Addison Wong was appointed general manager of the Sheraton Fuzhou Hotel, on Sept 15, a day before its second anniversary.

Addison Wong，manager, Sheraton Fuzhou Hotel. [Photo provided for China Daily]

Wong has 38 years of hotel management experience and has worked in several leading hotels around the world. As Sheraton Fuzhou’s general manager, he will take a hands-on approach with a gentle manner with everyone he meets, and with a global vision and innovative ideas for hotel management, something that Sheraton Fuzhou has always sought.

Wong was born in Hong Kong, and has worked on the mainland for six years. In talking about his impression of Fuzhou, he smiles and says, “The people in Fuzhou have in slow pace compared with other first-tier cities that I’ve been to, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Tianjin. But one thing certain is that Fuzhou is poised for rapid development.

“Fuzhou is becoming an international city, with great development potential. In November, President Xi Jinping visited Fujian province and also Fuzhou. And the province has been chosen as a free trade zone area. The first National Youth Games will be held in Fuzhou next year and Fuzhou Airlines was inaugurated in October and will soon open international flight routes.

“Fuzhou has many tourism resources. It’s a beautiful city with mountains and rivers,” Wong continues with admiration, “People in the city center are so lucky to enjoy the natural hot spring resources.

“And, I’m confident about its future development, and the hospitality industry,” Wong said in perfect Mandarin, tinged with a Hong Kong accent.

Sheraton Fuzhou Hotel providing a gourmet “Visit Malaysia” festival, on Oct 17. [Photo provided for China Daily]

Sheraton Fuzhou is in the Cangshan district, just over 1 kilometer from the Haixia International Convention and Exhibition Center and 40 km from Changle International Airport.

According to Wong, “One of our most important customer sources is the business people attending meetings or exhibitions at the Convention and Exhibition Center. And, with the rapid development of Fuzhou’s rail transit system, a larger number of people are willing to stay in our hotel for a weekend for a short vocation. Besides, out hotel has a picturesque view of the hills and Minjiang River.”

When the nearby high-rise buildings are completed, including the Fujian Merchants Mansion, there will be no worry about new customers, and a new commercial center will appear in the district.

Wong continued, “After having worked in Shanghai for over 10 years, I think the development pattern there could occur in Fuzhou.”

These days, people, especially the young, are living in a more intelligent way, and Sheraton, to some extent, is developing into an intelligent hotel, where you can surf the Internet in every corner via Wifi and, says Wong, “We’ve followed the SPG plan to provide the best personalized service to customers with the most advanced technology.”

SPG refers to the Starwood Preferred Guest approach of the Starwood Hotels & Resorts organization, which has invested a lot in its R&D, and a mobile app that provides access to personalized information needed for a trip. It helps users get detailed descriptions of every Sheraton, including new openings and special offers and can be used to book a hotel room no matter where or when.

The app also gives access to Sheraton hotel services and amenities and customer support worldwide and can connect people with friends, family, and other travelers via Facebook, foursquare, and Twitter. It was selected as a classic case by Apple at a new products meeting, on Sept 10 of this year.

In commenting on this, Wong says, “Someday, when the SPG concept comes true, it will surely change the hotel business. But anyhow, the traditional people-oriented service will never change, especially when the entire service industry is influenced by rules put forward by the Party’s Central Committee, in December 2012.

“Personally I feel the rules will be good for the country’s development in the long run, And, as a 5-star hotel for business and meetings, its influence cannot be ignored. Anyhow, Sheraton Fuzhou Hotel has taken many steps to respond to the changes in the market.

Sheraton Fuzhou Hotel holding a charity run, on Oct 12. [Photo provided for China Daily]

“We provide more cost-effective dining and high-quality service at a reasonable price.”

Sheraton Fuzhou Hotel is coming up with some new ecological dishes made from Sheraton’s own garden vegetables, Wong explains, because, “Food security is foremost major focus in our management. And we’ll provide more original ecological food.”

As a 5-star hotel, Sheraton is synonyms with luxury, comfort and modernity, and, according to Wong, it has strong social responsibility and is “enthusiastic about public welfare”. So, it organizes charity activities from time to time. On Oct 12, for example, it had a charity run where it raised 46,000 yuan ($7,500) in donations to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund for underprivileged children. And, on Nov 1, Wong lead several dozen staff members in voluntarily cleaning up the area alongside South Jiangbin Rd.

In addition to charity, Sheraton Fuzhou also likes to spread the idea of diligence and thrift to its customers and reminds them of the “Clean Plate Campaign” via mini-cards found on each table in the hotel restaurant.

Wong concludes by saying that Sheraton will remain at the forefront of the new age and provide the best life experience for “future masters” And, “All in all, Sheraton is stepping towards the goal of becoming everyone’s favorite hotel.”

Addison Wong leading a volunteer clean-up campaign along So Jiangbin Rd. [Photo provided for China Daily]

By Peng Juan, Lu Ting and Yang Jie from China Daily Fujian Bureau.