Embracing the Sea, in a Beijing Hotel

General Manager Lucy Li Invites You to

Paradise Gloria Grand HotelBeijing

在酒店里享受大海

——与北京海冠凯莱大饭店总经理李春萍女士（Lucy Li）一席谈

Interview: Cherry Li Chinese Version: Clara   English Version: Mary

Photos: by Paradise Gloria Grand Hotel Beijing

The Qinling Mountains and the Huaihe River provide a natural boundary between the North and the South of China, which are distinct from each other in climate, hydrology, soil and vegetation as well as agriculture and custom. Some say, the South is gentle and elegant as a serene woman, whilst the North is a bold,

free-spirited poet with unbridled interest in recording the vicissitudes of life. Traveling from Shanghai to Beijing, you will leave the South for the North. Beijing, home to Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Great Wall, straight and broad streets and occasional sandstorms, and where we can hear Jingpianzi – the authentic Beijing dialect, has always been in our mind.

Maybe we’re more accustomed to calling the city Old Beijing. However, the ancient city sees a flourishing hospitality industry, just like the rising sun. A landmark of the Shijingshan CRD, or Central Recreational District, the newly opened Paradise Gloria Grand Hotel Beijing is the latest addition to the properties Gloria Hotels & Resorts operates in China. The luxury business hotel is not only attractive in overall design, but also equipped with advanced natural seawater swimming pool and comprehensive spa facilities, a major attraction for customers from across China and the world. Its being led by a female general manager, a rare case in the hotel trade, has also piqued our interest and curiosity.

Conveniently located near the Chang’an Avenue and the Olympic venues in Beijing, Paradise Gloria Grand Hotel Beijing is easily reached via Subway Line-1 and several bus routes. The 5-star hotel, although without a central location, fills the void as the first of its kind in the city’s Shijingshan district. It is also the first hotel in the capital city to offer a gigantic 2,800-sqm natural seawater bath fitted up with up-to-date swimming and bathing facilities. Commenting on the biggest attraction, Lucy Li, the general manager, observed, “We play the health card to cater for today’s health-conscious customers. Meanwhile, we have also raised the bar for our spa and fitness center so that our guests can fully enjoy their privileges. Discerning customers nowadays no longer confine themselves to downtown hotels; Instead, they patronize hotels in the suburban areas, welcome alternatives for an excursion at the weekend. ” It is the growing trend for people to spend the weekend in the suburbs that has encouraged prestigious international hotel groups to open properties in suburban Beijing as well as the outskirts of Shanghai.

The hotel offers 241 rooms and suites of varying sizes, including Standard Room, Deluxe Room and Deluxe Suite, among others. No-smoking floors are also available. Each room/suite is tastefully appointed to reflect comfort, opulence and urban chic, combining with Gloria hospitality and warm, attentive services to make guests feel right at home. The hotel’s signature amenities, as mentioned above, are a natural seawater pool and a full array of spa facilities – the Eastern Pattaya International Seawater Bathing Club which takes up a little less than 10,000 square meters. Design work of a renowned American-based firm, the swimming pool uses natural seawater purified by an advanced purifying system. The magnificent pool, together with its relaxing environment, varying lighting and abundant sunshine, offers guests a perfect getaway around the year. In short, you don’t have to go outdoors to embrace the sea.

Lucy Li boasts a wealth of managerial experience acquired in Gloria Plaza Hotel Dalian, Gloria Holiday Villas Qinhuangdao and Gloria Inn Qinhuangdao, where she had served as general manager. Before that, she had been the deputy general manager of the Asia Pacific Hotel Beijing. Her appointment as the general manager of Paradise Gloria Grand Beijing has filled Ms. Li’s heart with happiness and anxiety. The happy part is that she can spend more time with her daughter, now that she is again based in Beijing. The anxiety comes from her inexperience in running a hotel with a big seawater pool and relevant amenities. In spite of this, the “novice” took the challenge without hesitation, preparing herself for the appointment by doing a lot of homework, including visiting the major bathing centers and spas around town for a survey, until she started to understand the tricks of the trade.

“I am offered a rare and precious opportunity. It is both the company’s belief in me and its acknowledgement of the efforts I have made in the past. Experience is crucial for a career woman like me. As I grow old, it is impossible to be fighting in the forefront for ever, ” Ms. Li said.

Her attachment to Gloria Hotels & Resorts, where she has been working for years, is very strong. She said, “Gloria is a company always putting its people first. I had been in Dalian before I was transferred back to Beijing, and the company kindly arranged it so that I can join my family here. Even when I was in Dalian, the company would intentionally arrange for meetings to be held in Beijing whenever it was convenient. Gloria not only takes our requirements into account, but also gives us its complete trust. All you need to do is working hard, rather than lick your boss’s boots. As long as your performance is good, your efforts will be acknowledged and appreciated. ”

The capable general manager also has the sensitiveness and sensibility of a woman. She is very punctual for work, arriving at the hotel every morning to communicate with the staff and guests, and, as requested by the company, to satisfy the latter’s various requirements which are in her power. She is equally patient with her staff, and never seen putting on airs. She gives them a lecture from time to time, buys books for them, and urges them to learn from practice. She always eats at the staff canteen, and is very concerned about their personal life.

“You can’t be a good hotelier if you don’t take the hotel as your home. As a matter of fact, I have spent so much time and effort in my hotel that I can’t be a good wife/mother at home,” the general manager said. Without the devotion of hotel insiders like Ms. Li, who has a strong sense of responsibility, China’s hotel industry will never prosper, nor can customers enjoy themselves in hotels.

Many things we learned during the interview impressed us not a little, such as the selfless support from other Gloria hotels in the first several weeks during which Paradise Gloria Grand Hotel Beijing had been facing a number of problems. These hotels are like members of a big family, helping each other and supporting each other, and their fraternity deeply touched the owner. Gloria’s Training Director, HR Director and vice president even came to the hotel, in spite of their tight schedules, and helped educate the interns who felt Gloria was different because they, in their own words, hadn’t attended a class like these for a long time. Gloria even does things other companies seldom do. For example, it keeps the tradition of dispatching staff of less busy hotels to strengthen the accommodation of the busier ones.

Nearly four months have elapsed since Paradise Gloria Grand Hotel Beijing first opened its doors to welcome business and leisure travelers from different parts of the world. The guests had all been requested to leave their comment and advice before they left the hotel. Ms. Li values these suggestions and advice. She said, “They have given us a good many suggestions, and my confidence is growing because I find that problems they have suggested can be solved quickly. Our hotel is not yet famous and we don’t have as many guests as we wish. I remember when the first guest was leaving the hotel, the management, including myself, were there to see him off. My rule is that we must satisfy every customer with the best possible service. ”

We can’t agree with it more that women are no inferior to men. Lucy Li has been doing a great job as the general manager of Paradise Gloria Grand Hotel Beijing, where guests can enjoy purified natural seawater, the Northerners’warmth and hospitality and the best of Gloria service. Familiar to you or not, Beijing will always offer a comfortable place for travelers like you to rest and enjoy.

    从秦岭到淮河，这条地理上的分界线，把中国分成了南方和北方。两者在气候、水文、土壤、植被，以至农业生产、人民风俗习惯等方面都有明显的差异。有人说，南方温文尔雅，世事的变迁都由一个温婉的女子在向你娓娓道来。有人说北方粗犷豪迈，世间的沧桑都包含在意气风发的诗人的笔下。从上海到北京，也是从南方到北方。北京其实一直在我们心里，那里有天安门、故宫，还有长城；那里的马路平坦宽阔，尽管偶尔伴有沙尘；那里能听到纯正的京片子，顺溜得不带停顿。

    也许我们还是习惯于把北京成为“老北京” ，因为这是一座古老的城市，但这里的酒店业却像是朝阳一般，正在冉冉升起。在石景山CRD休闲娱乐中心地区，新近开张了一家豪华商务酒店——北京海冠凯莱大饭店，这是凯莱酒店集团在中国的又一力作。这家酒店在整体设计等方面均别具匠心，客人更可在此享用天然海水游泳项目，另外，酒店的总经理是为数不多的女性，这使得《大酒店》非常想一探究竟。

    北京海冠凯莱大饭店是天然海水游泳、高档洗浴、Spa与五星级酒店的完美结合，她虽然不在北京城的市中心，却也位于长安街沿线，紧临奥运场馆中心区及配套商业设施区，毗邻地铁一号线，并有多条公交路线直接到达，交通称得上十分便利。此外，她不仅填补了石景山地区没有五星级酒店的空白，其最大亮点是把天然海水搬到了酒店里面，建成2，800平方米的海水浴场，成为京城第一家拥有大型室内海水浴场的酒店。李春萍女士说：“如今的人们都非常注重健康，酒店主打“健康”的主题。为了让客人享受到他们应有的权利，我们的健身场所、洗浴中心的门槛较高。如今人们不再仅仅局限于市中心的酒店了，如果是周末想要作短途旅行的话，近郊的酒店是非常好的选择。”也是正是看到了这一趋势，现在不论是上海还是北京，都有著名品牌的酒店在近郊开设酒店。

    北京海冠凯莱酒店拥有设施完备的客房共241间，房型齐全，设计豪华温馨。包括豪华套房、豪华标准间、标准间，并设有无烟楼层。典雅的设计风格、舒适的环境和体贴周到的服务为客人营造家的感觉。正如上文所提到的，酒店主题项目是东方巴堤雅国际海水浴场，深蓝地带天然海水俱乐部及桑拿营业面积近一万平方米。海水浴区由美国著名设计公司设计，采用纯天然海水，并为此配备了专业的海水净化系统。独特的环境设计配以充足的阳光和变幻的灯光处理，为来到这里的客人营造了一个一年四季均可享受的“海滨”圣地，足不出户就可以尽享天然的海水、充足的阳光。

    总经理李春萍女士拥有丰富的酒店管理经验，她曾任职于大连凯莱酒店、秦皇岛凯莱度假村及秦皇岛凯莱宾馆总经理等职务，并曾在亚太花园酒店担任管理职务。对于此次担任北京海冠凯莱大饭店的总经理，她可谓是喜忧参半。高兴的是她可以回家了，可以有更多的时间来陪伴自己的女儿；担心的是由于这家酒店带有一个非常大规模的洗浴中心，而对于这方面她还是一个新手。尽管如此，她还是果断地接下了任务，并做了相当多的功课，她来到北京的各大洗浴中心、Spa会所去做调查研究，渐渐也发现了其中的一些门道。李春萍女士说：“我觉得能有这样的一个机会也是非常不容易的，这是集团对我的信任，也是对我以往工作的一种肯定。而且身为一个女人，随着年龄的增长，我不可能一直在第一线工作，因此我需要累积一定的经验。”

    李春萍女士在凯莱酒店集团工作了很多年，因此对于它有着很深厚的感情。她说：“凯莱特别人性化，公司把我从大连调到北京就是为了让我能和家住北京的家人团聚，以前在大连的时候，遇到开会，公司都会有意识地安排我来北京。他们除了会考虑到我们的要求外，还特别信任我们。每天我们要做的只是努力工作，不用费尽心思去跟领导攀关系等等，只要业绩做得好，自然能得到领导的赏识。”作为酒店的总经理，李春萍女士不仅有大将风范，同时也有作为女人的敏感和细腻。每天早上，她都会准时出现在酒店里，与客人和员工交流。凡是客人的要求她都尽量满足，因为这是凯莱集团的要求；对于员工也是这样，她有时会亲自给他们上课，教他们一些东西或是给他们买书，让他们真正在实践中学到本领。她从不摆领导架子，总是和员工们一起在食堂用餐，对于员工们的生活起居，她也是尽心尽力地去关怀他们。她说：“不把酒店当成家，就做不了优秀的酒店人。有的时候酒店里的事情会占据我大部分的心思和时间，这使得我在家里倒不是一个合格的母亲和妻子。”正是因为有了酒店人对工作的兢兢业业的态度，才有了酒店业的蓬勃发展，客人才能在酒店享受属于自己的生活。

    在与李春萍女士交谈的过程中，有不少事情令我们印象非常深刻。她向我们提到了在北京海冠凯莱大饭店开业之初，酒店可以说面临了不少困难，在这样的非常时期，凯莱酒店集团麾下的多个酒店给予了无私的帮助，它们就像一个大家庭一样，彼此互相帮助、互相扶持，这让业主方都非常感动。除了给予物质上的帮助，凯莱集团的培训总监、人力资源总监、人事副总裁都在百忙之中抽出时间给酒店的实习生讲课，那些实习生都说，这么长时间以来都没有人给我们这么讲过课。这让他们感到凯莱的不同之处。甚至有的酒店还会再自己淡季的时候抽调员工到处于旺季的酒店去帮忙，这样的情况，在其他的酒店集团内是不多见的。

    如今北京海冠凯莱大饭店已经开了将近四个月了，已经接待了来自各地的不少客人了，他们中有的是商务客人，有的是前来度假的。在他们离开酒店的时候，李春萍女士都会征求他们的意见和建议，她非常注重这方面。她说：“客人也给我们提了不少意见，但这些意见都是可以在很短的时间内解决的，这增强了我的信心。如今我们的知名度还不是很大，因此总体来说客人不是很多，记得第一位客人走的时候，我连同酒店的其他一些领导层的人一起送他。我的宗旨就是，来一个客人就要让他享受到最好的服务。”

    都说巾帼不让须眉，此话不假，李春萍女士的领导可谓有声有色。在北京海冠凯莱大饭店，每位客人都能体验到纯正的海水浴，享受北方人的热情好客，感受来自凯莱的温馨服务。无论北京对你来说是一个熟悉的城市，或是人生中的一个驿站，在这里，我们总能找一个客人让自己栖息的后花园。