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In any di scus s ion about f ive- s tar hotel s in Shanghai, the Hilton Shanghai will definitely be mentioned. The Hotel has become a symbol of the city after being in operation in the former French concession for more than 20 years, witnessing the city’s overnight changes in the recent years. As an aristocrat in the hospitality industry, Hilton Shanghai has acquired an overwhelming strength through so many years’ experience. Under the direction of Guy Hutchinson, the hotel handles the volatile situation in Shanghai with its own unique business philosophy.

This is our third visit to the Hilton Shanghai and our conversation with Guy Hutchinson is more like reminiscing with an old friend. In the past three years, each visit to the hotel would bring us some pleasant surprise. The success of Hilton, which is no longer a secret, is “evolution ”, which includes the introduction of Lan Jewelry by Lady Yang Lan to add an extra glow and the re-launch of the presidential suite, as part of the ongoing renovation of the property. Much sentiment is contained in Mr. Hutchinson’s words about the measures the hotel has taken to adapt to the Chinese Market. “We have adopted various methods to keep pace with the urban development. Hospitality in China, especially Chinese customers, is changing at high speed. I have never seen a city developing at the speed of Shanghai. By comparison the hospitality market in Europe is very mature, when you visit London for example, no major changes are noticeable. What has happened in Shanghai in the last two years would have taken 8 to 10 years or more to happen there. However surrounded by this fast evolving market place, Hilton believes that their customers need balance. A balance between the physical attributes of a hotel and that most important component, service. Service defined by the little things that truly matter. For example, if a customer prefers two slices of pineapple with their breakfast, each time they return the team should remember to serve this without being asked. The ability to anticipate and be truly passionate about taking care of their guests is what Hilton believes will differentiate them from the market, to ensure the Hotel remains a leading property in the city for the next 20 years.

What the Hotel has renewed al so includes enhancements for the Shanghai Rolex Masters ATP Tournament. In reference to the repeated cooperation with this prestigious tennis event, Mr. Hutchinson said,“Our relationship with the tournament is excellent. It is a pleasure to work with them and each year the Hotel is infused with a tremendous energy as a result of this co-operation. The tournament committee is very professional and have great foresight. Last year the players awarded Shanghai as the tournament of the year, beating locations such as Rome and Paris. The challenge is now to repeat this honor, and we have taken steps to provide an even better experience this year.” The tournament has completely revamped its public facilities including a brand new three storey hospitality building. In addition the Hilton Shanghai will fly in Michelin starred chefs from Italy to compliment their experienced team and deliver a world beating experience for players and guests of the tournament. The World Expo also is another golden opportunity. The tournament organizers will combine the two events to offer admission to the tennis site with Expo tickets.

With such fantastic events happening at the same time , no wonder  Mr .Hutchinson would say that “this is a great year for Shanghai”.

Al l these services and offers reflect the strong competitivenessand influence of Hilton. “The magic of Hilton is in its people." This vivid advertising might be the best explanation for the hotel’s success. Hilton has remained a leading worldwide Hotel brand because of its care and focus about “people”, plus the quality of service and communication with clients. Mr. Hutchinson has his own ideas about this. “It is important to make customers feel at home. It is possible to have a terrible experience in a luxuriously decorated hotel. The most significant common factor among great hotels is the quality of service they provide. This is not a novel or new idea, this is the heart, the core value of the hospitality industry. There are 40 to 50 outstanding hotels in Shanghai, all of which provide good service. However how a guest feels about the hotel is what truly counts. Their emot ional connection with the people who serve them. That they are genuinely cared for with warmth and at tent ion to detail. Our job is to bring passion to clients rather than focusing purely on imported design from New York or chairs from Italy. We have nearly 400 employees who have worked here for more than ten years and this is a totally unique human resource, a pool of talent that not many other Hotels have access to. Our unique advantage is in our ‘people’. This is what distinguishes us from other hotels. ”

Hilton cares about “people” not only by providing hospitable service to clients but also by rendering considerate care to its employees. The hotel has renovated its canteen restaurant this year, which is a reflection of its ongoing consideration for “people”. Mr. Hutchinson emphasized that “the hotel staff serves our clients every hour of every day throughout the year. This is where customer service trulyhappens’. The hotel constantly focuses on improving the relationship and communication between employees and clients. Employees have access to Hilton University, an online education and learning resource In addition, there is a special forum called the ‘customer room’ where staff from different departments will have face-to-face conversations with the management about how to improve the customers’ experience in the hotel, whether they have found any problems and what kind of help they need. ‘It is great that so many wonderful ideas come from our employees. It is often the team who know best how to solve guest problems. They are a great help.” With so many measures taken by the hotel, it is not difficult to understand why the hotel employees have maintained a close relationship with customers.

Hilton Shanghai is determined to further strengthen this communication. Mr. Hutchinson was the first General Manager to launch an online blog last year, and this year the hotel cooperated with the show “Queen” from Hunan Satellite TV. Mr. Hutchinson told us that “the hotel always looks for ways to develop more direct relationships and communication with clients. Clients are astute and observant and will soon notice whether this type of message is real or not. The public exposure of the hotel will hopefully send the message that we are accessible and that providing passionate, caring hospitality is our core value. At the same time, we have a better chance to know our customers. Now over 25,000 people follow my blog. For a manager, the communication and connection with customers should be as direct as the relationship with friends and relatives.” To apply modern media trends, such as the blog, to communicate with clients directly is a breakthrough of traditional practices. It is more current and advanced.

In alignment with this progressive thinking, the hotel has focused also on a green life style and environmentally sustainable management practices. Hilton Shanghai regards sustainable development as its responsibility. A lot of measures have been taken to save energy including a newly launched project which aims to review the infrastructure of building and improve its overall energy performance by investing in new plant and sustainable technology. As the Mid-autumn Festival approaches, the Hilton team has launched the first environmentally sustainable moon cake program, being the first Hotel to do so in Shanghai. When asked where this wonderful idea originated, he said, “We have looked at the issue from two areas of consideration. One is sustainable development and the other is our social responsibility. Thousands of people are making and selling moon cake boxes. We wanted to see how we could be different. Many details were considered. From the oil used to bake the moon cake to the packaging, all aspects had to be environmentally friendly or be suitable for recycling and re-use. The objective was for our moon cake program to be an example of how sustainable business practices could be both socially responsible and commercially successful. A win win scenario. Many people suspect that a lot of money will be lost in doing business in such an environmental way. However, this is not the case, it just takes focus and a little creative thought”. Furthermore, from each purchase of Hilton moon cakes a donation is being made to the WWF wild Panda reforestation project in the Qingling mountains, to ensure that each box minimizes its environmental footprint. Customers can extend their love and enjoy the delicious food with their families, but at the same time also reduce the impact on their planet.

The hotel has devoted itself to many social causes, cooperating with charitable organizations for years. The “Charity Christmas train” represents Hilton’s care for the community, raising a large amount of money every year. In fact, this is not just a matter about money but rather an issue about social responsibility and contribution. Hilton Shanghai has focused in particular on the educational Shanghai Sunrise Project. This year alone the hotel has supported seven children from Shanghai, and in addition to sponsoring education fees, also offering work during holidays and mentors from the staff who can communicate directly with the kids “Social responsibility is much more than just giving money.” Mr. Hutchinson sounds like a Shanghai father. “Hilton has prospered in Shanghai for 23 years. We would like to make some contribution to China and especially to Shanghai. We have the responsibility to promote social progress.” After over 20 years’experience in Shanghai, Hilton has established a close relationship with the city and its people. Only with a strong feeling toward this land would the hotel contribute so much to the local community.

Special customer groups also receive special attention from Hilton Shanghai, for example, newly wed couples. Mr. Hutchinson said that “although many hotels provide wedding services in Shanghai, there is a strong focus on MICE business, and not many focus on weddings as a core business. Wedding ceremonies are very different from conferences. When you visit a friend’s home, it is not likely that you will see photographs of a conference three years ago hanging on the wall. But, you will probably find wedding pictures. Details must be carefully designed for a wedding event. Many brides look forward to this day for many years before the actual event, and will still talk about it in ten years time. Therefore, attention to details is essential. If the color of flowers at the banquet does not please the bride, she might remember it for years. On the other hand, the flower color at a conference is not quite so important. A wedding is a lifelong memory. So we focus on paying special attention to details. Our hotel might hold 5 to 8 wedding ceremonies each week. Every ceremony has to be planned carefully to create a unique memory for the couples.” This clearly reflects the hotel’s exquisite care for people.

A senior member in the hospitality market in Shanghai, Hilton Shanghai, the first five-star in the city, continues its evolution. The Hotel has been actively seeking a balance between physical development and the progress of “people” to realize a maximum satisfaction for both sides. Just as we have felt personally, Hilton Shanghai, led by Mr. Hutchinson, is offering an exquisite humanitarian care to all customers.

谈到上海的五星级大酒店，希尔顿酒店是不得不提的一个，她俨然成为一个标志性的符号，矗立于大上海的前法租界20余年，见证了上海的不断更新。作为酒店业界的豪门，经历或者说享受这些洗礼，希尔顿拥有相当的底气及实力。在总经理盖•哈勤森先生的主持下，上海希尔顿酒店从容应对大上海的风云变幻，却也从中悟出一套自己的经营哲学。

这已经是我们第三度造访由盖•哈勤森先生领导的上海希尔顿酒店了。我们与盖•哈勤森先生的交谈更像是老朋友间的重逢。3年来，每次造访我们都能感受到不一样的惊喜。希尔顿的成功似乎已经没有什么秘密，那就是我们所乐见的“改革”。这一年酒店引入杨澜女士的“澜”珠宝为酒店增添异彩，以及作为酒店翻修项目之一的总统套房翻新后重新投入使用。哈勤森先生对于酒店迎合中国市场所做的每一步都是很有感触的：“我们酒店采取各种各样的方法来跟上城市的步伐，中国的酒店业特别是中国的消费者改变速度非常之快，我还从没见过一个城市如此高速度的改革。相比较而言，欧洲的酒店市场可以说已经非常成熟了。以伦敦为例，当你回到伦敦会发现他几乎都没什么变化。而相比上海近两年的发展，伦敦可能需要至少8至10年。面对我们不断发展变革的市场，希尔顿始终相信，我们顾客能“慧眼识金”，而服务就是那永恒的真谛。比如来住希尔顿酒店的客人他们喜欢苹果派做早餐，当他们再来光顾时，我们的员工能立即递上他们喜欢的苹果派而无需他们再次提及。对客人贴心如家的服务是希尔顿始终坚信能不断取得成功的真谛。”

同步更新的还有为了迎合上海劳力士大师赛。提到与大师杯的再度合作，哈勤森先生表示，“我们与世界巡回赛的关系是很棒的，与他们的合作让我们觉得非常愉快，也使得整个酒店变得生机勃勃。他们的组织委员会非常的专业与进步。去年所有的巡回赛选手投票选择上海作为整个巡回赛的最佳地点，上海打败了罗马，巴黎等城市。为这份来之不易的荣誉，我们做了很多措施，提供最好的服务。”本次比赛已全面更新了公共设施，包括一个全新的3层接待大楼。酒店还特意从意大利请来米其林厨师为选手及观众烹饪地道美食。上海世博的如火如荼也让酒店抓住机遇。希尔顿把世博会与巡回赛联系起来，主办方也有举措，如有世博会的门票，就可以免费进入会场观赛。几大盛事齐聚上海，难怪哈勤森先生要感慨，“这真是上海伟大的一年。”

这种种举措无不体现希尔顿的强大的市场竞争力和影响力，也让希尔顿在市场中保持着相当的重要性。“魔力，源自每一位希尔顿人” 这句生动的酒店宣传语或许就是希尔顿如何做到这一切的最好的解答。希尔顿发展成为世界三大酒店集团之一，对于“人”的关怀的重视，包括服务的质量，与客人的交流等都是必不可少的。哈勤森先生对此颇有心得：“你要让客人感觉在家一样舒适，你可能曾住在一个装潢非常漂亮的酒店，但是经历却非常糟糕。对于今天的酒店来说最重要的一点就是服务质量。但是这已经不是什么新鲜话题了，在上海有40-50家非常棒的饭店，酒店业都在推出人文关怀，酒店给你的感觉如何是最重要的一点。我们的工作并不是在于来自纽约的设计装潢或者来自意大利的椅子摆设，而在于带给客人的感觉和热情。我们关注的就是‘人’。在人力资源方面，我们有将近400名员工在酒店里工作了上十年，对于员工培训也是颇有经验。我们独特的竞争优势也在于‘人’，这也变成了我们与客人交流的价值之一，也是我们与众不同的原因之一。”

而希尔顿注重的“人”不光在于对顾客的热情服务，对于员工也是给予了贴心的关怀。酒店今年完善了员工的食堂，从侧面反映了酒店是全方位的对“人”的注重。哈勤森先生向我们强调说：“员工每时每刻都在为客人服务，而且日复一日。做到内在的效率，我们关注的是在员工和客人之间创造怎样的联系和交流。我们的员工都有机会通过网络进入“希尔顿学院”进行学习，同时还有一个特别的制度，那就是顾客之家‘customer room’的设置。在这个系统里，我们每个月会从各个部门随机挑选一些员工来进行一对一的谈话，谈一谈如何提升顾客的旅途感受，并询问他们是否需要什么帮助，有没有发现什么问题。让人惊喜的是，有很多很棒的想法都是从这些员工身上得来的，他们知道怎样来解决这些问题，成为我们的得力助手。”做到了这些，也不难解释为什么希尔顿酒店员工与客人间的关系是如此融洽了，双方都给了对方最好的反馈。

而希尔顿似乎想将这种交流做到极致。哈勤森先生去年作为第一位开辟博客的总经理，今年酒店又与湖南卫视的“我是大美人”的栏目进行合作。哈勤森先生告诉我们：“我们希望与顾客有更加直接的关系和交流，谈论一下我们的新制度之类。顾客都是非常聪明的，他们可以一下就明白你是不是在表演。把我们公之于众，说明我们也是很好接触的，同时我们也可能更好地了解顾客。现在已经有超过25,000人次点击过我的博客了。对于一个经理来说，与顾客建立的交流和关系就像与他的朋友家人直接的关系一样。”利用博客，这样一个现代媒体手段来与客人进行直接的交流，突破传统与通俗，我们看到了更具时尚与先进的沟通方式。

与如此进步的理念相呼应的，就是酒店愈加看重的绿色低碳环保的生活方式以及经营管理方式。希尔顿将工作的可持续发展当作自己的责任，在节能方面做了很多工作，细到像办公室纸张的重复利用，大到酒店正在做一个重要的研究来探索如何用更有效的方式为大楼提供能源，企图在电力上做调整来支持整座大楼的可持续发展。临近中秋佳节，面对广大的节日市场，哈勤森先生是第一位提出将月饼包装盒绿色化的总经理，这也是酒店以身作则的一个很好的例子。问及哈勤森先生为何会有如此妙想，他告诉我们：“我们是从两个方面考虑的，一个是支持可持续发展，再就是做生意要考虑社会责任。成千上万的人每年都在制造月饼盒，我们就想看看我们能做一些什么不同的事情。我们从细节方面做了很多工作，像是月饼盒使用的无公害的油墨及月饼盒本身是可以重复利用的，我们的月饼盒可以说对环境是零污染。像这样支持环境友好的生意，许多人觉得会浪费很多钱。而我们认为这对我们来说是很有意义的。此外，购买一盒希尔顿的月饼还会有一笔收入捐赠给慈善事业，让顾客在举家团聚品尝美食的同时又进行了保护地球的行动。”

酒店也一直致力于慈善事业，与慈善机构也已经合作多年，“慈善小火车”延续了希尔顿对弱势群体的关怀，每年都能捐献出较高的数额。这不仅仅是跟钱有关系，而是关系到贡献及社会责任。希尔顿在支持“初升的太阳计划”上尤其付出心力。酒店已经有七个来自上海的孩子，每一个孩子在酒店里都有可以直接对话的人，也可以在假期的时候来酒店赚一些零花钱，“社会责任是不能完全用金钱来取代的。”哈勤森先生俨然一位上海市民，“希尔顿来到上海已经23年了，我们愿意为中国，特别是上海做一点贡献，我们有责任支持社会的发展。”希尔顿在上海的20多年，对上海产生了家人般的感情，因为对这片土地有着情谊，才会愿意这般支持，这般付出。

对于特别的顾客群，希尔顿也特别重视。对于婚宴市场这块大蛋糕，希尔顿有着独到的经营之道。哈勤森先生向我们介绍：“这个城市里做婚宴的酒店很多，却没有很多酒店像我们这样重视，他们或者更加重视会议市场。婚礼和会议是有很大的不同的。你到别人家去做客，不可能看到墙上挂着多年前开会的照片，看到的会是婚礼的照片。做婚宴必须要特别注意细节，因为这是所有新娘毕生期待的一天，结了婚十年还在谈论这一天。所以对细节的注重是如此不同也如此特别，如果婚宴上的花的颜色不合新娘的意，她可能都要记上很多年，而在做会议服务的时候鲜花的颜色就不是那种重要。婚宴是人跟随一辈子的记忆，所以细节是我们非常关注的。酒店一周可能会接待5-8对新人，我们从音乐等方面仔细地思考如何做得与众不同，如何能带给新人最值得回味的美好记忆。”从各个角度我们都能深切体会到希尔顿对“人”的关怀，这种贴心是丝丝入扣的。

虽然希尔顿酒店是一个老牌酒店——上海第一家五星级酒店，但是却在不断地推陈出新，她一直在酒店的发展以及“人”的发展中积极寻求一种平衡，让双方都能得到最圆满的满足。就像我们所切身体会到的，在哈勤森先生的带领下，上海希尔顿酒店将人文关怀做到了极致。