A Charming Personality, A Natural Experience
——Interview with Ms. Minnie Xu, General Manager of Courtyard by Marriott Shanghai Xujiahui
蕙质兰心抒写本质体验
——专访上海西藏万怡酒店的总经理徐晓君女士

Have you ever perceived a smile that transfers strength with tenderness? Or have you ever confronted a look that conveys firmness with elegance? The first Chinese citizen general manager in Marriott Group, Ms Minnie Xu, the General Manager of Courtyard by Marriott Shanghai Xujiahui, impressed us again with her smile and look during the interview. Although it was already the second time for us to have a close contact with her, we were still intoxicated by the serene and soothed atmosphere around her. Perhaps her personality would charm anyone who meets her.

As an international brand hotel, Courtyard by Marriott Shanghai Xujiahui has employed a large number of local managing staff. In reference to that, Ms Xu said, “I am really happy that more and more international hotels are employing locals as senior managers. Compared with traditional courtyard hotels, our hotel is more flexible and open to modern elements. It contains more creative concepts in either the decoration or management pattern.” As the 800th courtyard hotel by Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott Shanghai Xujiahui has distinctive features. The magnificent design of the roof attracts attention with its Chinese traditional “golden palace” style. The fuse of designs of Potala Palace in Tibet distinguishes the hotel with the unsophisticated and exotic flavor. As a result, guests are immersed in a sea of romantic outlandishness as soon as they step into the hotel. The courtyard has been emphasizing the more profound aspect of the brand since its entry into China, which is the high quality. Ms Xu believes that high quality at least includes fashion, multiculturalism and vigor. Maybe she aspires to add more special charm to the hotel.
 
Ms Xu has taken office in various sections of a hotel, including room service, marketing, food and beverage, and was involved in the opening of five hotels. When referring to the differences between opening a hotel and managing an already mature one, she flashed a smile and said, “Actually it is a challenge to prepare the opening of a new hotel. I need to decide a clear orientation and direction for the hotel and I have to do it from scratch. Taking over a mature hotel requires the ability to perform a smooth transition and to make every reform acceptable to all the staff.” During the interview, we were impressed by one philosophy of Ms Xu, who regards the management system as serving people. If employees or customers are not comfortable with the system, then it is either fallacious or imperfect. It is not difficult to perceive that Ms Xu’s management philosophy is people oriented. She gave us a simple but typical example. “If a regular business customer checks in with his wife and children, I would upgrade his room into a suite. Hotel is a place to bring joy and comfort to customers or friends. Therefore, I do not want to see the family crammed in one room. I hope that they can really relax during their stay.” This example shows that Ms Xu is a leader who considers things from their basic natures as well as illustrating the service philosophy of the hotel. Ms Xu also mentioned a hotel regulation that every employee has certain authority to handle emergencies. There are two reasons: employees could proceed with solutions more quickly and customers could have problems solved promptly instead of waiting.

From Wuhan to Shanghai, Ms Xu has experienced changes in work location, hotel brand, and colleagues. She believes it is also necessary to change and improve her management style. Compared with her former style, the current one is more tolerant. “Our previous management style was quite strict and I supervised my subordinates with the same style. Now I am making some changes.” She is willing to offer more creative space for young people and to authorize more employees, allowing them to err and to improve themselves from mistakes. She is devoted to the training of professionals in order to provide high quality service to customers. And she shows a great deal of modesty by saying that she would learn new ideas and trendy things from the younger generation and would incorporate those fresh elements into her work.
 
Courtyard by Marriott Shanghai Xujiahui is located in Xujiahui, one of the ten famed commercial centers in the city encompassing shopping, recreation, business, commerce, hospitality, food and beverage, education and training. The local government used to found churches and schools here to spread western religion and culture. Consequently, Xujiahui has become a showcase and center of western culture, where expatriates prefer to stay. Such an advantage is both an opportunity and a challenge to the hotel and its general manager. For Ms Xu, she has to deliberate how to grasp the chance and to find more potential guests. With a rich experience in hotel business, she would never rest complacently on the hotel’s location advantage. Instead, she communicates and exchanges notes regularly with general managers of other courtyard hotels in Shanghai, to explore the prospect of courtyard in China and to discuss the future of their hotels.

Ms Xu conceives that the success of a hotel is not based on its luxury or gaudiness but on a lucid orientation and a full play of its strength. Since Courtyard is designed specially for business and leisure travelers, it is important to grant customers unconventional trip by offering maximum comfort and space as well as an entitlement in choices. Accordingly, Ms Xu has selected two key words to define the hotel’s orientation: family and convenience. Customers are respected by hotel associates who think what consumers think and treat customers as friends or even family members. Meanwhile, the hotel facilities are not just luxurious and expensive, but functional and practical. All those items that would bring convenience to customers are clearly presented.

Our interview came to the halt in the afternoon and Ms Xu accompanied us out of the hotel. Before leaving the executive lounge, she apologized to guests in the lounge about the interview. When we were walking into the elevator, she nodded and smiled at two customers who also entered the lift. The smile was as natural and sincere as a greeting to intimate friends that came from the bottom of her heart. This easiness and hospitality without affectation is perhaps what a hotel manager should achieve.

Walking out of the hotel into the warm sunshine, we still felt a trace of refreshing coolness brought by the special personality of Ms Minnie Xu, a woman from the south of China. She displays a kind of naturalness, which is not only a result of her personal charm but rather a tolerance to human nature. She is tender but not weak, determined but not stiff. With such a leader, it is justified to believe that Courtyard by Marriott Shanghai Xujiahui would stand out in Shanghai with its refined hotel culture.

是否见过这样一种微笑，可以用温柔诠释力量，是否见过这样一种眼神，可以用优雅诠释坚定。从万豪集团第一位中国籍总经理，上海西藏万怡酒店总经理徐晓君女士再次将这种处变不惊展现在我们眼前。第二次近距离的接触她，依然沉溺于这种平静而沁心的氛围中，也许就是这种人格魅力的感染让每一个见过她的人都会留有余香的记忆。

作为国际品牌大量运用本土管理层的上海西藏万怡酒店，徐晓君女士说：“非常开心现在越来越多的国际酒店开始动用本土的高级管理人员，而这家酒店相较于传统的万怡品牌有更多的灵活度，可以加入更多的时代元素，无论从装潢或者管理模式，都包涵了更多的创新理念。”上海西藏大厦万怡酒店作为万豪集团旗下的第800家万怡酒店有着其与众不同的特质。屋顶华丽的设计非常引人注目，采用了传统的“金色宫殿”手法，融合了中国西藏布达拉宫的设计元素，古朴而具有异域风情，独树一帜，让顾客从步入酒店时即刻就有别样的体验。万怡品牌进驻中国后加注个更深层次的定位，那就是“优质的”。徐晓君认为这种优质至少包括一些元素：时尚、多元化并且是精神焕发的。这也许是她想给酒店注入的更加能够吸引客人的独特魅力。
 
徐晓君总经理在酒店的多个部门任职过，涉及房务、销售、餐饮等各方面并参与了五所开业酒店的筹备工作。在谈及做酒店开业和接任已经成熟的酒店有什么区别时，她浅浅一笑，说：“其实筹备新开业的酒店是个挑战，对于我来说我要很好的给予这个酒店一个定位和方向，这些都是崭新的。而接手一个已经成型的酒店要更加的融会贯通，所作的改革要让每一个人可以接受。”在采访过程中，有一个理念让笔者记忆犹新。她始终觉得管理制度是为人建立的，如果这项制度的建立让员工或者客人觉得不舒服那么这项制度就是错误的或者说有待改善的。不难看出，徐晓君的管理理念是从心出发的，无论是对客人或者是员工。她举了一个简单却又代表性的例子，她说：“如果一个经常入住我们酒店的商务客人，有一次是带着他的妻子和孩子一起来入住酒店，那么我就会把他的房间升级成套房。酒店作为一个可以给客人甚至可以说是朋友带来快乐和舒适的地方，我不希望他们一家挤在一间房间里，我希望他们可以真正的放松。”这个例子不仅仅说明徐晓君是个从本质出发的领导者，进一步的还说明了一个服务的理念，在这个例子之前她和笔者说上海西藏万怡酒店有项规定，那就是酒店的员工都有一个权限去处理突发事件，这么做的原因一是从员工的角度出发，让她们做事可以更加快捷。二是从客人的角度出发，在第一时间碰到问题客人需要及时的解决而不是等待。

从武汉到上海，不同的地域，不同的品牌，不同的酒店，包括身边不同的人。徐晓君觉得管理模式也是要尝试改变和与时俱进的。对比以前的自己，现在可能会更加的圆融，“我们以前的管理模式是相对比较严格的，原来我也是一直秉持这种管理理念来规定我的下属，但现在我开始有些变化。”她愿意多给年轻人自我发挥的空间，授权给更多的员工，允许他们去犯错误，在失败中正视自己并且把这些经历融入到日常的酒店工作中。培养专业的酒店人才，为客人提供优质服务。她还谦虚的表示要向晚辈们学习新的思想和当下新潮的事物，把这些新鲜的元素融入到自己的工作中。
 
上海西藏大厦万怡酒店地处徐家汇，这里是上海市十大著名的商业中心之一，集购物、娱乐、办公、商贸、休闲、住宿、餐饮、培训教育为一体的综合性商业区域。以前政府在这里兴建教堂，创办学校，传播西方宗教文化，因之徐家汇成为西方文化传播的窗口，所以很多来到上海的国外人士喜欢聚集在此。这些优势对酒店和总经理徐晓君女士来说既是机会又是挑战，对于她来说要既要思考怎样把握住这样的契机又要去拓展更多的客源。具有丰富酒店经历的徐晓君女士不会因为自己酒店这一地理优势就固步自封，平时，她时常会和上海其他万怡品牌的总经理们进行交流，取经，探讨万怡品牌在中国市场的前景，讨论酒店将来的方向。

她认为酒店的成功不在于有多么的奢华多么的哗众取宠，而是明确自身的定位，找到优势所在将其发扬光大。首先万怡酒店专为商务和休闲旅客设计，最大限度的让客人体验舒适感，空间感和自主选择的权利，并且享受打破常规的旅行。因此，徐晓君女士给酒店定位了几个关键字“家”“便捷”：以客为尊，换位思考可以更好的服务于客人，真正做到把客人当成朋友或是家人才可以更好的从事酒店工作。而酒店的设施不是一味去追求奢华、昂贵，而是其功能性和实用性，把那些能方便客人的项目呈现在每一位客人的面前，这就是成功。

午后时分，我们的采访也告一段落，徐晓君女士亲自把笔者一行送出酒店，临走还贴心的问周围在行政酒廊休息的客人有没有被采访打扰。走进电梯的时候又有一个细节吸引了我们的目光，她和进电梯的两位客人点头微笑，这个微笑发自内心而不失尊重，似是老朋友间的招呼，默契十足。这也许就是一个酒店人的修为，从容淡定，温暖宜人而丝毫不造作。

走出酒店，阳光和煦的照耀，而身上还是带有一丝淡淡的清凉，这就是徐晓君这个苏杭女子让人感觉到的独有特质，体任自然，这种自然不仅仅局限于自身的魅力，更是一种对人之常情的宽容，柔而不弱，坚毅而不刚强。正是拥有了这样的领导者，相信上海西藏万怡酒店会以另一种姿态伫立于上海滩，清丽脱俗的酒店文化，体验本质的精神旅程。