EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT PRIORITY IS OUR PEOPLE. Dr Jennifer Cronin President, Wharf Hotels HONOURING THE SILK ROAD Just like the legendary Italian explorers, Marco Polo and his father based Wharf Hotels – umbrella to the two hotel brands reminiscent of the ancient travellers – delves into new territories Wharf Hotels is Hong Kong’s heritage hotel management company, an Asian corporation recognising diverse cultures that celebrates The Spirit of Discovery. Formerly known as Marco Polo Hotels Management Limited, Wharf Hotels is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Wharf (Holdings) Limited, operating luxury and premium brands Niccolo and Marco Polo Hotels across Asia. Hong Kong-based Wharf Hotels pays homage to the legendary spirit of travel, exploring and sharing experiences as the embodiment of Niccolo and Marco Polo Hotels. Australianborn Dr Jennifer Cronin was appointed President of Wharf Hotels (firstly Marco Polo Hotels) in 2016. We asked her what key changes have been implemented since she took the position. For me the single most important priority is our people. Therefore, talent development and talent management took priority at the beginning, and through that, we have developed a number of programmes, changing the focus of where we are heading. We initiated the Red Ring Leadership Programme last year which has been developed purely for all our leadership associates. It has rolled out to about 500 of our people through the hotels in the Philippines, China and Hong Kong. It aims really to get them to think outside of the box and to empower them to take initiatives. If you are passionate about
Hotel & TourismSMARTreport#39 2018 Summer Edition 5 something and believe in it and want to make a positive difference, sometimes it is a case of making those decisions and asking for forgiveness later. But in Asia sometimes that kind of thinking is not prevalent, so we wanted to ensure that all of our people understood this. That has been a real mindset change for the company as to taking us to the next level in our way of thinking. Why Red Ring? Of course, red in Asia is the colour of strength. It shows boldness; it is a vibrant colour. A ring, because we believe that all our strategies need to be 360°, that they should be seamless. Also, a circle means good fortune in Asia, so it’s a combination of factors. Further to that, we asked all of our people to make interpretations in their own way as well, and that has developed into something where it’s rolled out in so many other areas of what we do. All of our conference training programmes now encompass the red ring. So, it’s been a good symbol for our people to understand. From HERITAGE Niccolo, the Hong-Kong the red ring, we have created a sub-set of four key competencies. And from that, we then develop other initiatives. Some of your terminology is changing in an important way. Can you explain this? Indeed, hotel general managers grow up in many instances through the industry from entry-level, whether it be in finance, food and beverage, or a rooms background, and we have been calling them general managers; but now, internally, we have coined the phrase CBM: chief business managers. We want these people to think more like a CEO, to be more strategic in their thinking. It may look like just playing with words, but it is a constant reminder that as a chief business manager they are managing a multi-million-dollar business and have to think strategically. You also changed the name of the company to Wharf Hotels… Yes, that was last year. Our mother group, Wharf, is one of the leading conglomerates here in Hong Kong. It was established in 1886, meaning the name Wharf is a very reliable, strong performing company, and aligning ourselves with this legacy is very important when we are talking to prospective owners in the Asian region where we want to expand our group. What would you say is your vision for the group going forward then? We know that we can’t compete with the huge machines of some of those big international names, and what we want to create and to be known for is really that of being a strong and profitable regional group. We are not seeking flags in every destination just for the sake of it; we really want to partner with owners ensuring a profitable return on their assets, increasing the value of their asset. That is why we are not just taking on any location that might be available. With some of the larger groups, in some cities there might be 20 out of the same group competing against each other. Not naming any names, but some owners are now starting to question how can they operate effectively if they are competing against each other within the same company. So that is why the Niccolo and Marco Polo hotel brands are becoming more attractive to the potential new builds, or if hoteliers are dissatisfied, they are looking to a group such as ours that can have a very direct and personalised access between the owner and our management group. They don’t have to go through layers of regional offices to get to head office. They can go direct to me and to any of our executive committee. So, we talk very much about being a “lean, mean fighting machine” and I think that’s paying off in our relationships with our owners which are extremely good. What percentage of your hotels are owned and what percentage on managed? This is what sets us apart from the other hotel groups. Of our current 16 hotels, we own eight, so therefore we take on management in the context of an owner, and we are very committed to the returns of the property, so that I think augurs very well for who we are as a management group and where we want to go in the future. What is the roadmap for Niccolo and Marco Polo hotels? You have already said you’re not looking to become a global brand but what are you aiming to achieve going forward a few years? We definitely want to be in gateway cities of Asia. Marco Polo was previously in Singapore and we are re-assessing various locations and potential opportunities there The Murray, Hong Kong, a Niccolo Hotel
