East meets West

The crisp, sparkling autumn is the best season in Beijing, giving the city relief from the hustle of the Olympics.

"The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was successful and our hospitality to athletes and coaches was also quite satisfying," Sun Wu, general manager of CTS H.K. Metropark Hotels Management Co, Ltd, says with a sigh of relief

Appointed as the authorized hotel management company for the Olympic Games, Metropark carefully chose and trained a total of 176 employees to serve 2,200 athletes from 46 countries in the Olympic Village. And its hospitality, from security to management and service received high praise from the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG).

Metropark is a solely owned subsidiary of China National Travel Service (HK) Group Corporation, which has also taken an active part in Olympics services. The group was established in April 1928, as one of the four State-owned enterprises in Hong Kong, and now has grown into a major State-owned enterprise under the direct administration of the central government.

In his early 40s, Sun's conversation and manner is relaxed and confident, stemming from his experience and success gained over the past 20 years in the hotel industry.

Just as Sun's heritage, born to a combination of Southern-Northern parentage, presents an intriguing blend of refinement, openness and heartiness, the same combination lies within the Metropark hotel chain, combining the delicate hospitality of the East and the standardized management system of the West.

"While benefiting from its roots in Hong Kong and 20 years of hotel operation on the mainland, Metropark has been an experiment in cultural fusion," Sun says, "That is part to the reason why our service during the Olympic Games was highly praised."

From the first contact with customers, employees at Metropark are trained to deliver Asia-sized service as "invisible advertisers" for the hotel, he says.

As more hotels and restaurants enter China's ever-increasing tourism and business market, customers are developing higher expectations for service quality, and hotel companies must improve service in order to remain competitive, says Sun.

"Indeed, in the highly competitive world, what you do or make may not be as important as how you do or make it. Are you capable of providing a high-quality service at an attractive cost?" Sun asks rhetorically.

"More hotels and restaurants and the whole industry as well, are facing challenges because qualified staff and management are still trailing behind the growth," he says.

Sun attaches great importance to service training, especially service featuring Asian hospitality. New employees at Metropark undergo several months of hard training during which they are taught how to properly address customers' needs. "Training will bring positive results only if it is effectively and tailored to the particular place," Sun says.

In June 2008, authorized by SASAC, China National Travel Service (HK) Group Corporation sponsored the Annual Skill Competition of Central Enterprises Belonged Hotels, and Metropark's four representatives won three gold medals and one silver Medal in competitions.

Metropark began its quick expansion plan on the mainland after consolidating with another hotel management company in 2007. It currently operates 50 hotels with four brands, including "Grand Metropark" for five-star luxury hotels; "Metropark" for four-star business hotels; "Traveler Inn" for characteristic business hotels and "Traveler Inn Express" for budget hotels, in Hong Kong, Macao and major travel destinations on the mainland, such as Nanjing, Beijing, Zhuhai, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Chongqing, Jinan, Taiyuan, Dalian, Sanya, Xiamen, Chizhou, Deqing, Shenzhen, Yangzhou and Dunhuang.

Metropark wants to operate more in second-tier cities in the near future.

"The number of our hotels will continue to rise, given the approaching 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, in addition to the growing presence of the international financial business and manufacturing interests across the country," Sun says.

(China Daily 10/20/2008 page6)