From the ancient Rome to Normandy, the British style has always attracted attention with its refined luxury. As the center of the medieval European culture, Britain has a mysterious cultural background. In the ancient time, the Anglo-Saxons brought the Germanic language and culture to England. Later, the Norman invaders introduced the fresh Mediterranean culture into the island, where Greek culture, Roman laws and Christianity blended and bloomed.

Britain, the first industrialized country, is in possession of a vigorous spirit in addition to a long history and profound culture. The modern Britain still leads the global trends in many ways. Now Guoman Hotel Shanghai has brought all these from the Thames to the Bund. Its multicultural elements and modern construction play out a perfect chapter of cultural fusion.

The classic British hospitality brand Guoman combines the traditional British style with London avant-garde fashion. As the first Guoman hotel in Asia, Guoman Hotel Shanghai is bringing a new trend of hospitality and unveiling a new age of hospitality in Shanghai. The hotel forms the centrepiece of the GuosonCentre Changfeng, a major business, retail and residential development within Shanghai’s up-and-coming Putuo District. It provides the perfect base for business, exhibition and leisure travelers, being convenient to the city center, just 15-minute ride from Hongqiao Airport, 40-minute ride from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, and 6 kilometers away from Shanghai Railway Station. Standing in its vicinity are Hongqiao CBD, Gubei International Community and Zhongshan Park Business Circle.

Mr. Binkaya joined Guoman in May 2004. Having lived in London for over 15 years, Mr. Binkaya exemplifies the international spirit and culture of the city. He is trying to combine Guoman traditions with the Shanghai style. Mr. Binkaya said that “I love Chinese culture. I love Chinese tea not only for its rich taste but also for the feeling during tea drinking. I think Chinese people expect to have the same feeling when they check into a hotel.” During our interview, Mr. Binkaya kept reminding us that what he cares most is the feeling the hotel delivers to guests. Obviously he shoulders tremendous responsibility and pressure to operate the first landing in Asia of a classic British hospitality brand. Standing out as an exemplar of hospitality leadership, in May 2008, Mr. Binkaya was made Hotel Manager and, a year later, acting General Manager of the 692-room Thistle Marble Arch, in the heart of London's West End. His strategic thinking and hands-on-approach played a vital role in ensuring that the hotel exceeded its targets. His rich experience in high-end hospitality and thorough understanding of Guoman brand are the great assets to the Guoman Hotel Shanghai.

Guoman Hotel Shanghai impresses guests with its fleet of iconic “London Black Cabs”, elegant architecture and original services. The British sophistication and Shanghai Style together create a unique Guoman experience. As the first Guoman hotel in Asia, Guoman Hotel Shanghai faces the challenge of bringing the refinement of the Guoman name to Asia. Mr. Suat Binkaya, on his arrival in Shanghai, has devoted himself to learning Chinese culture. During the interview, he elaborated on the differences between Chinese and foreign drinking cultures as well as the diverse cuisines, which proves his commitment. He, who has just got a new baby boy, said humorously, “ I am taking care of new babies at work and in personal life, but I spend more efforts in caring the new hotel baby.” Ever since its preparation, Mr. Binkaya has been careful with every detail of the hotel. The opening of the hotel is like the final examination, which found him happy and nervous hoping every detail to be perfect, just like a father welcoming a new life. Once through the doors of Guoman Hotel, guests will find themselves in seclusion from the bustle and extravagance of the surrounding metropolis. The hotel lobby is high, spacious, and peaceful, in soft and bright lightings. The layout and the combination of décor materials and colors are refined modern style with local elements and landscape. Hence the ambience is refreshing and pleasant.

Mr. Binkaya loves Chinese cuisine and was a regular customer at Chinese restaurants back in Britain. What impressed him most besides the delicious food were the creative names of those restaurants, which aroused his interest in Chinese characters. As a result, many restaurants in the hotel have meaningful names. For example, the name of the Chinese restaurant Yin Chu Xuan where you can taste many creative Cantonese and Sichuan dishes accompanied with a variety of refined wines is inspired by the Yin Chu Lake in Changfeng Park, which is inhabited by fresh water fish. The GB Bar, which is both the code for Great Britain and an abbreviation of Cheers in Pinyin, is a contemporary western bar providing various beer and British cuisine. In addition, there are the Japanese restaurant I.Z.K.Y. and the relaxing Lounge Bar. What is worth special mentioning is the modern buffet restaurant The Market where you can enjoy various south east Asian food, pan-seared fillet, healthy Korean rice dish, and freshly cooked Japanese skewered meat.

The charm of Guoman does not simply lie in its high-end luxurious decoration and facilities but rather in its understanding of the relaxation guests are after. How to make guests feel at home is what every staff in the hotel needs to learn. Mr. Binkaya would lead his staff to test everything, from whether the bedding is comfortable to whether the overall environment is pleasant. To the staff, hotel is a place to work; to the guests, hotel is a place to stay and enjoy. Mr. Binkaya is clear about this point. Just as Britain is a country where people like more of a peaceful life, many people now would like to have less of the busy metropolis life. To meet this need of the guests, the hotel has made efforts to create a get-away environment from the hustle and bustle of the city life. Standing alongside the picturesque ChangFeng Park, the hotel is an ideal place for one to return to his/her true self. This is the ambience that Guoman Hotel Shanghai is trying to create.

The opening of Guoman Hotel Shanghai exemplifies a perfect start for Guoman’s entry into Asia. Guoman Hotel Beijing is scheduled to open next year. The introduction of Guoman has also opened a new chapter in China’s hospitality industry. We look forward to the full bloom of this charming, elegant, and unique British brand.

从古罗马到诺曼底，英伦风情都以其低调的奢华吸引着世界的眼光。作为欧洲中世纪文化的集中地，英国有着让人们难以捉摸的人文底蕴。上古世纪，盎格鲁-萨克森人将日尔曼族语言及文化植根于英格兰岛，随后诺曼底人带来了地中海文化的新鲜浪潮，使希腊文化，罗马法律和基督教在这里萌芽融合并且发扬光大。

作为第一个迈入工业化社会的国家，英国除了拥有深厚的历史文化之外还拥有其独特的魄力和精神。当代的英国仍然在很多领域引领着世界的潮流，上海国丰酒店将这些从泰晤士河边带到了黄浦江畔，多元素的历史风貌和现代化的模式完美融合，华美而悟本，即将绽放中西合璧的华丽篇章。

英国经典酒店品牌国丰，将传统的英伦风情与待客之道和伦敦前卫时尚风潮融汇在一起，而上海国丰酒店作为第一家入住亚洲的国丰品牌将会给上海带来新一轮的酒店浪潮，也揭示了上海酒店业新时代即将到来。上海国丰酒店隶属于上海国盛中心，坐落于融商务、零售、住宅等各种业态为一体并极具发展潜力的上海普陀长风商务区，上海国丰酒店已成为该区域的显著标志。酒店至虹桥机场只有15分钟车程，驱车40分钟便可到达上海浦东国际机场，距离上海火车站也只有6公里。紧邻虹桥综合商务枢纽，古北国际社区和中山公园商圈的长宁区，是商务会展、居家旅行的理想之选。

作为此行的主角，上海国丰酒店总经理苏瓦特先生于2004年5月加入国丰酒店集团，出身在欧洲的苏瓦特先生已在英国居住了超过15年的时间，充分见证了伦敦的国际化精神和文化的发展。他将秉承国丰传统的品牌文化，让其融入上海这篇东方的土地。苏瓦特总经理说：“我非常喜欢中国的文化，我喜欢中国茶，并不只是茶的味道很甘醇，更因为品茶时的心境，我想中国人在入住酒店的时候应该也是想体会这样的感觉。”在采访的过程中，苏瓦特先生不止一次的强调他所要突出的就是酒店给客人的感觉。执掌着英国经典品牌在亚洲第一次安家落户，可以想见他的责任和压力。2008年5月，苏瓦特先生获任位于伦敦西区中心地段拥有692间客房的Thistle石拱酒店驻店经理一职。杰出的表现让他在一年内成为酒店执行总经理。从营销策略上的运筹帷幄到服务细节中的亲力亲为，确保酒店屡创佳绩。加上对国丰品牌文化的切身体会，这些，都成为苏瓦特先生管理上海国丰酒店的宝贵财富。

上海国丰酒店以其特有的“黑色伦敦出租车队”，典雅的建筑设计风格和充满创意的服务理念，将英伦经典和亚洲风尚精妙结合，缔造独一无二的“国丰”体验。作为亚洲第一家国丰酒店，如何把国丰的服务理念完美的在亚洲展现出来，对与上海国丰酒店来说这无疑是一个严峻的问题。苏瓦特总理在来到上海的第一天起就开始致力于了解中国文化，从中外酒文化的不同到餐饮文化的不同在采访的时候他都历数了一遍，可见他一贯认真的作风不是虚传。刚刚喜得麟儿的他幽默的说：“我在工作和生活中都在照顾着新生儿，不同的是在酒店这个新生儿方面我倾注了更多的精力。”从酒店筹建开始，苏瓦特先生就对每个细节提出了自己的改进意见，当酒店开始喜迎四方宾客的时候就是验证整个成果的时刻。他的心情欣喜而紧张，他希望每一个细节都是完美的，像每一个父亲迎接新生命的诞生。无疑上海国丰酒店是成功的，在迈入国丰酒店的顷刻，便将外界侵扰阻于门外。也从这一刻起城市的浮华渐行渐远。走进酒店服务台，您发现酒店大堂是如此的高挑，宽敞、幽静，沐浴在柔和明亮的灯光下。大堂的布局结构，装饰材料和色彩搭配均为精心之选，极具现代风格，同时又溶入了本土文化和景观元素。让人感觉神清气爽，身心愉悦。

苏瓦特先生非常喜欢中国的美食，在英国的时候就经常光顾中餐厅，让他记忆犹新的除了美味的中式佳肴还有的就是餐厅独特的名字，这也致使他来到中国以后对汉字的内涵产生了极大的兴趣，酒店的很多餐厅名字也因此有了渊源。位于长风公园内的“银锄湖”，生长着很多淡水鱼，环境幽静清新，酒店中餐厅就借用了此名，淡雅而别致，在这里可以品尝到很多创新的粤菜和川菜，以及各种精心酿造的葡萄酒。另外，酒店的GB吧，即包含了英国（Great Britain）的国家代码，又是中文干杯的拼音缩写，故名干杯吧。它是一间极具现代风格的西式酒吧，提供品种丰富的各式啤酒和英式家常菜。除了这两个中英特色餐厅外，酒店还有提供纯正日式料理的I.Z.K.Y.居酒屋以及轻松惬意的大堂酒廊。值得一提的是酒店的锦丰咖啡厅，千品荟萃的现代风格自助餐厅奉上极富地域特色的各种东南亚美食、鲜嫩肥美的烤肉、营养健康的韩式石锅拌饭、新鲜现烤的日式铁板烧和串烧等，均可现点现制。

国丰的品牌魅力不仅仅在于高档奢华的装修和设施，国丰人深谙客人更想要的是真正的放松，如何让客人拥有宾至如归的感觉，是酒店每个人需要去深刻学习和揣摩的。小到床上用品是否舒适，大到酒店环境是否宜人，总经理苏瓦特先生都带领员工一一亲身实践。酒店对于员工来说是工作的场所，而对于客人来说他们是来生活的，苏瓦特先生非常明确的了解酒店的这一点。英国是个喜静不喜闹的国家，对于大多数人来说，大都会式的生活方式只是他们生活中的一小部分，所以上海国丰酒店的特点也增加了这种闹中取静的元素，让人远离城市的繁忙和喧器解除疲劳和压力，面临风景如画的长风公园，关上房门，远离纷扰，回归最真的自我，这才是上海国丰酒店致力营造的酒店氛围。