To Lead the New Hotel Trend with Humanistic Air

　　—— Interview with Carrie Fu, General Manager of the Howard Johnson Caida Plaza Shanghai

　　The Howard Johnson Caida Plaza Shanghai, conveniently located in the historical Shanghai University of Finance & Economics in Yangpu District, has elegant designs and a fashionable style. Recently, Grand Hotel interviewed Carrie Fu, the General Manager of the hotel. As the only female general manager in Howard Johnson Group, she reveals her intellectuality and capability in front of us.

　　Ms Fu’s career started from Renaissance Yangtze Hotel Shanghai by Howard Johnson, where she worked for 19 years. “I have been there for so many years and have learnt so much, especially in how to behave in the right way. I always believe that one must learn how to behave before doing anything.” She joined Howard Johnson Caida Plaza Shanghai in October 2007 as the Assistant General Manager, witnessed its opening on December 28 in the same year and was promoted to the General Manager in June 2010. Her progress is a natural development and is also the result of her firm belief that success is a process of accumulation. “When working in Renaissance Yangtze Hotel Shanghai, I progressed gradually to a major management position and later became the communication bridge between the management and the owner. Now I shoulder more responsibilities as I assume both roles.”

　　Howard Johnson Caida Plaza Shanghai has a special location. As Ms Fu pointed out, “the hotel is in the vicinity of Shanghai University of Finance & Economics (Caida). Therefore, although it is a business hotel, it has less business atmosphere but more humanistic ambiance compared with its counterparts.” The district in Shanghai with the highest number of colleges and universities, Yangpu District has a century history of “municipal administration, higher education and industry”. In accordance with the educational culture of Yangpu, the hotel has a strong air of humanistic flavor and is devoted to the establishment of a close connection with higher education institutes. The hotel possesses 272 spacious guestrooms and suites, a Grand Ballroom with maximum capacity for 300 persons supported by 7 functional meeting rooms. Wireless Internet is available in all restaurants, lounge and conference areas. It is the perfect choice for business travelers as it would facilitate them to handle their work with ease.

　　A lot of hotel customers are scholars, most of whom are not the local people. Consequently, Howard Johnson Caida Plaza Shanghai has made many adjustments to its food and beverage. Ms Fu said that “the Chinese Restaurant contains 130 seats and ten deluxe private rooms. Originally it was a Cantonese restaurant. However, many customers favor dishes with strong flavors. Therefore, the restaurant now serves authentic Hunan dishes too.” In the competitive foreign food market, the hotel is confident about its own foreign dishes. “My chief chef specializes in south-east Asian dishes and the curry is our signature food in addition to the tom yamkung soup.” Compared with other star hotel restaurants with a theme of steaks, such a novel menu appears more attractive. “What Chinese customers want for foreign dishes is different from what foreigners want. We make foreign dishes based on the local preferences. At Howard Johnson Caida Plaza Shanghai, customers have a chance to taste authentic Chinese cuisine as well as foreign dishes designed for local palate.”

　　As Yangpu District is the largest steel market in China, another major component of hotel customers is businessmen. When dealing with these shrewd people, Ms Fu adheres to the principle of “feeling for others” and believes that her sincerity would surely win others’ hearts. Is such a general manager who cares much about customers a workaholic who sleeps at the hotel every night? On the contrary, besides being serious and careful in work, Ms Fu is a good mother who strives to achieve a balance between life and work. She would never sacrifice her family time for work. “Because I am a female general manager, I always believe that a person would not be responsible for his job if he assumes no responsibility for the family. Everyone in our team is Shanghainese and most are middle-aged and married. We are contented to work here and neglect neither work nor family because our families are here. I can still discern some steadiness from this generation. The hotel industry has developed for nearly 30 years in Shanghai and accumulated a group of talents who are standing out in the market. They should be able to better manage their hotels and to better serve their customers, especially Chinese customers. Remove untrustworthy people and trust those who have been employed. Employees should be granted enough trust and duties because I believe in the infinite power of a team.”

　　The hotel experienced the financial crisis at its opening and witnessed a dramatic increase of customer flow last year during the Expo. Such a drastic rise and fall is a test for people’s attitudes and workforce stability. According to Ms Fu, the middle and high level management teams are stable while the general operational positions have a higher turnover due to the emergence of more hotels. She emphasized the role of the general manager as a pilot, coach and friend in the hotel who controls the direction of business and instructs staff how to behave. Work should not only be a means of raising a family but rather a responsibility. If employees could settle down to work steadily, the hotel would be a long-term harbor for their future development. “The hotel industry requires endurance and team spirit, which are rare in the new generation of ‘only child’. If our hotel culture could be perceived, sensed and recognized by employees, then we can fully inspire their enthusiasm for work. I believe it is the only way to keep them.” In effect, the hotel trains its employees in the light of their different positions and offers them appropriate development opportunities to discover and explore their potentials. If the manager is a good judge of talents and is able to discern virtues of the staff and to offer appropriate training, employees would feel grateful to the hotel and the hotel would certainly progress together with its staff.

　　At present, the Howard Johnson Group possesses 46 hotels and the number is estimated to reach 100 in the coming two years. The Group has a clear orientation and would not imitate or follow others blindly. Being pragmatic, it refrains from competing with other international brands in the external market and devoted itself to the development of the internal market. The Chinese market has bourgeoned substantially in recent years and Howard Johnson Caida Plaza Shanghai has kept up with the times and dedicated itself to becoming an elegant and refined business starred hotel with direct functions and a feeling of warmth. Replacing luxurious exterior with simple yet gracious facilities, the hotel attaches importance to the provision of tailored services for business travelers. It could be described as a hotel that “enjoys wide compliments for its stress on customers’ feelings”. “We hope that our customers would feel truly relaxed and free like being at home.” After the Expo last year, staying at a high star hotel has become an ordinary choice for the common people. “In the future thriving market, there will always be hotels oriented toward the common people. Howard Johnson Caida Plaza Shanghai is one of them and wishes to be a hotel favored by domestic customers.”

　　With the development of economy, tourism has become an essential part of our life and hotel industry will definitely turn into an industry with long-term growing. “I have never left the hotel industry since my internship. Hence, my life does not appear very colorful and I have come to my current position step by step. Apart from being patient, I love being in this industry. Although it does not bring excitements like the high-tech industry, it generates a cordial feeling as it involves dealing with people everyday. I think I will stay in hospitality all my life.” As a pragmatic general manager, Ms Fu is aware of the importance of comprehending customers’ preferences in doing business. “Only when we meet customers and obtain feedback from them can we adjust our business direction and strategies constantly. Our ultimate aim is to make the stay at our hotel a comfortable and pleasant experience.”

　　Earnestness and diligence are Ms Fu’s consistent work style. “I am not very ambitious. No matter where I work, I would do a good job and would not sacrifice my own life for work.” To love life and the hotel both is probably the special trait of this female genera manager which also contributes to the success of Howard Johnson Caida Plaza Shanghai. The hotel has won admiration from its customers and is becoming the top choice for more and more business travelers. No matter whether you are on a business or a leisure trip, Howard Johnson Caida Plaza Shanghai, as confident and persistent as its General Manager Ms Fu, would lavish considerate services and cozy feelings. You will enjoy the most pleasant hotel experience in a refreshing humanistic air.