Explore the Closest Hotel Complex to 2010 Shanghai World Expo Site

<Grand Hotels> Meets John O’Shea, General Manager of Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences, Pudong and Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Pudong

揭秘离世博园区最近的综合性酒店

——专访上海喜来登由由酒店及公寓和上海福朋喜来登由由酒店总经理姜尔贤先生

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

Photos: by Zhu Xiao Ci & Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences, Pudong and Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Pudong

More than 6 months have elapsed since the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the world, instead of shifting its eyes away from China, is paying much attention to the fast-developing country. Eyes of a growing number of people are fixed on Shanghai, which has attracted more notice due to the World Expo the city will host in 2010. The forthcoming global event has injected unexhausted vitality and unlimited opportunities to Shanghai. Branded global hotels have streamed in, like they did the pre- Olympic Beijing, for a slice of the potential market, and they combine to make the local hospitality industry reach a certain climax.

Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences, Pudong and Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Pudong form an upscale complex joining two hotels, residences, office space and a shopping area. The hotel complex is centrally located in Tangqiao, an area featuring two access to Puxi — Nanpu Bridge and East Fuxing Road Tunnel, with the bridge by the side and Metro Line 4 (Tangqiao Station) within 10 meters in front of the complex. The surroundings comprise large supermarket and department stores. Mayfair Shopping Center, Wal-Mart and Lotus Shopping Mall are within a convenient walking distance. It is the closest and only international 5-star hotels and serviced residences complex to the venue of World Expo 2010. Our interview, the second with the general manager Mr. John O’Shea, is focused on the hotel’s improvements over the past months as well as its preparations for the upcoming 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

The hotel complex played host last November to the Third Participants Meeting of the World Exposition Shanghai China 2010, at which 850 delegates from across the world discussed various aspects of the forthcoming event. Mr. O’Shea said, “The meeting was a huge success, and everybody was impressed by the mascot, Haibao, we had sent out as souvenir. It showed a miniature of World Expo 2010 to help the delegates understand the event. To us it was more like warm-up exercises.” The hotel complex put tremendous effort into the accommodations, taking the participants’ different religious beliefs, habits and customs into account. More difficulties are expected when they accommodate World Expo visitors next year, and the complex is sure to do the best then. “The challenge of World Expo 2010 is by no means a small one, and it will be a turning point of the aglobal economic development, I think. Thanks to our convenient location, we are able to provide as much assistance to the event as we can. We’ll contribute to its success,” Mr. O’Shea said in a firm tone.

Individuals and enterprises getting bogged down in the global economic crisis which started in the latter half of 2008 need some positive news to show the future isn’t as bad as they have imagined. Having been living in Shanghai since the opening of the hotel complex, Mr. O’Shea said, “I have seen the tremendous changes not only of the World Expo Site, but in the whole city. You can envisage a beautifully landscaped Shanghai in 2010 from the construction sites scattering around the city now.” Everyone looks forward to World Expo 2010 for it is a transition, a stimulus to the sluggish world economy.

It’s the first time for Mr. O’Shea, as the general manager of Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences, Pudong and Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Pudong, to undertake such an important task, and he has been challenged by no small obstacles, since the three components of the hotel complex — two hotels as well as serviced residences — are under two brands which differ in culture and client base. “The management team is not a big one, but very capable. Trust your team is of vital importance. The two hotels and serviced residences are managed by one team, of which members would support one another as well as, in most cases, performing their respective duties. Each member lays heavy emphasis on customer satisfaction, and is encouraged by Starwood’s corporate culture to actively show his or her talent and ability,” Mr. O’Shea observed. Develop a good team takes a lot of time and energy, and he did so last year to prepare his team for better performance. They’ve been doing a great job since. Contented with their performance, Mr. O’Shea likes his team members very much for they share the same objectives as his, put quality above everything else, and have great respect for one another.

Like the captain of an ocean liner, John O’Shea directs the development of the hotel complex of Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences, Pudong and Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Pudong, while his staff are sailors who work together towards fixed goals. The ocean liner has garnered several accolades, including 2007 and 2008 TTG China Travel Awards - Best Mid-Range Hotel in Shanghai Award and 2009 TTG China Travel Awards – Best Mid-Range Hotel Brand in Greater China Award given to Four Points by Sheraton, Pudong, which opened its doors in May, 2006. In 2008, Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences, Pudong (opening March, 2007) was awarded Best Business Hotel Top 10 in China by the Hotels China Magazine. The hotel received the coveted 2009 Best Meeting and Conventions Hotel in Shanghai Award from TTG Asia while celebrating its second anniversary. The honors and awards, recognizing the two hotels for their stellar performances, are marked in the hotel history as milestones.

The closest luxury hotels and upscale serviced residences complex to 2010 Shanghai World Expo Site, Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences, Pudong and Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Pudong offer 992 rooms and suites. “Our serviced residences offer a variety of services to cater for different tenants,” Mr. O’Shea told us. Most of the tenants live here with a long-term contract, and they can choose their favorite unit type. The two hotels and serviced residences form an upscale complex, like a plane with first class, business and economy cabins, to cater to various guests. Employees of the sales and marketing department have benefited from the convenience, since they can provide corporate clients with different accommodation programs to meet their budgets. “Not only are the staff proud of being one of us, but that the clients also put their trust on us, as we always put ourselves in their shoes, trying hard to work out the best solution for them,” he said contentedly.

“Guests enjoy the flexibility of switching between a 4-star hotel, a 5-star hotel and serviced residences, and we try to satisfy them all. Sometimes we make arrangements per request for those who stay only for a couple of days so that they can also live in the serviced residences, where they feel more at ease with the facilities, especially the kitchen.” Being a resident of the serviced residences, Mr. O’Shea certainly has a say on this subject, and he is full of praise, “The unit types range from one room to three rooms, and the 3-room ones are near fully booked. Decoration and facilities of the residences are on a par with that of any 5-star hotel room. We offer 24-hour service, including food and laundry, in case the tenants don’t cook or wash clothes, as well as room cleaning — three times a week. To the tenants it’s a home away from home, and more.”

While preparing the hotel complex for 2010 Shanghai World Expo and a wider customer base, Mr. O’Shea doesn’t neglect environmental protection. Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences marked its second anniversary on March 28, 2009 by participating in Earth Hour, turning down or off the lights in public areas from 8:30pm to 9:30pm.

The celebration party was held in the candlelight. “I feel we have the duty to protect the earth, and we don’t do it for mercenary purposes. By taking part in environmental protection and saving as many resources as possible in everyday life, I have set an example for my staff. The goodwill gestures have not only helped the hotel save resources, but also raised guests’ awareness towards environmental protection.”

Mr. O’Shea enjoys what he does immensely, and changeless is never his style. He is as devoted to work as is to family. By maintaining the worklife balance, he can always leave a little time to himself, exploring places of interest in both sides of the Huangpu River by bike. The veteran hotelier also has his own way of handling various situations. We can envisage the success of Sheraton Shanghai Hotel & Residences, Pudong and Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Pudong in 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Led by John O’Shea, the hotel complex is expected to sail for a brighter future, with Haibao.