Love at first sight

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-13 11:32

Fifty-one-year-old Swiss Philippe Caretti, never expected to meet the love of his life in Beijing. His fiancee Joanna Tan, a Beijing woman 10 years his junior, is the boss of a relocation company, which caters mainly to expats in China.

"I had an issue with my landlord, and demanded to see the company's boss," says Caretti, vice-president of operations (VPO) at Kempinski China. "I did not expect to see this elegant and attractive lady, who dressed nicely, and was soft-spoken."

He admits it was love at first sight. He also found Tan jovial, yet humble and reserved. Three months after they met, he proposed. It was the day after Valentine's Day this year, and she readily consented.

Caretti's impressive career has taken him to 12 countries in four different hotel groups over the past 28 years. He covered Europe, Asia and North America at an early age. "Previously when my family and friends told me it was time to marry, I told them I would never marry for the sake of getting married," he says. "I'll marry only for the sake of true love. I asked my married friends how it felt to find their loved ones, and they said: 'when you meet her, you will know'. And yes I knew at once that she was the one for me."

Meanwhile, Tan said it was fate that brought them together. "When I went out with Caretti, many friends asked: 'where did you find such a good man?' I often had to remind them I was not bad either," she says.

They plan to register to get married this month-end, and hold their wedding in October at the Kempinski Hotel, Beijing.

Tan says Caretti looked like a tough person, but when they got closer, she found him to be kind-hearted. She was especially touched when he prepared a big meal to treat her colleagues at home. "He cooks really well," she says. Tan also found that Caretti has a deep understanding of all aspects of luxury.

"Cooking for me is a way to relieve stress," says Caretti. "I do a combination of Western food with Chinese influences, or vice versa."

Having worked in luxury hospitality, he says he has acquired a natural appreciation for what tastes good, and what looks beautiful.

"Good company, good food, good environment, for me, these are the pleasure of life," he says.

Caretti's father was in the airline business, and he got into the hotel industry because of happy childhood memories of hotel stays. Last October, he accepted Kempinski President & CEO Reto Wittwer's offer to join his China team as VPO China Region in October 2008.

Caretti is now responsible for 12 hotels in China, and 10 more projects, which are works-in-progress. His work requires him to travel constantly, almost every week.

Caretti's first job on the Chinese mainland led him to Dalian, where he found people very warm, and made him "really understand the true culture of China". He was promoted and sent to Shanghai, which he found to be flamboyant, energetic, nostalgic and sometimes aggressive. "Shanghai is more cosmopolitan, while Beijing is deep," he says.

He came to Beijing as a tourist as early as in 1982. He thinks the city has changed more drastically than any city in the world in the past four years, especially because of last year's Olympics. He loves Chinese contemporary art, and can name some of the very best of Chinese modern artists.

He also plays tennis. "I'm too impatient for golf," he says. "But tennis gives me total satisfaction. It is a fast sport in which you have to be accurate, although you can still score if you miss by 5 cm."

Caretti said he tries to work in the same manner: fast and accurate. "I sometimes prefer to make a decision fast. If it is wrong I'll adjust. But I prefer to keep things moving forward."

Caretti says Kempinski CEO Wittwer and COO Duncan O'Rourke have established strong policies for the company's growth. Kempinski Group carries out unique guest & employee programs such as Private Concierge, Leading Quality Assurance and Employee Satisfaction Survey.

In view of the global financial crisis, he thinks China has definitely been affected. "However, we have already started to see some recovery signs.

"Some Kempinski properties in the China Region are doing better than last year. The summer months may be quiet, but come September business will definitely pick up."

He says the company has taken the opportunity of the economic downturn to make itself stronger by focusing on talent development. Sixteen Kempinski executives have successfully completed the EMBA from REIMS University in France, and the graduation ceremony was held at the Great Hall of the People.

For the future, Caretti wishes to follow Rene Schmitt, President of Kempinski China and spend his next 15 years here.

"China is the country of the present and the future," he says. "My intention is to work with the company, face up to new challenges, and take this opportunity to grow the company and the brand."