The born identity

Having risen through the ranks to the position of general manager of a leading five-star hotel in Shanghai some 20 years after entering the business, James Koratzopoulos said he was born to serve in the hospitality industry.

"I come from a family where my father was an executive chef and I always had a passion for the hotel business," said the 41-year-old, who now heads up the InterContinental Shanghai Pudong.

"My father said, 'Now you know how to set a table, but you need to learn how to run and manage people'. So, I got a double degree in hotel management and human resources management.

"With my personality, I couldn't do anything else."

The Australian of Greek descent said his biggest asset is the ability to think on his feet when tackling the myriad problems that crop up daily.

"In our industry there are always problems, there are always issues and there are always things that can go wrong. Because we're a 24-hour business that can have up to a thousand people, having a common-sense approach and being able to resolve issues quickly and efficiently are vital."

He said the key to success is ensuring guests have a fun and hassle-free stay.

"The secret is very simple. People come here to eat, drink and have a good time, and we're here to look after and entertain them. We should exceed their expectations by understanding what they want, and make it simple for them."

Koratzopoulos first came to China to work for InterContinental Hotels Group in Beijing, where he spent nearly two years acclimatizing to the country. He then migrated south to Shanghai, where he was later promoted to a general manager in 2007.

"It may seem quick," he said of his climb up the ladder. "But, this 'overnight success' actually took 20 years."

He described working at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, one of the biggest casinos in the world, as a major highlight in his career. As the food and beverage director there, he was responsible for serving over 10,000 people each day and managing a staff of 2,000 employees.

"That was a great experience because there were tons of people we dealt with on a daily basis," he said.

Koratzopoulos came to China to find "somewhere completely different", adding quickly the place is "just the right fit" for his personality. There were, however, some adjustments he had to make.

"In Australia and most Western countries, we have lots of issues with labor costs and we are not able to produce the items we can produce here.

"For example, in a hotel in Australia, we have very few people in the pastry department to bake cakes, cookies or make chocolate. Everything is brought in and all they do is unpack or warm up things, whereas in China they don't outsource as much and can still pay a lot of attention to detail."

He said it helps having his wife and 4-year-old son with him, adding that his son is already showing promise as a future hotelier.

"He's been in the place since he was two days old. He's like the son of all the teams here and they really love him. He's the mascot of the hotel."

InterContinental Shanghai Pudong

777 Zhangyang Lu, Shanghai

021-5836-1887

上海浦东新区张杨路777号

(China Daily 06/20/2009 page8)