Flying High Up in the Cloud
--Exclusive Interview with Mr. Jørgen Christensen, General Manager of Niccolo Changsha
耸云端之巅 成奢华之首
--专访长沙尼依格罗酒店总经理柯跃健先生
“独立寒秋，湘江北去，橘子洲头。看万山红遍，层林尽染；漫江碧透，百舸争流。鹰击长空，鱼翔浅底，万类霜天竞自由。”长沙这座充满历史感的城市见证了伟人的意气风发，目睹时代的飞速发展。在金黄的七月，大酒店传媒团队走进橘子洲头，感受湘江情怀。
何其有幸，大酒店传媒团队采访到长沙尼依格罗酒店总经理柯跃健先生。柯先生从事酒店业超过25年，曾在香格里拉和朗廷等知名酒店担任高级管理层职位，并曾在欧洲、美国等不同地区工作，累积了丰富的管理经验。四年前，他任命于常州马哥孛罗酒店总经理，为酒店带来丰厚的收益。四年后，他作为总经理管理长沙尼依格罗酒店，同样也交出一份令人满意的答案。长沙尼依格罗酒店于2018年10月29号开业，在柯先生的管理下，短短数月，酒店摘获十二项业界大奖，华中奢华地标酒店形象深入人心。
长沙尼依格罗酒店是九龙仓酒店管理公司旗下的第四家尼依格罗酒店，自开业以来，它的发展备受人期待。柯先生大方与我们分享尼依格罗品牌的背后故事，“尼依格罗品牌命名灵感源自于足迹遍及全球的13世纪传奇探险家及商人（马哥孛罗之父），他长达20年的冒险之旅开启了中国之门，成功连接东西方，联系古现代世界，促进多元文化的对话。他身上的探险精神和非凡功绩代表了尼依格罗的品牌精神。”尼依格罗酒店是隶属九龙仓酒店集团旗下尊贵高端品牌，作为新生品牌进入国内市场时间较短，但成都、重庆以及香港尼依格罗酒店却获得成功。这不仅意味着尼依格罗品牌的美好前景，更为长沙尼依格罗酒店的发展奠定了基础，三家酒店表现出时尚雅致的品牌内涵、非凡的设计理念、无微不至的人文关怀拉高品牌好感度，为尼依格罗品牌进军长沙市场开辟出阳光之道。
2018年，跻身于新一线城市队伍的长沙，凭借得天独厚的地理位置和有目共睹的实力，成为尼依罗格落户的第四个城市。长沙的城市特点与尼依格罗品牌完美契合，强势助力品牌发展。柯先生表示，“这座城市经济实力强大、物质资源丰富、文化底蕴深厚，传媒力量雄厚，为长沙尼依格罗酒店提供精力充沛、时尚现代、富有经验的庞大消费群体。长沙人民热情、开放的心态也让酒店有机会将非凡的设计和新奇的体验传递给他们”。长沙尼依格罗的成功依托于长沙得天独厚的城市位置，也归功于酒店的地理环境。酒店距离长沙黄花国际机场约40分钟，距离长沙高铁南站约30分钟，无缝连接长沙轨道交通。
酒店选址于长沙国际金融中心之巅，这座452米高的标志性地标耸立于长沙核心繁华地段，是长沙的地标性建筑，同时，其高度排名居世界第16位，酒店坐拥第86层至92层的精致客房和套房，共241间，均配备完备先进的现代化设施。长沙国际金融中心定位于奢华品质商圈，而长沙尼依格罗酒店目标消费者为高端人群，显而易见，两者的目标客户是一致的，从休闲娱乐到住宿休息，长沙尼依格罗酒店提供系列服务，真正做到从客户出发，为客户考虑。值得一提的是，长沙尼依格罗与其他酒店相比，具备一个与众不同的优势，即长沙国际金融中心和长沙尼依格罗酒店同属于九龙仓集团，这极大的缩短了管理过程中上通下达的时间，提高了决策效率，拓宽发展空间。
万物生长，由内而生。长沙尼依格罗酒店成功的关键仍然在酒店自身。通过与柯先生的谈话，笔者相信长沙尼依格罗的成功是必然事件。无论是从硬件设施还是服务质量考虑，长沙尼依格罗酒店有实力获得今天的成就。酒店拥有俯视城景的奢华客房，每间客房均可欣赏迷人的城市天际线和旖丽江景，处处彰显尼依格罗品牌无与伦比的奢华、宁静与舒适。同时，酒店提供无与伦比的全球饮食盛宴，餐厅及酒吧位于酒店93层，将东西方及本土文化、烹饪技法及天际迷人景致相互融合，为餐厅的食客提供无与伦比的饕餮盛宴。此外，酒店配有丰富的休闲娱乐设施，位于酒店6层的水疗健身中心，为渴望逃离繁忙生活的客人提供了一个安静、私密的空间。在这里，客人不仅可以享用到恒温泳池、干蒸室以及拥有完善设备的健身房，还可在清轩水疗体验一套完整的面部护理和身体护理健康疗法，释放一切压力，重焕身心活力。
酒店的成功离不开柯先生的经营之道，与柯先生谈话的过程中，他一再强调酒店人应该具备一丝不苟的工作态度和真诚对待宾客的服务精神。在物质横流的现代社会，快节奏充满了人们生活，人心日渐浮躁，他认为，越是如此，越要坚守传统。时代在变，初心不变，真正从顾客出发，用真心换真心。但柯先生也表明酒店需要紧跟潮流，贴近现实。经典辅以潮流才能成为永恒。在团队管理方面，柯先生持有“沟通无极限”的理念，一月一次的员工大会，便捷员工沟通、信息共享和了解酒店。有了对细节的不断追求并以沟通为桥梁，酒店才能齐心协力在竞争激烈的环境中脱颖而出。
采访已接近尾声，柯先生“指点江山”的淡然和不忘初心的坚守给笔者留下深刻印象，在面对激烈的竞争环境中，柯先生勇于尝试，期望尼依格罗这一新品牌背后的文化能够被更多的人接受，他对长沙尼依格罗酒店的未来充满信心。业绩增长的小目标已经达成，而传播品牌力量的大目标还在进行中，但笔者相信，在柯先生的带领下，尼依格罗品牌未来可期！
“Alone I stand in autumn cold at Orange Isle Head, where the Xiang River goes north. Hills on hills are all in red, woods upon woods in crimson dress. The river green down to the bed, a hundred boats in speed contest. Far and wide eagles cleave the air, up and down fish glide over depths clear: All creatures under frosty skies vie to be freer.” 90 years ago, Mao Zedong extolled the landscape of Changsha, the age-old capital of Hunan Province. Having witnessed the ambition of the great men, the city of Changsha is undergoing rapid development in the modern times. In July, we reporters from Grand Hotel toured to Orange Isle, the place that once inspired Mao Zedong.
On our tour we visited Mr. Jørgen Christensen, General Manager of Niccolo Changsha. As an industry veteran for more than 25 years, he has held senior positions in Shangri-La and Langham, and his past tenures in Europe and the United States have contributed to his wealth of management experience. After he was appointed General Manager of Marco Polo Changzhou four years ago, he brought tremendous profits to the hotel. He repeated his success after he was made General Manager of Niccolo Changsha, a new hotel opened to business on October 29 last year. Under his management, the hotel has reaped twelve awards in just a few months, securing its status as a leading player in central China.
Since its opening, Niccolo Changsha, the fourth Niccolo hotel of Wharf Hotels, has captured the gaze of many. While discussing the origins of the hotel name, Mr. Jørgen Christensen told us, “it comes from the 13th century explorer and businessman who was also Marco Polo’s father. He traveled to China and many other parts of the world, successfully connecting the East to the West, introducing ancient civilizations to each other and promoting the dialogues between different cultures. His adventurous spirit and extraordinary achievements are the inspirations of the hotel brand, which is now a premium brand under Wharf Holdings Limited. The hotel is a rapidly expanding brand in China, with hotels in Chengdu, Chongqing and Hong Kong proving to be great successes. The achievement of each hotel not only suggest the bright future of the Niccolo Hotels, but has also laid the foundation for the development of Niccolo Changsha. The trademark elegance of the brand, the extraordinary design, and the meticulous care for each guest all have made the three hotels primary choices of many travellers and have paved the way for the successful launch of Niccolo Changsha.
Thanks to the advantageous location and obvious strength, Changsha received high-name recognition as a new first-tier city in China in 2018, and became the fourth city that Niccolo Hotels has flexed its muscles. Many features of the city perfectly match with the Niccolo brand, which strongly fuels its brand development. “The city has strong economic strength, rich material and cultural resources and a very strong media presence, providing a vibrant, modern and experienced consumer group for Niccolo Changsha. The local people are enthusiastic and open–minded, ready to accept the extraordinary design and novel experiences of the hotel." The success of the hotel owes no small debt to the unique location of Changsha in China and the hotel’s favorable geographical environment in the city.
Niccolo Changsha offers 241 contemporary chic rooms and spectacular suites between the 86th and 92nd floors of Changsha International Finance Square (IFS) Tower One, a 452-metre-high landmark and 16th tallest building in the world. The hotel is about 40 minutes’ drive from the Changsha Huanghua International Airport and 30 minutes’ drive from the Changsha South Railway Station. The IFS aims to serve the elite business circles, while Niccolo Changsha also targets high-end guests, so the paths of the two cross with each other. The hotel provides a range of services from accommodation to leisure and entertainment, truly making the guests their primary concern. It is worth mentioning that, compared with other hotels, Niccolo Changsha has a special strength as both the hotel and the IFS belong to the Wharf Holdings Limited, which can immensely expedite the process of communication, thus improving the efficiency of decision-making and expanding its space for development.
Just like the growth of everything relies on its internal strength, the success of Niccolo Changsha lies in the hotel itself. My conversations with Mr. Christensen has made me believe that the success of the hotel is a sure bet. Both its hardware and service have led to its glory. From the meticulously designed guestrooms, one can enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding city and the river, echoing with the luxury, tranquility and comfort typical of the Niccolo brand. The hotel also offers a dazzling array of culinary delights. The restaurant, lounge and bar on the 93rd floor present an amazing mix of Eastern and Western cuisines produced with fine cooking techniques, while the stunning views outside add to the appetite of diners. In addition, the hotel is equipped with an assortment of recreational facilities. The Wellness and Fitness Centre located on the hotel's sixth floor provides a quiet, private space for those eager to filter out the hustle and bustle of the city. Here, guests can not only use the heated swimming pool, dry sauna room and well-equipped gymnasium. At the centre of the wellness offering lies The Spa at Niccolo with its personal attention to wellbeing, massage and beauty therapies.
The success of the hotel is inseparable from Mr. Christensen’s business acumen. In our conversation, he reiterated that each staff member should be meticulous and ready to help. In the fast-paced modern society, it is not easy to calm down and be fully devoted to one’s profession. He believes that observing the tradition of hospitality is all the more important. In a changing era, everyone must bear in mind the priorities and placing the needs of the guests of everything that we aim to do. All the patience and diligence will pay off when involving everyone and delegating responsibilities. He also suggested that the hotel needs to keep up with the trends and pay adequate attention to new competition and ever changing trends in hospitality. The combination of the traditional and the fashionable can help the team navigate the future. In terms of team management, he upholds the philosophy of “limitless communication”. He holds “State of the Hotel” staff meeting on a monthly basis to facilitate communication and information sharing between team members. It is no wonder that the hotel can stand out among the competition with the continuous focus on details.
At the end of the interview, I was very impressed by this cool yet committed helmsman. In the face of cut-throat competition, Mr. Christensen hopes that his daring spirit and the culture that underlies the Niccolo brand can be accepted by more people. Having met the milestone of performance growth, he is optimistic about the future of Niccolo Changsha, while the long-term goal of brand promotion is in the making. I am convinced that under his management, the Niccolo brand is certain shine in the future!