The Langham, Shenzhen Introduces Timeless Elegance & Legendary Service with Poise

深圳朗廷酒店，诠释永恒典雅与传奇服务

Dialogue with Mr. Sven Isberg, General Manager of The Langham, Shenzhen

与深圳朗廷酒店总经理依思文先生一席谈

With nearly 30 years in hospitality industry experience, his international career has spanned Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific, and he is now leading the team to open The Langham, Shenzhen – the first Langham masterpiece in Southern China. Mr. Isberg has spent 9 years in China as a General Manager where he gained extensive pre-opening experience, re-branding, and regional cluster management experience. As the General Manager of The Langham, Shenzhen, he is leading a superior management team to launch the venerable Langham brand in the South of China.

“2011 was an extraordinary year for me. In this year, I was appointed as General Manager of The Langham, Shenzhen, to lead our management team for The Langham brand, which already has 147 years of legendary history and has created great glories. The design of The Langham, Shenzhen was inspired by the first European luxury hotel, which is The Langham London. For 147 years, The Langham Hotel has been committed to sincere hospitality and every Langham hotel in the world has inherited the elegance in design, ‘service with poise’, and an enchanting stay experience for every guest. This luxury European hotel brand will be interpreted and installed in the vibrant city of Shenzhen. It will be recognised as a haven to make every guest fully relaxed and happy and will express the classical European style to our guests. This is the core brand value reflected in The Langham hotels. This will rely on every colleague’s working attitude, enthusiasm, and team work. I believe, employees are the cornerstone of success, therefore I really focus on team training. The Langham, Shenzhen has designed different training programmes for the different levels of colleagues with the purpose to help them better understand the brand and the history of The Langham hotels. I want them to work in a relaxed atmosphere where they can easily express their own personalities and characteristics. To better understand our colleagues, I also react with the staff and provide my comments during daily operations. As a native German, no matter in my personal life or at work, I like to communicate with different people. I really enjoy relaxed and humorous interaction. I believe a person should be able to listen, learn, and enjoy. Most importantly, I like what I do and I enjoy coming to work every day. A good listener is always appreciated, a good talker may not be. The moment I stop learning I have to do something different. Luckily, the management team which I work with every day has the same goals and philosophy as me. They have many years of working experience in the hospitality industry and efficient execution capabilities, and each one of our management team members has a wealth of practical experience. Therefore, we discuss the strategies and make the decisions together. The Langham hotel has a precise supervisory system to monitor the daily operation processes. The entire system implementation process will need staff participation and concern, however, my role in the whole system is to give some advice when it’s necessary, always supporting and encouraging them. I always believe that success is definitely not achieved only by individuals, but it needs the whole management team working together in cooperation, and conversely, success also belongs to every team member who has contributed. An outstanding team, efficient services, and strong and competitive brand values are all key elements that make our guests satisfied and build great memories”.

Regarding the challenges and opportunities he has encountered in his career, Mr. Isberg commented, “One of my favorites is ‘Never a dull moment’ as each challenge is equally an opportunity. In our business everything changes all the time, and in particular when you change jobs in hotels you always go there and think you know a little bit, and then you are encountering a completely different situation, may it be in terms of business or market situation or in terms of the facilities of the hotel or the owning company relationships, etc. Everything changes all the time and in my mind, really, these are the challenges, but at the same time they are opportunities because they broaden your own horizon.”

Nowadays, in such fierce market competition, especially in Shenzhen, countless five-star hotels are springing up. Mr. Isberg will lead his hotel to create a new situation and earn a good reputation. “We are very fortunate in this respect because this hotel in terms of hardware is really something special and is a hotel that automatically differentiates itself from most others simply by the way it looks and feels. The original Langham hotel in London was the first ‘Grand Hotel’ in the world setting many new standards back when it opened in 1865. This whole tradition and continental style and uniqueness is being brought into our new properties, and also now of course here at The Langham, Shenzhen. The hotel is a new build but it will be distinctly different compared to most hotels in Asia Pacific in particular. You have features that are very different in terms of feel as soon as you walk into the lobby. Everything is a little bit exquisite, a bit more old world and compartmentalized so it feels very different then when you walk into standard hotels that you see these days with the wide open lobbies and lobby lounges, so by hardware we have a distinct difference of product; by software we are maintaining the same concept of being different, having the continental, old style European service delivery as well. We are trying to make a difference with one of our key philosophies in Langham, which is ‘Service with Poise’ with the concept of old style British Butlers incorporated into our service delivery. This is a niche that we are exploring which sets us aside from most other hotels.”

Mr. Isberg commented on the future development and marketing positioning of his hotel. “This hotel is quite unique and different so it is easy to position itself. We are certainly part of a very small and distinct group of hotels here in Shenzhen that is targeting the luxury hotel market with luxury feel and accomodations of which most other hotels do not want to explore or position themselves on, so there are only a few hotels in Shenzhen that we view ourselves to be in the same competitive set and will be competing with. The position is luxury, to be the best and the most luxurious and service oriented hotel in Shenzhen. We are having our opening ceremony on the 17th of September and we are ready.”

Mr. Isberg is very excited about his hotel’s excellent food and beverage outlets. “The number 1 restaurant that needs to be mentioned in that regard is the T’ang Court, which is a sibling of the Michelin Star restaurant in The Langham Hong Kong, offering our signature Cantonese cuisine. The Executive Chef that was there when they earned the Michelin Stars has been with us for over a year helping to prepare our kitchen set ups and working together with our own Executive Chinese Chef to position the T’ang Court restaurant as the highest level Cantonese food served in Shenzhen. Our All Day Dining restaurant is named Silk, which is an upmarket bistro concept with a small buffet of very different high-end selections with food items that most people will not expect. Duke’s is an entertainment outlet with a food component and the concept there is Tapas and Wine with live jazz music and probably the largest selection of wines in the city in terms of what we have on offer. Palm Court is in the lobby and plays a crucial role with our signature dish, our Afternoon Tea. Our mother hotel in London is one of the most famous places for classic British Afternoon Tea and we aspire to do the same thing here in Shenzhen, so if you ever want to have the true Afternoon Tea as it has been served for hundreds of years back in London, that is what you can expect to be served here in the Palm Court. Treasures & Scent deals with chocolate and is set up like a jewelry shop, but instead of jewelry you will see the finest and highest level chocolates being sold in a similar manner. Gazebo is located outdoors in our whole floor of spa, swimming and recreational area where we have a unique indoor and outdoor pool with kitchens for food and beverage service. Finally, one of our absolute key components of this hotel is our Wedding facility. There are many spaces in this hotel that were purposely built for wedding activities, including 2 Honeymoon Suites connected to the wedding facilities. We expect this will be widely talked about around Shenzhen in the coming months. Very close to my heart, we are also focusing on the up market MICE business with our convenient location close to Hong Kong. With our conference facilities, in addition to our wedding facilities, there are many things we can do to accommodate these requirements. We believe we are able to deliver the difference compared to most other hotels.”

With all these innovations and strict adherence to The Langham guidelines and philosophies, training of the staff is crucial. “Langham has developed, based on Total Quality Management principles, The Langham Quality Development and Monitoring System, which we have in place in our hotel. It is very sophisticated and involves a lot of training but also follow up monitoring to assure the highest levels of hospitality and service, and this is what we are aspiring for. We have been working on this for over a year now in pre-opening and we believe we are ready and capable of making a difference in our service delivery.”

他拥有近30年的酒店管理经验，工作区域涉足欧洲、北美以及亚太地区，现正紧锣密鼓地筹划深圳朗廷酒店的开业。依思文先生曾在中国担任酒店总经理一职达9年之久，对于酒店开业筹备、品牌重塑及区域集群管理了如指掌。被任命为深圳朗廷酒店总经理后，正带领着精英团队筹备华南第一家朗廷酒店的开业事宜。

“2011年对我来说，注定是不平凡的一年。这一年，我被任命为深圳朗廷酒店的总经理，带领精英团队一起为这个享有147年传奇历史的酒店品牌再创辉煌。深圳朗廷酒店设计灵感来源于第一家欧洲豪华酒店——伦敦朗廷酒店。147年来，朗廷酒店一直致力于诚恳的待客之道。时至今日，全球每家朗廷酒店均秉承了其尊贵豪华之酒店传统，表现出典雅高贵的设计、体贴挚诚的待客之道及令人迷醉的入住体验。这一奢华的欧洲酒店品牌也即将在深圳这个时尚现代之都得以演绎和传承。在活力洋溢的深圳打造一个世外桃源，使我们的客人能够在这里得到充分的放松，尽情的享受，同时也能感受欧洲古典风华的魅力，这就是我们所要体现的朗廷酒店的品牌核心价值。这一价值的实现要依赖于每位员工认真负责的态度、坚持不懈的精神和良好的团队合作能力。我相信，员工是取得成功的基石，因此我十分看重人才的选拔和培养，为不同岗位的员工设制了不同的培训课程，帮助他们更多的了解朗廷酒店的品牌并与之成长，希望他们在轻松的氛围下展现出自己真实的性格与特色。为了更好的了解员工，我也亲身加入到了日常工作的建议中。作为一个德国人，无论是生活还是工作，我都喜欢与不同的人交流，享受轻松幽默的互动方式。我认为，一个人要懂得倾听、学习、和享受。懂得倾听，能增加见识，从而增长自身的价值；懂得学习，能弥补不足，从而完善自身的条件；最重要的是，要懂得享受，只有对自己所从事的工作全身心的投入与热爱，才能享受每一天的工作状态，也只有当你真正的享受其中，才能激发出更多的专注与坚持。 我很幸运，与我共事的管理团队是与我有着同样理念与追求的精英。他们拥有着多年酒店管理经验和高效的执行能力，每一位都有很丰富的的实践经验。所以，工作中我们一起研讨战略，决策。朗廷酒店管理集团有许多非常精密的监管系统，整个系统的执行过程都需要大家的参与和关注，而我的角色只是在他们需要的时候给予建议、支持和督促。我始终相信，成功绝对不是一个人能实现的，它需要整个团队的通力合作，而这一切的功劳自然也就归属于每一位团队的成员。优秀的团队、高效的服务、强有力的品牌优势及竞争力一定可以让客人满意，实现我们‘想客人所想，创造美好回忆’的愿景。”

关于职业生涯中所遇到过的挑战与机遇，依思文先生谈道：“我最喜欢的一句话就是‘绝不怯场’，因为每个挑战就等同于一个机遇。在我们这个行业时时刻刻都会产生很多变化，特别是当你在酒店中的职位发生改变时，觉得自己能应付却往往遭遇一个从未遇到过的不同状况，可能是市场方面的问题，酒店设施上的问题，或者与业主方之间的关系等等。事情每分每秒都在改变，的确，这是挑战，但同时也是开拓眼界和能力的好机会。”

现今酒店市场的竞争愈发激烈，特别是在深圳这样的一线城市，大批即将建成开业的新酒店如雨后春笋般拔地而起，依思文先生决心带领自己的酒店独辟蹊径在这样的大环境下创出新局面并赢得良好口碑。“让我们觉得非常幸运的是这家酒店在硬件设施方面的与众不同，以及仅仅通过外观和给人的感觉自然传达出的独特气质。伦敦朗廷酒店于1865 年开业后，成为欧洲首家豪华酒店，随即成为行业典范。独一无二的传统欧陆式风格如今也被带到了这里。相比之下我们酒店和其他，尤其是亚太地区的多数酒店将会有明显的区别。当你一步入大堂就会感觉到与众不同的氛围。酒店里处处彰显出的精致、古典使你感觉到与现在多以敞开式设计大堂和大堂吧的标准型酒店截然不同，硬件方面体现在配套设施上，软件则是我们一贯延续的概念，用自己的风格将经典的欧式服务带给客人。我们尝试将朗廷一贯的‘诚挚服务’与老式英国管家的形式融入到服务当中，这就是我们正在追求的独特之处，也正是我们区别于其他酒店的地方和最合适的探索方向。”

当依思文先生谈及未来酒店的发展和市场趋势时说：“这个酒店非常的独特，与一般的酒店有很大的区别，所以非常容易定位。我们是这个城市很小一部分针对奢华市场的酒店，不同于其他酒店的定位，我们注重的是客人在这里享受到极致奢华的体验。在深圳，这个层面上能与我们竞争的酒店很少。定位奢华，并且努力成为这座城市能够带给客人最顶尖享受的酒店。我们将在9月17日举行开业庆典，一切准备就绪了。”

讲到酒店出类拔萃的餐厅时，依思文先生显得非常激动。“首先要提到的就是唐阁，作为香港米其林餐厅的分店，唐阁秉承经典风味及诱人口感，供应传统粤式及广东美馔。这位协助香港唐阁获得米其林荣誉的行政总厨，和我们中餐厅的行政总厨及其团队一起为厨房做筹备工作，立志于将唐阁打造成深圳最高水准的粤菜餐厅。全日制餐厅Silk提供丰盛的海鲜自助餐与零点精选美食，使客人能够体验国际风味美食的精髓所在。爵吧集娱乐、美食、美酒于一体，还能聆听悠扬舒缓的爵士乐，并拥有城中数一数二的酒窖。廷廊全日奉上朗廷酒店久负盛名的英式下午茶。伦敦朗廷酒店是最著名的提供传统英式下午茶的酒店之一，同样我们也希望将这份荣耀带到这里，所以如果你想品尝百年前正宗的英国下午茶，那么就请到我们的廷廊来。珍藏坊则是令人迷醉的巧克力工作坊，被布置成珠宝店的模样，在这里可以尽享各款爱不释手的诱人甜品。室外的池畔酒吧可令人放松心情，品尝美味小食、鲜榨果汁及各款鸡尾酒。最后，不能不提的就是我们的婚姻设施。酒店里有许多东西是特地为了婚庆活动所建造的，包括两间蜜月套房。我们希望这在今后能成为深圳市人们谈论的热点话题。同样由于酒店地理位置靠近香港，我们也非常专注于会议等商务活动的推广。酒店的会议和婚宴设施也能满足这些需求。我们相信可以将自己的独特之处发挥得淋漓尽致。”

实现这些新的创意及朗廷一贯秉承服务方针与待客之道，人员培训就显得尤为重要。“朗廷的发展遵循着高质量的标准，同样，这些高品质的发展和监管系统已经被用于我们的酒店。在这个精密的系统中包含了非常多的培训内容及可靠的监管手段，从而确保我们对服务品质的要求。围绕这些的目标，一年多来的工作成果即将在开业盛典中呈现，我们自信可以也必将为这座城市增添一份别样的光彩。