——专访上海希尔顿酒店总经理Gerd Knaust先生

Interview: Cherry Li  Chinese Version: Wendy  English Version: Helen  Photos: by Hilton Shanghai

With 30 years’ immersion in the highend segment of the hospitality industry, Mr. Gerd Knaust is a seasoned hotelier in this increasingly younger staffed industry. His appointment as the general manager of Hilton Shanghai in November 2011 was undoubtedly something in the limelight. As one of the first international hotel chains that opened outlets in Shanghai, Hilton Shanghai means something irreplaceable and epoch-making to local residents. And for over 20 years, Hilton Shanghai has remained as the pacesetter in the hospitality industry of Shanghai. Our current interview with Mr. Gerd Knaust, the charismatic hotel manager unfolds his uniquely amiable personal touch and outstanding management philosophy. We are inspired by Mr. Knaust’s deliberate, elegant and considerate manners that form a sharp contrast with those who presume on seniority or fall victim to fashion.

Having held general manager positions at multiple upscale hotels across the world, Mr. Knaust remains enthusiastic about and makes it a rule to talk to guests on a daily basis. In his opinion, it is worthwhile paying a visit to the lobby during peak hours although he is most efficient in his office during those same hours. Old-fashioned as he is, Mr. Knaust considers it rather meaningful to chat with guests in different situations. Such a conversation can be a casual exchange of greetings or end up with a satisfactory solution to a particular problem.  

Mr. Knaust’s considerate efforts make a positive impact on other senior managers of Hilton Shanghai. Many guests have been impressed by their dining experience at Hilton Shanghai. What seems a rarity to most hotels remains a common practice here: the chefs come to the guests’ table during the dinner and ask for their comments on the food and beverage. Chefs of individual restaurants of Hilton Shanghai consider it an integral part of their jobs to communicate directly with guests for a better understanding of their preferences so that they can avoid overlooking guests’ needs or imposing their own preference on those of the guests.

Once a chef himself, Mr. Knaust believes that what sets him apart from the younger generation hotel managers is that “ the younger generation hotel managers tend to focus on business operations, while I am more interested in service itself.” “The experience of a hotel guest is strikingly different from that of a bank customer whose needs are satisfied simply by such transactions as cash deposits or withdrawals. The stay at a hotel is much more than a simple transaction. It is, instead, a consumption activity that involves close interaction between people, so there is always something subtle and intriguing here. Mr. Knaust describes a recent anecdote that traces back to 20 years ago. An elderly lady in her 90s, who had first visited Shanghai in the 1990s and had stayed in Hilton Shanghai then, paid a second visit to Shanghai this year. This time when she stayed at Hilton Shanghai again, and she soon recognized an old acquaintance who used to be the lobby manager she met during her first stay in the 1990s and who is now his 50s and still works here. This dramatic encounter roused both the elderly lady and the manager. The reunion with some old acquaintance during her second stay here 20 years later filled the lady with warmth, reassurance and kinship. Likewise, it was an commendation to the manager who has been recognized by a repeat guest after a 20-year departure.

Such an incident sheds light on the prominent role of Hilton Shanghai among its peers. Since it started operation in the late 1980s, the hotel has maintained the first place of all hotels in Jing’an District that covers high-end commercial districts around Jing’an Temple and West Nanjing Road where 5-star hotels cluster. Hilton Shanghai is very likely to be one of those that have the greatest number of repeat guests. However, in Mr. Knaust’s opinion, repeat guests have higher expectations than new ones, so it cannot be taken granted that an guest will become a lifetime customer even if he or she has stayed at Hilton Shanghai for hundreds of times already. Hilton Honors has been a global project by Hilton to offer reward to repeat guests. “The impact of turning a new guest into a repeat one can be significant.” And this is exactly how Hilton values are represented, as Mr. Knaust sees it.

“Nothing is more important than the first impression the hotel makes on its guests. For the hospitality industry, you never have a second chance for a fascinating first impression.” When Mr. Knaust underlines his pursuit of perfection, he speaks with an earnest tone with a bit scrupulousness. He firmly believes that once the first impression goes wrong, guests will hardly come for a second stay. Hilton Shanghai has in place a stringent set of indicators for measuring guest satisfaction and they are directly linked to staff performance evaluation. Mr. Knaust holds that guest dissatisfaction, foreseeable or unexpected problems that arise must be resolved in 24 hours. “In case a guest has a complaint, it is possible for remedy unless we leave it as it is till the next day.” For improved efficiency and based on trust, therefore, front-line staff are authorized to handle contingencies without approval from management. Therefore, guests rarely hear such evasive answers as “we shall report to our supervisors” or “this requires approval from management”. In most cases, front-line staff can respond quickly to, make instant remedy for, and appease guests.

Efficient and modest as he is, Mr. Knaust considers it highly important for a hotelier to stay open-minded. When serving guests, you must be perceptive enough to find optimal solutions to whatever problems that may arise. Negligence is something unacceptable or even terrible to guests. In daily management of the hotel, feedback on hotel services collected from various channels are welcomed and responded with tailored adjustments or improvement at Hilton Shanghai.

Commitment is another essential value of Hilton Shanghai. It is the only hotel nominated as Prestige Sponsor of ATP Masters 1000 Tournament for 7 consecutive years. In retrospect, among all first-class hotels that the organizers approached at that time, Hilton Shanghai’s comprehensive, unequivocal commitment and optimal solution proposal facilitated these nominations.

Supported by its excellent track record as the Official Hotel Sponsor of the Tennis Masters Tournament for 10 years, Hilton Shanghai will provide accommodation for more than 1,000 members of the international tennis community, counting players, coaches, officials, family members, sponsors and dignitaries during the Shanghai Rolex Masters. It will also supply catering services for some 80,000 guests at the week-long tournament at the Shanghai Qi Zhong Tennis Center.

Hilton Shanghai general manager, Mr. Gerd Knaust said, “We are very proud to once again be the official hotel sponsor for this global sporting event. Being the only Masters event in Asia, the Shanghai Rolex Masters is destined to stand out as the flagship event in China and in Asia. It is an ideal occasion for us to showcase our commitment and unparalleled experience in delivering outstanding service. All of us are very much looking forward to doing our very best for the event.”

Mr. Knaust’s leadership style is best described as committed, open-minded and modest. “In China, a country with enormous potential, gifted minds abound to whom we must remain modest and make continued efforts to adapt to this important market with unique culture.” We learn from Mr. Knaust’s interpretations that Hilton Shanghai exudes the charm of elegance and perfect balance----though somewhat old-fashioned, it has been the management philosophy that Hilton Hotels and Resorts have adhered to. Hilton Hotels and Resorts, a truly longstanding business, is an sophisticated instrument that keeps running in a flawless manner and making progress. Under its umbrella, Hilton Shanghai seems rather young, but it has played a leading role in the hospitality industry of China for the past 25 years. Along its pursuit of perfection, Hilton Shanghai will captivate us with more engaging stories and legendary successes.

Gerd Knaust先生深入高端酒店业三十余年，在越来越年轻的酒店行业里，他算得上是个中的老道高手了，在2011年11月，他被正式任命为上海希尔顿酒店的总经理，这无疑是一次引人注目的委任——希尔顿作为最早一批进驻上海的国际酒店品牌，在上海市民的意识里有着无可取代的地位和时代意义，二十多年来一直占据着这座城市酒店行业的标杆地位。此次，我们探访了这位颇具个人魅力的酒店管理者，在与他的对谈中，时时能让人感受到他独特而亲和的个人风格和管理思维——既非倚老卖老，也非刻意迎合青春时髦，他的笃定与细致体贴，令人如沐春风。

尽管已经历全球各地多间高级酒店的数次总经理任职，Knaust先生仍然保持着与客人多多交流的热情，甚至将之作为每日工作的例行。他认为尤其在高峰时段，是十分值得去大堂里转转的，虽然说大堂里的高峰时间相应的往往也是自己伏案工作的最高效时间，但是老派的Knaust先生还是认为与各种情况的客人聊聊天，是件更有意义的工作。有时是轻松的互相关心，有时可以更好地解决问题。

Knaust先生的这份用心也感染了Hilton的更多高层管理者。很多客人都对在Hilton的用餐经历颇为感触，因为现如今，用餐间隙有总厨亲自过来餐桌旁一起聊聊菜式餐酒之类——实在是太少见了。而Hilton各个餐厅的大厨，都仍然将这种交流，视为工作中重要的环节——直接得知客人的喜好，而不是闭门造车，或者强加于人。

本身也是大厨出身的Knaust先生，自觉和新生代的很多酒店管理者有些不同，“年轻一代更关注于商业运作，我可能一直对服务本身更感兴趣。”“对于客人来说，住酒店不像去银行，存取钞票以后，他的需要解决了，可以短暂划个句号，入住酒店不是一次单纯的交易行为，它是一个人与人紧密接触的消费活动，关乎人的事情永远是充满奥妙的。”Knaust先生说起了最近发生的一段Hilton新传奇，但是这个传奇始于20多年前：一位现已九十余岁的女士今年再游上海，上世纪九十年代初，她曾于Hilton下榻停留了一段时日，而当她已如此高龄再次住进同一间酒店，她很快认出了一张熟悉的面孔——当年的大堂经理仍然在Hilton工作，小伙子现在也已年过半百，惊喜的场面下客人与员工都十分激动，对于老太太而言，暮年重游旧地偶遇故人必然带给了她亲切安心、人情温暖，而对这位在Hilton服务了二十余年的经理来说，被一位时空上都远隔千重的老客人一眼认出，无疑是一份意外的嘉奖。

这样的传奇也确实衬出了希尔顿在上海酒店业的特殊地位。从上世纪八十年代末营业以来，上海希尔顿酒店多年稳居静安区酒店行业的头名——这个市辖区包括了静安寺和南京西路两大高端商圈，五星级酒店密集排布。而希尔顿很可能是这其中，最具“回头”效应、最有“老客人”缘的大酒店之一。在Knaust先生看来，即使是入住了两百回的“老客人”，也不能盲目乐观地以为他会永远都来而因此放松招待，实际上，常客对于服务的需求更高。世界级常客奖励计划更是Hilton的一大全球性项目，“将一位客人慢慢转变为常客的影响是很可观的。”Knaust先生认为这也正是Hilton价值观的体现之处。

“没有比第一印象更重要的了！在我们这一行，永远没有第二眼美人。”Knaust先生非常真诚地用一种近于“忐忑”的紧张口气强调着自己对完美的追求——他固执地认定，但凡“第一印象”出了差错，客人是不会再来的。Hilton酒店有自己一套严格的客人满意度调查，与员工的工作成绩直接关联。对于服务过程中客人的不满、各种可预料及未知的问题，Knaust先生都秉持着一天之内必须解决的管理要求，“第一天如果客人有抱怨，有挽回的余地，但是不能让客人在第二天仍然察觉到新的问题。”为此，Hilton基于效率和信任，赋予了一线员工直接处理突发情况的权力，诸如“请示上级”“需要经理批准”等在客人耳朵里被感受为敷衍推辞的上报流程，在Hilton越来越少听到，很多情况下，一线服务员工即可以迅速地为客人做出服务上的修正与安抚。

注重效率，谦逊行事——Knaust先生认为立足行业的一大重要态度，是开放的思维和心态。在与客人的服务关系中，任何问题的发生都需要以一颗善于感知的心去寻找解决方案，对客人来说，忽视是最不可接受的，甚至是可怕的。在日常的管理工作中，Hilton对各种渠道的服务反馈也时刻保持着悦纳的积极态度，时刻做出针对性的调整改进

而“注重承诺”则是另一项Hilton精神。上海希尔顿酒店已连续七年作为劳力士ATP1000网球大师赛唯一指定官方酒店，当时，赛事主办方曾联系了多家一流酒店，只有Hilton做出了完整而明确的承诺和方案，直接促成了这桩善缘。

对于已连续11年成为享誉全球的网球大师杯赛——世界男子网球专业巡回总决赛的官方合作酒店来说。2014年对于上海希尔顿酒店来说又将是意义非凡的一年。酒店以十一年的成功接待历史为此次亚洲重量级的男子网坛顶级赛事作了良好铺垫；去年上海希尔顿酒店为一千多名来宾提供住宿，其中包括选手、教练、组织方、球员家属、赞助商、官方人员等。此外，大赛期间酒店还将在上海旗忠网球中心，为赛场内80，000人次提供餐饮服务。相信今年的希尔顿依旧会给大家带来惊喜。

“我们很荣幸能再次与上海劳力士大师赛携手合作。作为亚洲地区唯一一项此级别的顶尖赛事，上海劳力士大师赛势必成为中国乃至国际体坛的旗舰赛事。这给了我们一次绝佳的机会，展示我们对大师赛投入的热忱，我们无可匹敌的丰厚经验，能够提供趋于完美的服务品质。酒店每一位员工都热切期盼着这项比赛。”上海希尔顿酒店Gerd Knaust格德 . 克瑙斯特先生说到。

注重承诺，开放心态，谦逊行事，“在中国这块无限潜力的土地上，有太多有天赋的头脑，我们必须保持着谦虚心态，向这片文化独特而地位重要的市场不断做出融合的努力。”在Knaust先生的解读中，上海希尔顿酒店呈现出一份稳健优雅的魅力——尽管显得有一些老派，但这也却是Hilton一贯的经营理念：一台不停进步，完美运转的精密仪器，一家真正的老店。在集团大家庭中，上海希尔顿酒店尚属年轻，但在中国市场，它已是多年的领军角色，顺利跨过25周年的门槛，上海希尔顿酒店的未来必然可以往尽善尽美之处行进，带给我们更多感动与传奇。