Q: Does the fact that this is Marriott’s 3,000th hotel opening have any special meaning for you?
A: The company has 80 years of history now, and by setting the 3,000th hotel in Beijing, the timing could not be better. China is a great market and the hotel industry has made great improvements.
Q: You’ve got 549 rooms, 39 suites, one presidential suite and 1,000 employees. How do you run a place this big?
A: I’m hands on. You can always find me in the lobby unless something urgent has come up. I’ve asked everyone to stop e-mailing me — I do not want to communicate by e-mail. You can find me in the lobby if you need me. In one month I collected about 600 business cards from people I met in the lobby. I’d ask them, “How’s the coffee? How’s your room? How’s your day going?” When we exchange business cards, they find out who I am. I think they’re thrilled to see senior management in the lobby.
Q: What special arrangements, if any, have you made to get your guests to and from the Olympic venues this summer?
A: We’re going to have 3-D maps of Beijing, the hotel and the city. It will help our guests understand where the key sightseeing spots are and where the Olympic venues will be. Of course, our concierge service will be on call 24 hours a day.
Q: What was the biggest challenge to opening a property of this magnitude at this time?
A: Presently, there are a lot of new hotels coming up in Beijing, So, the biggest challenge is to attract the best people. We have “job-specific” English-language training every week. Our employees must have a minimum of what we refer to as an English Level 4 in China. The maximum Level is 8.
Q:Why should travel agents and tour operators look to the JW Marriott as their first choice among luxury properties in Beijing?
A: We are located in the China Central Place, a new emerging business center; the entire complex is world class.With high-end shopping malls, three office buildings and residential towers, the whole area is becoming more and more a hot spot. Also, we are only 25 minutes from the airport on the 4th Ring Road.
Q: Do you expect a drop in bookings after the Olympics?
A: Not really. We were sold out even before we opened. China’s tourism industry will have an annual growth of 10 percent in the next five years. And China, as well as the Asia Pacific, is arguably the fastest-growing market in Marriott’s business portfolio. We will also open an additional 13 hotels by 2009.
