and the busy head of two hotels thinks it is
of primary importance to care about his associates, understand
their real needs, offer them opportunities and leave enough space
so that they can take care of their own work independently. He
feels most happy when celebrating their achievements.
“I’ve put painstaking effort
into educating and developing my team and am taking delight in the
process. As an admirer of yin and yang and the Five Elements
promoted in traditional Chinese culture, I seek to reach a
balancing point. I hope that in others’ eyes I am as common as an
old shoe, simple and easy to approach. My door is open to
everyone,” said John, beaming with pride. “Our brands are
international brands, which means the staff should be able to speak
fluent English. I often chat with my associates and hope this would
help improve their oral English. On the other hand, if guests want
to talk, they can call me directly rather than ask the staff to
pass on their ideas to me, which saves time and raise working
efficiency. Just dial my direct line telephone number, or even my
cell phone number.”
John O’Shea mentioned more
than once during the talk that team work is the key to his success.
“It feels great to work with my team, and I like every one of
them. You can’t work smoothly if you have no respect for the team
you’re in. Under most circumstances I tend to work together with
my team and make decisions. I am a team player. I would watch the
situations closely and bring forward suggestions and advices at
appropriate times. Team spirit is of vital importance here, and
team members are on the same boat. We must help each other,” he
observed. The general manager’s “never enough” style of work and
his demeanor that puts us in mind of a general left a deep
impression on our minds during the interview.
To end this article, we would
like to remind you that the Cantonese dim sum on offer there is so
popular that you’d go home disappointedly if without reservation.
We will soon return to the hotels together with You Are The Chef
filming crew, and a couple of Sheraton chefs are expected to
demonstrate their cooking expertise in the show. Sheraton Shanghai
Hotel & Residences Pudong and Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai
Pudong are the twin stars twinkling in Pudong,
Shanghai.
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