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Interview with Mr. Andreas Korf 

Updated: 2008-04-16 18:02

 

The World Trade Plaza Hotel offers world class services and facilities with a local touch in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei Province.

Formerly known as Crowne Plaza Hotel, WTP is the first international five-star hotel in Hebei's capital. Located in the business district, the hotel is conveniently located close to Shijiazhuang's transportation facilities. It's just a 10 minute ride from the railway station and 30 minutes from Zhengding Airport, connecting Shijiazhuang to other major cities in China.

According to Mr.Andreas Korf, Hotel Manager, WTP's secret for maintaining its international level of quality is rather simple: the hotel hires international staff who make sure services and procedures are up to international standards. The staff are professionally trained and do their best to make sure guests have a memorable stay at WTP.

The German-born Mr.Korf started working at WTP at the beginning of 2007 after working at several top hotels around the globe. When asked why he chose to work at WTP, Mr.Korf replied candidly, "I like the people here."

Though unable to speak or understand Chinese, Mr.Korf is passionate about China. His deep compassion for the country reflects the WTP management style, which seeks to strike a balance between local and international.

Top luxury hotels can sometimes overlook local details and Mr. Korf wants to make sure WTP doesn't follow the same path.

For example, WTP's holiday decorations include more than Christmas trees and wreaths at Christmastime, but also red and gold and flowers for Spring Festival and appropriate motifs for other Chinese holidays.

The Three on Three Chinese Restaurant

WTP also renovated its restaurant, changing the focus to Chinese cuisine. Renamed "Three on Three Chinese Restaurant," it offers fusion as well as authentic Chinese dishes. The hotel furthermore boasts a VIP Club for guests who wish to spend the afternoon reading a book or enjoying a cup of coffee.

WTP caters to its growing number of female guests as well. Certain room improvements were targeted specifically for women. The interior décor includes carefully chosen furniture, wall colors, paintings and bedding to make the room more comfortable, and perhaps offering a more feminine touch. The bathrooms now also include special skin care products, shampoos and lotions.

Top quality service and international ambiance have boosted WTP's celebrity customer base, which includes world famous boxer Evander Holyfield and Li Yang, who initiated the nationwide English learning campaign "Crazy English." Multinational companies like UPS, McKesson and Amway are repeat customers. Even politicians like former Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Li Zhaoxing as well as US congressmen have stayed in some of these rooms.

Mr. Korf says the hotel customizes its services so guests feel right at home.

One of the guest rooms at WTP

The hotel is constantly upgrading. Currently it is redecorating its guestrooms to make them more stylish and up-to-date. As the local economy flourishes and the number of guests from abroad grows, WTP is investing in even more language training courses for staff members. At the same time, WTP is also working hard to welcome more local guests. WTP's top manager Wang Jian, a Chinese educated overseas, knows quite well what Chinese customers want.

Mr. Korf is confident in WTP's future. The best quality service for both international and local guests means everyone will feel right at home here for years to come.