Great expectations
By Xie Chuanjiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-24 11:49
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The Westin Beijing Chaoyang. Provided to China Daily
The multi-award winning Westin Beijing Chaoyang hotel has established an enviable reputation among business travelers by continually striving to be one step ahead. Xie Chuanjiao reports
In the eyes of Daniel Aylmer, if one is not trying to stay ahead of the competition, one is most likely falling behind.
It is a philosophy that has worked well for the veteran hotelier, who has quickly risen through the ranks at Starwood Hotels &Resorts Group to be general manager of The Westin Beijing Chaoyang.
"I like everything speedy, I like it fast," he tells China Daily in an exclusive interview. "China changes so fast but the people here adapt so easily. We need to adapt too, but we also need to be ahead of the game and pre-empt what will happen next."
Although appearing relaxed during our chat in the hotel's Westin Executive Club on the 34th floor, the 38-year-old is obviously eager to take on his next challenge.
"I am very passionate about my job," says Aylmer, who has 20 years experience in hotel management, 10 of them in China. "I love what I do, so I never get tired of it, and it's never a burden. My passion toward the hotel business has helped me with my success."
That drive has also rubbed off on the hotel's staff.
Daniel Aylmer, general manager of The Westin Beijing Chaoyang, is eager to take on challenges. Provided to China Daily
"We know Daniel has very high expectations and wants everything to be perfect," says Amanda Kang, director of marketing communications at the Westin Beijing Chaoyang. "So whenever we start a new project, we automatically set very high standards for ourselves."
Aylmer, who originally hails from the United Kingdom, lives in the hotel with his family to ensure he can take care of every day-to-day detail of managing the hotel.
"I like challenging my staff. I don't accept failure or average," says the father of two.
It is perhaps Aylmer and his staff's work ethic that has helped the Westin Beijing Chaoyang become one of the preeminent five-star properties in Beijing. During the first half of 2010, average occupancy rate was 70 percent.
The hotel's stunning performance over the last two years - since Aylmer took over - has also brought awards, among them Top 10 Business Hotel by Hotels China, Best Meetings &Conventions Hotel by TTG China.
Westin hotels, one of Starwood's most fashionable brands, has steadily grown in popularity in China. It has two properties in Beijing and another six across the country.
Located in the heart of the capital's Central Business District in Chaoyang district, close to the robust Lufthansa commercial zone, the Westin Beijing Chaoyang is a favorite with business travelers and local companies.
"About 50 to 60 percent of all our guests are Chinese, and 90 percent of our top customers are Chinese," says Aylmer. "Chinese customers have fallen in love with the brand."
Aylmer says his team is constantly learning how to better serve Chinese customers - who frequently come with very high expectations - through professional training programs.
Although the job is Aylmer's passion, China and its culture come a close second.
Ten years ago, he was working in Southeast Asia as director of sales &marketing at the Westin Surabaya in Indonesia, but he asked the company for a move to China. With his wish granted, he was reassigned as director of sales and marketing for the Sheraton Nanjing Kingsley Hotel &Towers in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu province.
"It is a very interesting place," he says. "It's an ancient capital city of China, so it was a very good introduction to China," he says.
In 2008, after years of exemplary performance, Aylmer was promoted to general manager of the Westin Beijing Chaoyang, where he has nurtured not only a culture of quality service but also invested in helping his workers reach their potential.
"I like my staff to feel as though they belong here and that they can meet their goals working here," says Aylmer, who explains that he prepares his staff well before any changes, "so they can learn and adapt quickly".
"The faster you adapt, the easier you succeed," he says. "We are continuing to grow fast as a hotel, and if the team moves fast we can all move fast."
As competition among Beijing luxury hotels continues to intensify, he also emphasized the hotel's loyalty to its customers.
"Customers dictate our success, so we need to respond to their needs," he says. "We listen to every customer, and react quickly."