-------exclusive interview with Mr. Tonny Qin, General Manager of Sheraton Zhanjiang Hotel
——专访湛江民大喜来登酒店总经理秦赢先生
Chinese Version: Fend Xiao Chu English Version: Helen Ni Photos By: Toby and Sheraton Zhanjiang Hotel
As winter gives way to spring, the sun casts brighter radiance on every corner of the earth. Zhanjiang, a well-known harbor city of West Guangdong takes on a new look this spring. Early 2015 will see the grand opening of Sheraton Zhanjiang Hotel, with its iconic Twin Conch Towers sitting on Zhanjiang’s stretching coastline.
To our delight, Sheraton Zhanjiang Hotel is headed by a veteran hotel manager with exceptional professionalism and individuality. A native of Shanghai, Mr. Tonny Qin boasts 25 years’ management experience at high-end hotels. Having worked for Sheraton hotels in 4 different cities before coming to Zhanjiang, he has the essence of Sheraton brand at his fingertips. Elegant and stylish, Tonny impresses us with his uncompromising pursuit of detail refinement during our first meeting. Right after his last appointment as General Manager of Sheraton Qiandao Lake that concluded last year, he started the preparation for the launch of a new hotel. Now, he feels quite at home with his new post and new work environment. “Zhanjiang is a highly livable city that offers a truly quality life, as it ranks No. 8 nationally in terms of air quality while most cities in China are haunted by air pollution.” Speaking of Zhanjiang, Tonny believes that it is a city whose urban development maintains a distinctive style. “Formerly named Guangzhou Bay, Zhanjiang offers a refreshing flavor of the sea, with its coastline stretching 1556 kilometers. Our hotel sits right opposite the beach so that a perfect sea-view is obtained from the French windows on each floor at every corner of the hotel tower. The upward spiraling, slightly convex contour of the twin tower is tailored for its integration with the sea----an original design to which I cherish much admiration.”
As Tonny has mentioned, Twin Conch Tower has a magnificent facade and resplendent interior decoration that give a lasting impression at a single glance. The soon-to-be opened Sheraton Hotel Zhanjiang has the largest ballroom and meeting space in Zhanjiang, e.g. 1440 square meter pillar-less ballroom, big LED screen, modern meeting facilities, ceiled projector, the combination of which will foreseeably turn the hotel into the top choice for business and political meetings as well as for weddings in Zhanjiang. Yue, the compelling Chinese restaurant that stretches from 2nd Floor to 4th Floor, offers authentic Cantonese and local dishes. Its main dining area can accommodate 366 guests simultaneously, and has 40 luxury private rooms. A former food and beverage manager, Tonny is fully confident of the culinary creativity of Sheraton Hotel Zhanjiang. Talking of Zhanjiang delicacies, he has much to offer, “I am a food lover myself. Wherever I go, I will first explore the local delicacies, trying everything that interests me, be it a formal dinner at a star hotel or a breakfast snack from a street vendor. A native of Shanghai as he is, Tonny acquired such fluent Cantonese that he can take an unhindered tour of delicacy in Zhanjiang, a city underscored by its local culture. “I firmly believe that you may have a glimpse of a city’s customs, practices, cultural charm, habits of local residents by savoring its food. Zhanjiang is best known for its fresh sea food and Zhanjiang chicken. At Sheraton Hotel Zhanjiang, we collect fresh food materials to prepare the most authentic Zhanjiang dishes for our guests. Whenever they feel like, guests may set out on a voyage of delicacies by trying Chinese dishes at Yue, Teppanyaki at Miyabi, the Japanese restaurant, and abundant choices for themed buffet dinner at Feast, our signature restaurant.
Twin Conch Tower of Sheraton Hotel Zhanjiang is, no wonder, the building with greatest originality and aesthetic appeal in West Guangdong Province. Smooth and straight, the multilayer threads on the convex façade of the main building display a beauty of rhythm, while the outline of the subsidiary facilities is rough and bold, flowing and gorgeous. The sail-shaped crowns on top of the twin towers imply that Sheraton Hotel Zhanjiang will set sail, riding the wind and waves----an innermost wish and prayer of both hotel staff and Zhanjiang residents, who live on the coast for generations. A new landmark of Zhanjiang, Twin Conch Tower attracted much attention even before completion. Sheraton Hotel Zhanjiang is strategically situated where scenic beauty combines with geographical advantage for business purposes. Ideally positioned in Zhanjiang’s new business district, an important logistic hub of Southern China, it is 5 minutes’ walk from Zhanjiang International Exhibition Center and Black-headed Gull Cruise Terminal, 15 minutes’ drive from Zhanjiang Airport, which operates flights to and from 13 major cities domestically. ChiKan Ocean View Gallery is in its vicinity. Helipad access is available at the hotel for the distinguished few who arrive by private helicopters.
A second appointment as the head of a newly launched hotel comes as a challenge as well as an opportunity to confidently apply previous experience. Tonny talked much of his new team and new colleagues during our interview, “I enjoy sharing with my team members interesting stories that offer inspiration and insight. I hope my team will work passionately and project a positive image when dealing with guests, so that satisfactory outcome is guaranteed. It is most important to assume responsibility, help and support each other for good team work. And I prefer to think in my team’s shoes and partners’ shoes instead of my own.” I can tell from our conversation that Tonny takes a self-disciplined, tolerant approach at work, and is adept at achieving high efficiency in a tolerant work environment. “Everyone has his or her strengths and weaknesses, and what I shall do is to uncover and give full play to the strengths of my team members.”
In the eyes of his subordinates, Tonny is a top performer both at work and in his personal life. He is prudent, responsible and meticulous at work and fashionable and dynamic in life. After so many years in the hospitality, Tonny admits that for a genuine hotelier, the hotel is comparable to his home. For those who usually play the role of an explorer in a strange city, their personal life often tends to be intruded by their work. “The best solution is to draw clear lines of demarcation between work and life. The greatest motivation to my sustained hospitality career comes from my family, with whom I regularly spend my annual leaves with the same devotion I maintain for my career. In the proximity of the hotel, there is Zhanjiang Airport where direct flights between Zhanjiang and Shanghai take off and land on a daily basis. I can fly back to Shanghai and spend the weekends with my family, whenever I find time from my schedule. I consider my family the most precious part of my personal life and my outstanding performance is backed by a happy family.
Tonny is described by his peers as an elegant and genteel Shanghainese. Many approve of his constant pursuit of an exquisite life. During the half day tour in Sheraton Hotel Zhanjiang with Tonny, I am inspired by his elegance, refined taste, and exquisiteness. A close match between the style of the hotel and his personal touch is revealed during the tour. For example, he expressed heartfelt sympathy with the choice of brown as the essential color of the hotel when he made a brief introduction of the hotel. And he was enchanted for a moment of silence as we were standing in front of the French windows of a guest room that commands a fine distant view of the bay. “Personal touch is something intangible and hard to define. Individuals may naturally differ in their personal touch and personal taste. I am convinced that upscale, flawless services must be rendered by those who have the exposure to something stately and exquisite. Guests of international 5 star hotels are mostly refined and have high expectations for hotels, which shall be met not only with premium facilities but also quality service offered by refined hotel staff.”
More often than not, an elite hotelier manifest with personal touch and glamor, the implication and power of a hotel brand for which he or she works. Mr. Tonny Qin is exactly one of this kind, who exudes composure and elegance in this newly launched 5 star hotel. “Overlook the harbor of West Guangdong, sail off with elegance” is a vivid adverting slogan created by the hotel staff. Endorsed by loyal guests of Sheraton and backed by Zhanjiang, Sheraton Hotel Zhanjiang will set out on a new voyage in Year of the Goat, with Twin Conch Tower braving the gentle sea breeze like a legendary roc ready to soar courageously into the sky with outspread wings.
四时轮转，日月增辉，2015年的新春刚刚启开序幕，粤西名城湛江便散发出一股非同寻常的新鲜气象——漫长的海港线上，湛江民大喜来登酒店的海螺双子塔即将在这个美好的时节正式开门迎客。
令人欣喜的是，湛江民大喜来登的“大管家”是一位兼具专业素养及鲜明个性的酒店人——酒店总经理秦赢先生。秦赢来自上海，拥有25年高端酒店管理经验，在来到湛江之前，他已服务过四家不同地区的喜来登酒店，深谙品牌内涵与精髓。秦先生兼具儒雅与时髦的气质，即使初次见面，也很容易感受到他那种对细节孜孜追求的性格。去年结束千岛湖喜来登酒店的总经理任职来到湛江的秦先生，再一次投入了一家全新酒店的筹备之中，而现在，他对新的工作与环境已经颇为熟稔。“湛江是一个非常适合生活的城市，在雾霾遍地的情况下，湛江的空气指数全国排名第八，可以说生活质量非常好”，谈起脚下的土地，秦先生认为这是一个发展得很有风格的城市，“以前这里也叫‘广州湾’，因为湛江有1556公里的漫长绵延海岸线，散发着独特的海湾风情，我们酒店就建在直面海港的地方，无论哪一层楼哪一个角度，落地窗外都是海岸美景，我当时一下子就领会到，双子塔这个螺旋上升的曲面造型，完全就是为了融入大海而存在的，心里很佩服这份设计匠心。”
确实如秦先生所言，海螺双子塔无论内外，都有着令人过目难忘的华丽和气派。即将营业的民大喜来登酒店，拥有湛江最大的宴会和会议场地，1440平方米无柱宴会大厅，LED大屏幕、现代会议设施、吊顶高射投影仪等一应配备，可以预见它将迅速成为本地政商会议、婚礼庆典的最优选择。同样体量傲人的还有从2楼一直延伸至4楼的中餐厅--采悦轩，这里提供纯正地道的粤菜及本地菜肴，主厅2800平方米，可容纳366人，设置有40个特色豪华包厢。餐饮管理出身的秦先生，对于湛江民大喜来登的美食创造力有着十足信心，讲起湛江美食，也颇有心得，“我个人本身非常喜欢美食，所以每到一个城市，会先去挖掘当地的特色餐饮及小美食，不论是星级酒店还是路边小铺，正式午晚餐还是风味早餐小点，都会愿意逐一尝试”，尽管家乡在上海，但语言能力一流的秦先生早已习得一口流利粤语，这也足以让他在本土文化为重的湛江来一场如鱼得水的美食之旅，“我一直坚信，从一个城市的饮食可以品到城市的文化韵味、风土人情及生活习惯，湛江最有名的当属新鲜海鲜、湛江鸡等等，在湛江喜来登，我们将为客人准备最新鲜的食材，让我们的客人感受最正宗的湛江本地菜。”而除了采悦轩之外，日本餐厅“雅MIYABI”的专业铁板烧，标帜餐厅“盛宴Feast”品种繁多的风味主题自助晚餐，都随时可以带宾客开启一段美妙的饕餮旅程。
湛江民大喜来登酒店的海螺双子塔无疑是整个粤西地区最具设计风格的大厦，主楼曲面螺纹层叠，流畅挺拔，极富韵律，裙楼线条粗犷豪放、流动华美，是湛江城新的标志性建筑，在竣工之前就已经吸引了足够的注目。塔顶片片风帆，扬帆起航，乘风破浪，是大海儿女发自内心深处的祈愿。坐拥如此自然美景的酒店，同样占据了优越的地理位置、商务优势：酒店位于中国南方重要的物流中心湛江新商业区，距离湛江机场仅15-20分钟，往返国内13个重点城市定期航班保证了出入的边界，赤坎观海长廊就在酒店近旁，步行5分钟更可前往湛江国际会展中心、红嘴鸥游船码头，酒店更有直升机停机坪，抵达即下榻。
再一次领队开拓一家全新的酒店，对秦先生来说，既是挑战，又因为经验而更有信心动力，在采访中，他屡次谈起了新团队、新同事，“我非常喜欢与团队分享一些有趣的小故事，可以让人开放思维，感悟生活；我希望我的团队每天以积极向上的精神面貌出现在客人面前，充满激情的工作，才会带来好的工作结果。团队工作最重要的是承担责任，相互帮助与扶持，我更愿意他们站在团队的角度，站在合作伙件而非自己的角度考虑问题。”从与秦先生的对谈中，我们也感受到了他特有的工作风格--律己而宽容，并且擅于在宽容的工作氛围中提炼高效，“每个人都有闪光点，但就像短板理论，每个人也有不足之处，而我要做的就是如何将团队所有人的长板集中在一起，发挥最大的潜力去完成工作。”
而在下属眼中，秦先生是一个无论工作或生活都非常出色的人，在工作上持重负责，细致入微，而在生活中又是一个时髦活跃的人。从业这么多年，他坦言对于一个真正的酒店人来说，酒店就像家一样，很多时候工作会侵占很多的私人空间，尤其是自己这种长期在新城市做开拓者的人，“懂得将工作与生活分开，是最好的秘诀，家人的支持一直是我能够全力继续酒店这份工作的最大动力，我定期休年假回家陪家人，在家便全身心投入家庭。湛江每天都有直飞上海的航班，湛江机场距离酒店也非常近，对我来说只要工作可以稍歇，周末自然就飞回上海，家人是我生活最珍贵的部分，有温馨的家才能有出色的职场表现。”
在业界朋友的评价里，秦先生是一位儒雅的上海人，很多人赞许他是一位对生活品质有着精致追求的总经理。在他带我们畅游湛江喜来登的半天里，儒雅、品味、精致这些特质着实让人如沐春风，比如他在介绍酒店咖啡色系设计时表现出的由衷共鸣，立于大面积客房的落地玻璃窗前面对海港远景短暂的默语沉醉，都可以感受到作为管理者和酒店的高度契合。“个人品味是一个看不见摸不着，说不清道不明的东西，每个人的品味与个人风格自然不同。然而我一直坚信作为酒店人，见过精致大气的事物，才能提供给客人高雅完美的服务，国际五星级酒店的客人层次普遍比较好，对酒店品质要求高，而这种品质不仅体现在酒店的硬件设施上，更重要的是软件服务，服务是由人提供的，所以酒店人员的品味显得格外重要。”
很多时候，一位优秀的酒店人即能以自己的风格魅力展现出他身后品牌的力量与内涵，秦赢先生便是以这种方式，给湛江民大喜来登这间全新的五星酒店围上了一片从容优雅的气场。而正如员工们为自己酒店创意的形象宣传语——“翘首粤西海港，扬帆优雅之旅”一样，海螺双子塔想必能以自己螺旋向上直指天空的魄力，乘着海港柔和的海风，如鲲鹏展翅，在羊年扶摇而直上，引领湛江这座城市和更多钟爱喜来登的客人们展开一段新的旅程。
