Celebrated Wuxi with Splendid Scenery in River South
——Exclusive Interview with Mr. Davide Pesenato, General Manager of Sheraton Wuxi Binhu Hotel
烟雨江南，秀丽无锡——专访无锡万达喜来登酒店总经理裴大卫先生
Located in the southeastern part of the Jiangsu province, the city of Wuxi is in the center of the well-developed Yangtze River Delta. With Lake Tai located in its south, Mount Xi and Hui in its west, Shanghai in its east and Ancient Canal traversing, Wuxi is acknowledged as one of the national historical and cultural cities, ranking among the Top 10 tourist cities in the country. The abundant and beautiful natural scenery as well as its rich history and culture have facilitated the booming of the local tourism and hospitality industries.
The lush green trees and fresh water fill the high mountains and silver lakes. The beautiful clear blue sky and white clouds create breathtaking sceneries identical to what the heavens must look like. Among such a beautiful landscape in the Binhu District of Wuxi, Sheraton Wuxi Binhu Hotel stands out in a league of its own. Ideally located next to Wanda Plaza, a retail mall and an entertainment street featuring restaurants, bars and shops, the hotel is easily accessible to various tourist attractions as well as the downtown area, offering guests a peaceful retreat and a unique chance to re-energize, relax and connect in the midst of their busy schedules. In addition, the surrounding attractions including the shopping center and famous park feature their hotel products by combining the hotel services according to the seasons. All of these have made Sheraton Wuxi Binhu Hotel an ideal place to explore the beauty of the city.
Every hotel has its own unique characteristics. Sheraton Wuxi Binhu Hotel has a very clear and solid position, to become a professional and superb hotel for business and leisure. With great privilege, Grand Hotels Media had an exclusive interview with Mr. Davide Pesenato, General Manager of Sheraton Wuxi Binhu Hotel. According to Davide, the hotel boasts a pillar-free ballroom of 1,500 sqm, which is the biggest in the downtown area, as well as flexible and versatile functional rooms with different sizes, all equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and a team of experienced specialists, in order to cater the needs of different guests at any time. From the warm atmosphere to the welcoming people, everything at Touch Spa was carefully chosen to help guests relax, feel pampered and have fun. Guests can also keep up with their personal workout program in Sheraton Fitness featuring the latest weight machines and cardio equipment. Besides, the indoor swimming pool provides an ideal spot for exercise, family fun or tranquil downtime. On rainy days, guests can also stay dry indoors while sipping on hot coffee and reminiscing out the window as they watch the rain dance off the clouds onto the ground.
As an outstanding international management talent, Davide has been in charge of the catering and operation work for a number of hotels of Marriott International in the Asia Pacific region. With excellent experience in catering management, he has currently assumed the position of General Manager of Sheraton Wuxi Binhu Hotel. At normal times, he often pays a visit to the local restaurants by trying to combine the local taste with Sheraton culture. “Wuxi is such a fantastic place to live, with a splendid landscape and many featured delicious foods,” Davide said, “My family and I have fallen in love with this city, especially my kids. I like to move around and taste different foods in my spare time.”
It is obvious that Davide is also a gourmet. He introduced to us that Sheraton Wuxi Binhu Hotel has three restaurants, FEAST, YUE and MIYABI, all serving delicious food and seasonal dishes. Feast Signature Restaurant is an all-day dining restaurant, featuring a delectable international buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner. YUE Chinese Restaurant dishes up local specialties and traditional Chinese fare, and is a great place to catch up with colleagues, friends or family. MIYABI Japanese Restaurant offers a modern take on Japanese cuisine with tasty dishes from a renowned chef, complimented by a breathtaking decorated space with a sophisticated yet relaxed atmosphere overlooking Wuxi. In addition, guests can also enjoy a cup of coffee and a great selection of cakes and pastries, or relax at the end of the day with a refreshing cocktail in the welcoming ambiance of the lobby lounge.
Since joining Marriott International in 1998, Davide has accumulated 19 years of experience in the hospitality industry. With keen insight into the whole market as well as the brand service, he has received a lot of awards by his exceptional management talents. Standing by the philosophy of “Taking care of associates and they will take care of the customers”, makes Marriott International a great workplace. Davide said, “Whatever your strategy in hospitality management and planning for innovation are, the bulk of your consumer experience will revolve around dealings with employees. Throughout their booking and stay, your guests deal with associates from many different departments who ensure that our core values are carried forward. Attentive and hands-on management can guarantee a certain level of quality service.” Besides serving the Head of State and famous artists, Davide also coached many associates during their journey and saw them finally realize their dreams to become great hotels leaders.
Since Marriott International and Starwood have merged into the biggest hotel group in the world, will Sheraton, as one of the brand of Starwood, change its development strategy in the future? Davide is very optimistic and confident towards the merger. He told us that Sheraton is always updating, adapting and changing with the times. The hotel group finds every opportunity to go above and beyond for guests. At the core, they remain true to their values that began the journey 80 years ago. “We are committed to ensuring that guests have the best stay possible. Our associates are dedicated to delivering the highest standards of service, from grand gestures to thoughtful and small touches. At Sheraton Wuxi Binhu Hotel, we are embracing the new company vision and strategy.”
The success of a hotel lies not only in the outstanding personal leadership, but also in the excellent teamwork. Speaking of this, Davide told us, “I don’t believe there is one ideal team. A team could be ideal in one situation and dysfunctional in another. Matching the design of a team to the situation is the key. If you want the team to become great, the team should embody three virtues: pursuing excellence, integrity and innovation. The power of this arrangement yields drastically, accelerates and improves the process of building high-performing teams. Our motto is ‘Success is Never Final.’” It is believed that under the strong merger of Marriott and Starwood, as well as the excellent leader and progressive team, Sheraton Wuxi Binhu Hotel will have an even more brilliant future in the coming days.
无锡位于江苏省东南部，地处长江三角洲腹地，南濒太湖，西依锡山、惠山，东临魔都上海，中间流淌着古运河，是国家历史文化名城之一，以其丰富而优越的自然风光和历史文化，跻身于全国十大旅游观光城市之列，也因此造就了无锡繁荣的旅游业和酒店业。
画山银湖，绿树碧水，蓝天白云。山与水，天和地，人与自然完全和谐地融入一起，构成了一道道宁静悠然的风景，带给游人无限的美感。无锡万达喜来登酒店，就静静地伫立在无锡市美丽的滨湖区，毗邻万达广场、百货商店与休闲娱乐街，周遭餐厅、酒吧及店铺琳琅满目。入住于无锡万达喜来登酒店的宾客能够轻松到达各旅游景点及无锡中心城区，近距离感受无锡的秀美和繁华。另外，无锡万达喜来登酒店还与周边的政府、景点、万达购物中心合作，同时结合著名公园的花季时节与酒店服务打包，为宾客呈现各具特色的酒店产品。这些，都使无锡万达喜来登酒店成为探索无锡之美的理想下榻之所。
每家酒店都有自己独特的魅力，作为一家商旅休闲型酒店，无锡万达喜来登酒店的定位很明确，即商务休闲，而酒店在这方面也做得很出色。大酒店传媒此次亦有幸采访到了无锡万达喜来登酒店的总经理裴大卫先生，据大卫先生介绍，无锡万达喜来登酒店不仅有1500平米城中最大无柱式宴会厅,还有大面积的多功能空间，先进的会议设备和经验丰富的服务团队，以及齐备完善的宴会活动设施，满足宾客的不同需求。另外，酒店还提供众多休闲娱乐设施，宾客可以前往酒店的水疗中心体验个性化的水疗护理，放松身心；也可以到健身中心挥洒汗水，在酒店配备的室内恒温泳池畅游，享受戏水之趣。亦或是捧一杯咖啡，坐于窗边，观赏烟雨江南的朦胧雨景，看细雨霏霏，如轻烟，如薄雾，随风摆舞，偶有雨丝透过窗口，吹拂在人的脸上，带着丝丝凉意，轻柔而又细腻。
作为万豪国际培育出的优秀管理人才，裴大卫先生先后在万豪国际集团旗下亚太地区多家酒店负责酒店餐饮管理及运营管理工作，拥有出色的餐饮管理经验。现任职无锡万达喜来登酒店总经理的他，平时也会亲自去品味无锡这座江南古镇的风土人情，不断把当地的淮阳菜精华和喜来登品牌餐饮文化融合呈现给酒店的客人。裴大卫先生表示：无锡是一座很适合生活的城市，依山傍水，风景秀丽，他和他的家人已经深深地爱上了这里。尤其是他的孩子，对无锡的的美景美食更是充满了眷恋。
身兼无锡万达喜来登酒店的总经理与吃客二职，大卫先生在品鉴美食的时候，又怎能少了自家酒店的呢？据介绍，无锡万达喜来登酒店内共设有三个餐厅——盛宴标帜餐厅，采悦轩和雅。其中盛宴标帜餐厅主打色香味俱全的多种菜式，全天候营业，开放式厨房与自助餐台带来的不可抗拒的视觉与味觉享受，能让宾客留下难忘的互动饮食体验。另外，采悦轩提供来自全国各地的多种美食，尤以淮扬菜和粤菜见长，宾客可安坐于此，便可感受到博大精深的中国美食与文化。而雅餐厅则是一间充满现代气息的正宗日式料理餐厅，提供铁板烧，寿司及生鱼片等各类日式美食，宾客还可就坐于餐厅的现场料理台前，和极具创意的大厨们一起踏上为其量身定制的美食之旅。再加上酒店大堂吧为宾客提供的精致点心及酒水，在阳光暖照的下午，邀三两好友，聚于酒店大堂吧，沏一壶香茗，佐几碟苏心，安坐于此，天南海北一通畅聊，岂不快哉？
裴大卫先生自1998年加入万豪国际集团后，至今已拥有19年的酒店行业管理经验。裴大卫先生不仅对酒店行业市场有敏锐的洞察力，对品牌服务理念也有其独到的见解，多年来凭借其出色的管理才能和丰富的管理经验屡获殊荣。在与我们分享管理经验时，裴大卫先生介绍道：“‘照顾好员工，他们就会照顾好客户’是我们集团创始人所坚持的理念，也是我在管理酒店过程中一直所坚持的，作为一个领导者，在酒店管理方面有任何的策略、计划或创新，始终需要员工去执行，管理者的工作日常，也大部分是围绕与员工打交道展开的，酒店需要员工为宾客提供客房预订等各种服务并处理不同的问题，此时，员工的素质修养与服务水平就显得异常重要，他们直接代表着酒店和品牌的形象。所以在管理过程中，对员工的呵护与关心必不可少，它能保证一定水平的优质服务。”在裴大卫先生的管理生涯中，不仅服务过国家领导人，著名艺术家，还培养出了无数的酒店精英人才。这些，都是他管理生涯中难以忘却的宝贵经历，历经诸事的磨练，裴大卫先生亦愈发出色，对于管理也愈发得心应手。
面对万豪国际集团与喜达屋合并，并成为全球最大集团这个大环境，喜来登作为喜达屋的旗下品牌，未来的发展方向是否会有所变化？谈到这个问题，裴大卫先生显得很乐观：喜来登在不断创新、适应和与时俱进，无锡万达喜来登酒店全体员工都遵循服务至上的法则，努力寻找每一个机会去提升自己，并坚守集团80年前即有的核心价值观——超越。裴大卫先生还表示：“我们致力于超越，确保自己随时保持最佳状态，亦致力于提供更高标准的服务，事无巨细，均以超越之姿面对。无锡万达喜来登酒店的全体员工也全力支持新公司的策略。”
一家酒店的成功，不仅需要出色的个人领导能力，还需要团队的配合与协作，谈及此，裴大卫先生表示：其实，他不相信会有完全理想的团队，一个团队是否能处于理想状态，领导者对队员的个人能力与实际情况的匹配很关键。而培养一个理想的团队，有三点很重要，即：追求卓越，团队合作，不断创新！它们能促使团队不断地提升进步，并加快打造高效率团队的进程。在这方面，无锡万达喜来登酒店团队坚信“成功永远不会结束”，并以此为座右铭，鞭策自己不断向前。相信在万豪和喜达屋的强强联合之下，又有如此出色的领导者与不断进取的团队，无锡万达喜来登酒店的未来将愈加辉煌。”