Intuitive care to ensure a more Inspired Stay 天津康莱德酒店总经理福金佰专访
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Intuitive care to ensure a more Inspired Stay
A Luxury Retreat For The Global Traveller
An interview with Fredrik Genberg,
General Manager of Conrad Tianjin
The world's smart luxury travelers have a new destination and reason to stay in Tianjin. In the Heart of the city, a new state-of-the-art hotel has opened in the vibrant Nankai District. The building design is inspired by the city's historical and cultural landmarks, with stately hotel rooms, European courtyards and stunning interiors that showcase a blend of modern chic and Art Deco.
Congratulations for the recent opening of Conrad Tianjin. The work done, great service and facilities are amazing. Your 30-year long career in the operations and management of luxury hotels and resorts is quite remarkable. How did you start your career in the hotel industry?
I started as management trainee in Macao after getting my degree in hotel management from Michigan State University in USA. Since then I have worked in 6 Asian countries with a total 15 years in China.
After achieving top leadership roles in Luxury international hotels in various prime geographic locations, what continues to fuel your passion?
I enjoy teaching and sharing my experiences with my team. I enjoy growing my teams and building and creating new things. The hospitality industry has given me the chance to do all of these, and I really appreciate that.
Among the many countries you have worked in, what endears you the most to China? How are you enjoying the sights and sounds of Tianjin so far?
I have worked in eight countries so far during my career, including Europe, USA and many countries in Asia. During high school I studied Asian culture and history, and I have always been fascinated with the Chinese culture, particularly the architecture and designs, and the great variety of traditions in Asia, especially China. I was very excited when I had the opportunity to go to Macao and later to other places of China.How do you get to successfully launch Conrad Tianjin? What are your ingredients for achieving success?
The building of Conrad Tianjin has been here for 2 or 3 years, but the project finally kicked into high gear in January, 2019. I joined Conrad Tianjin on January 7th, and we basically had only 7 months to open the hotel, which needed us to work very fast.
Can you share what has been the most challenging part of Conrad Tianjin Opening?
The most challenging part was the time line. Since we start with nothing, we have to create and order everything. All the purchasing decisions and lot of conceptual decisions had to be made quickly and in the first two months, to ensure that everything actually arrived before the opening. That was the toughest and the most challenging part. After that came the fine-tuning and training of the soft skills for the team to deliver a luxury experience.
Please, let us know more about this fantastic location of your hotel, and the proximity to a fantastic commercial complex and easy access by several types of transportation.
Yes, we are in a good area and very convenient for families and guests to walk around. It is a friendly and very safe environment with the largest park in downtown Tianjin next door, offering wonderful scenic walks that make everyone much more relaxed to stay here.
Tell us what makes Conrad Tianjin unique from the rest of the hotels in town? What best describes the personality of the hotel?
Conrad Hotels are created for smart luxury travellers. Today's luxury travellers are growing in number, and the cost is not their main issue. It is about the experience, and the way how we interact with our guests is the main focus point for the hotel.
What is the inspiration behind the interiors and look of Conrad Tianjin?
How does your leadership further build on Conrad Tianjin's allure and bespoke service?
What delightful cuisines await your stay-in-guests? What are their current and end-of-the-year holiday season promotions?
The hotel features three restaurants. Our all-day dining restaurant Brasserie on G (美庭). It features mainly buffet presentations, which change seasonally, and it also has a nice outdoor sitting area.
What features of Conrad Tianjin are most complimented by business and leisure travellers?
Our guests find the hotel to be quite grand when entering the large lobby but also very welcoming with our colourful flowers and red velvet jacketed curators.
How does Conrad Tianjin support robust business capital and lifestyle destination outlook of Tianjin?
Tianjin is one of the few cities where business has grown in China during 2019. The economic climate in China has been a little slow, but Tianjin is still attracting more business.
What would be the next major events that your hotel is preparing for?
We have recently hosted a major event: The 101st China Food and Drinks Fair in Tianjin (CFDF) that occupies a few hotels and the main Convention Centre of the city. We have been extremely busy for about 5-6 days, and the whole hotel has been completely booked out during this period.
As you observe the trends in the hospitality industry, how do you manage Conrad Tianjin to meet the changing expectations of guests?
In terms of creating experiences for the guests, we are all getting busier due the speed of communication, internet, WeChat, etc… We are making sure that our guests have a high quality value experience during their time they spend with us. Connecting our guests with Tianjin, and helping them to create inspirational moments is our key focus.What do you think about the current local and global hospitality market?
I just read a survey the other day on the Luxury Global Travellers, have been largely unaffected by the world economic changes. Chinese Luxury Travellers are increasing day by day as the country is developing fast. I have seen China grow tremendously in the last 30 years, and I am very pleased of being part of this evolution.
When at work, what is it that puts a smile on your face?
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