Passion for people

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-07 10:22

Malaysian-Chinese Charlie Dang believes one should get into the hotel business only if one has a passion for meeting people.

"Hoteliers live a very busy life," says the warm and energetic 45-year-old, general manager of the Westin Beijing Financial Street.

Dang entered the hotel business at 21. His first assignment as a GM was at Xi'an Sheraton, when he was 34. In 2005, he came to Beijing and saw Westin through the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He is also area managing director of northern China for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, a fully integrated owner, operator and franchiser of hotels and resorts of nine internationally renowned brands.

Ever since its opening three years ago, Westin has bagged a record-breaking 53 awards. Business was good all through 2008, says Dang, with full occupancy for the 21 days of the Olympics. Dang says insight and planning saved the hotel from hitting a low season after the Olympics.

"We did a survey during the Sydney Olympics, and found that business declined right afterwards," he says. "So in May and June last year we decided to focus our efforts on the domestic market. As a result, we had 80-90 percent occupancy after the Olympics."

But then, the global financial crisis struck. Early this year, hotel rev par (Revenue Per Available Room) fell 21 percent, according to Dang.

"We fought hard to get business. It was tough in the first six months," he says.

A change of strategy helped. The hotel used to have 31 percent of the domestic market, and 42 percent of the North American one. But now, American customers account for less than 20 percent of the clientele, with 60 percent of the customers being domestic ones. The hotel has instituted a Starwood Preferred Guest program to target the domestic market. The slowdown lasted six months, before occupancy climbed back, reaching 69 percent in recent months.

At present, there is only high-end shopping in the Financial Street, but no real high profile restaurant. But it's improving and getting busier. Dang points to the office buildings around the hotel that are still empty: "I can sit and relax when those buildings are full."

He estimates that will take another couple of years, by which time the area will be filled with corporate guests.

The good thing is that the hotel is near many top tourism spots, including Tian'anmen Square.

Dang feels the financial crisis was a wake-up call for a lot of hotels. "It is time hotels change their way of operating."

His hotel used to have a 1,000-strong staff. Now there are 700. "To manage costs, hotels need to operate with less, but better people. We are paying for training, and building local staff."

Dang started his work in hotels in the food and beverage sector. He loved organizing beautiful events in the ballroom. Westin's Sunday brunch has been rated as one of the best in town for three years in a row.

He has twin daughters and to spend time with them, he has not played golf, his favorite sport, for a long time.

He loves taking them to the Commune by the Great Wall. He and his wife also travel to places such as the Huashan Mountain in Shaanxi province, the islands of Sanya in Hainan province, and even caves in Yan'an in Shaanxi. They like to try new restaurants in Beijing, and says Pure Lotus and Dadong are two of their favorites.

"Going home now would be like retiring," he explains. Having lived in China for 11 years, he has witnessed the fast growth of his group. In 1999, the group had just 14 outlets, including hotels and resorts. Now there are 48. Next year, there will be more than 100.

"It's like an explosion," he says. "China will be a big player in the world. I want to be part of all that change. I want to be there to see it. It's our time."