Why do you choose hospitality as your career?

From very early in my life, I was very interested in looking after other people in the hospitality business. I want to be in hospitality, I think it is wonderful industry which you have to have passions to be in, and I love this industry. If you do love, you stay; if you don't love, you get out of it, you are going to another Industry. So from early childhood, I want to work in hospitality, and I want to be in this Industry.

What influences does the first job bring to your future occupation?

My very first job is at a very small hotel with 33 rooms, and I worked in different department during the work. So from the introductions in the different department, I accepted very, very good training. I think when you are joining in this industry depending on where you first start, and on which directions you will take in the Industry, there are numbers of division in the hotel, such as front office division, food beverage, or human resource, many people study in different area, but I always want to be general manager of the hotel.

What valuable experiences do you learn in your job?

When I started business career, I have worked in this industry over many years, I faced very different challenges. I think one of the great things in this industry is that every day is different, and you don't gain the same pace and problems, so the only solution is you are very flexible. And you can learn throughout your career, but you need to consider how you deal with the guests.

This is first time you came to Beijing, what is your impression on this city?

I love working in Beijing, I found that Beijing people is very warm, I think Beijing people is northern China people, much more friendly, much more inviting. It is quite different from Shanghai, which amazing people how two cities can be in the same country, and can be different.

As area general manager of Sofitel Hotels north China, what is your new challenge at present?

I think taking a role of area general manager gives wide scope in the work, obviously, you are working with other general managers to run the hotel, and you need to cooperate to face the same challenges. I think it gives me the different perspective and different feel even in my own hotel, how we can do think better and it is not only about our hotel but about our worked company to be consistent to meet the need of guests.

As you said consistency, according to my understanding, there are different levels and requirements in brand, and Sofitel is a brand of Accor, how do you make the brand consistent?

For all of hotels, they have own brands and stands, and many levels each hotel needs to attend. If the hotel is not able to be some level, the group will take action to redefinite the hotel. Sofitel is a luxurious hotel, and there are high expectation level from the guests, so if we don't reach the level when they check-in, they will leave the hotel. So we must strictly follow our brand demand to carry out.

It is understood that the Australian attach great importance to environmental protection and love nature, and now all the people are promoting low-carbon and pro-environment activities in the world, how do you usually advocate this actions?

You know I think today is so called Earth Day, just reminding the earth is valuable. You are right, in Australia or New Zealand, there are a lot of strict laws and regulations to protect environment. I think China is moving ahead very quickly when coming to realize. For us, how can we save the energy without impacting the guests'experience? Obviously, save energy means save environment and save cost, that is win-win. We have a lot measures to protect environment in the hotel, from shorting all the garbage to using recycling paper, glass and plastics. And all of the trash is sorted everyday and discriminated which is recycled. I think every little thing we do has a big impact. If today everyone goes to work by bike, can you imagine the traffic in Beijing? There will no traffic in Beijing. Maybe you feel the little thing we do has no impact, but lots of thing can go up the large impact.

How do you regard your hotel?

I think this hotel is good blending of Chinese and western culture, one thing we try do in the Sofitel is that not only we have French touch but we need to remember this hotel is in China, and guests want the hotel to be Chinese touch. One thing maybe is European material, but may be designed in Chinese style. All that we do want to bring the guests warm, comfortable and enjoyment. For example in the lobby, it is used with different culture; a thing in the front hotel wall is designed with three peonies, which are Chinese national flower, but were created in Austria by sorts of skill. So one side in the lobby is European style, but on the other side is amazing Chinese painting. When you look it, it is very Chinese feel, but actually, there is European feel too. So just show the different culture in one area.

Our hotel is invested by France, is food in restaurant base on French food?

We have numbers of flavors in food beverage. In the hotel, the pastry is important, we have the very famous French bread, and our baker have learned three months in French, so he can make lots of classic pastry. Also cheese is important in French dining, maybe not food in the Chinese dining, and all is imported from French; wine is also important to European and Frenchman, because they like romance. We have a lot of Chinese guests, so we also provide a lot of Chinese food. And it is important that we blend Chinese food, European food or French food, whatever European food, French food, or Chinese food, the guest will choose by themselves.

Your hotel is located in CBD, and there are many famous international brand here, what challenges does the hotel face?

Favorable geographical position must draw good hotels, and there are many good hotel in Beijing, but our biggest advantage is our banquet floor, our conference room is very large, bowl room is also large and beautiful, and we also have perfect conference and health center, which are important to our hotel, so we need to provide more comfort and convenience to the guests with high service.