Firm and Forward-looking: The Pursuit of Continuous Success --Exclusive Interview with Ms. Amane Karazawa, General Manager of Hyatt Regency Shanghai Global Harbor 心向暖阳 逐光而行 ——专访上海环球港凯悦酒店总经理唐沢雨寧女士
五月,春色撩人,宜出游,宜见好友。趁着五月春光,大酒店传媒团队来到上海环球港凯悦酒店,再见好友唐沢雨寧女士。去年五月,以她的专访开启了《大酒店》的2020,诠释了 “长风破浪终有时,直挂云帆济沧海”。时隔一整年,我们再次邀约,听她讲述这一年酒店背后的故事。May is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s go out and see friends”. As spring is in the air, the Grand Hotel Media editors paid a visit to Hyatt Regency Shanghai Global Harbor to meet up with an old friend, Ms. Amane Karazawa. Our last May edition started with an exclusive interview with Amane, who shared her vision for the bright future despite challenging times, a true interpretation of Li Bai’s poem, “A time will come to ride the wind and cleave the waves. I'll set my cloudlike sail to cross the sea which raves.” So here we sit again with the seasoned hotelier and hear her tell the story of the hotel in the past year.
源于对酒店业的热爱,唐沢雨寧女士自日本东海大学传媒系毕业之后,便开启了她的酒店职业旅程。在长达18年的酒店管理生涯中,她曾就职于多家国际品牌酒店,2019年,她担任上海环球港凯悦酒店总经理,全面负责酒店的运营管理。未到两年的时间里,在她的管理下,上海环球港凯悦酒店成为凯悦集团的明星酒店。 Ms. Amane Karazawa embarked on her hospitality career with sheer passion for the industry after graduating from the Department of Media and Communication of Tokai University in Japan. In her over 18 years of experience in hotel management, she has worked across a number of international brands. In 2019, Ms. Karazawa was appointed General Manager of Hyatt Regency Shanghai Global Harbor, shouldering new responsibilities in overseeing its overall operations and management. In less than 2 years, she has led the Shanghai-based luxury stay to become one of the most popular and recognized hotels of Hyatt Hotels Corporation.
2020年,突如其来的新冠疫情,让大家手足无措,整个酒店业比较低迷。在5月份,我们来到上海环球港凯悦酒店,却是另一番风景,整个酒店觥筹交错,热闹非凡。这幅景象无疑给酒店业打上一针强心剂,在黑暗的时候带来一束亮光,让人心安。一年之后,我们又在上海环球港凯悦酒店相聚,依旧是客聚如潮。“去年五月份,我们就已经回到平时正常营业额的百分之八十,而今年,我们在第一季度已经超额完成任务,尽管我们一部分宴会订单因疫情而被取消,但是我们团队想方设法去弥补。目前为止,酒店的入住率在凯悦集团上海地区名列前茅,我非常满意现在的成绩。”唐沢女士大方地分享酒店的现状。 The sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 shook the hotel industry hard. Last May, however, when we came to Hyatt Regency Shanghai Global Harbor, it was entirely a different scene, as the place was bustling with life and events. A reassuring and morale-boosting message to the industry, the strong performance of the hotel was a ray of light into the gloomy times. One year later, we now reunite at the same place, witnessing the business being equally vibrant and prosperous. “We had managed to regain 80% of the monthly revenue in normal times by last May. This year, we have exceeded the set target for the first quarter. While there are some banquet orders canceled due to the pandemic, our team is sorting out ways to compensate. UP to now, we are among the top Hyatt performers in Shanghai in terms of occupancy rate. I am very pleased with what we have achieved so far.” Ms. Karazawa briefs us on the current status of the hotel.
面对紧缩的酒店市场,唐沢女士在吸引原有客流的同时,选择“强强联手 品牌合作”的方式,积极在其他领域开拓客源。去年,酒店进行了各类跨界合作,其中包括携手Ferragamo香水打造了「馥郁香泽」主题自助下午茶,无限量的各式甜品惊艳味蕾,在城市天际线与高贵优雅相邂逅;酒店还与I Do珠宝共同呈现了「爱的甜蜜“誓”界」主题下午茶,品味甜蜜浪漫的永恒之美,度过惬意的午后甜美时光。今年,酒店延续品牌合作,多方共赢的做法。“4月份,酒店与上海国际车展进行合作,提供外烩服务,合作方覆盖兰博基尼,雷克萨斯,沃尔沃,福特,红旗,极狐六大汽车品牌;5月份,酒店联合星巴克、雀巢品牌,将在酒店1楼搭建精饼屋。酒店临近多条地铁,客流量较大。客人无论是短暂停留,还是候车等人,都能就近有个休息之处。”唐沢女士介绍道。她表示流量固然重要,但酒店并不是无选择进行引流。在品牌合作时,会真正地站在客人的角度考虑是否能为客人带来便利服务,同时也会考虑品牌的调性是否与酒店相符。只有双方契合,才能发挥1+1大于2的效果。除了严格挑选合作品牌外,上海环球港凯悦酒店也注重自身品牌,塑造品牌IP,以此不断提升品牌形象。酒店之前推出的亲子主题房“大中华寻宝记”,为携带儿童出游的家庭提供童趣非凡的入住体验,深受长三角家庭客人的欢迎。 Faced with a tightening market, Ms. Karazawa proactively chose collaborations with other strong-performing brands to attract guests from other sectors, while maintaining traditional guest relations. Last year, the hotel carried out various crossover projects. In a collaboration with the Perfumes & Fragrances of Salvatore Ferragamo, the hotel culinary team offers a spring-floral-themed afternoon tea set featuring all kinds of savory desserts, highlighting luxury and elegance complemented by the astounding views of the city's skyline. The hotel also co-hosted the “Sweet Love and Oath” afternoon tea with iDo Jewellery, a romantic design to celebrate the best time of the day for those in love. In 2021, the hotel team continues building on the collaborative efforts, working closely with a number of brands to create win-win partnerships. “In April, the hotel worked with Automobile Shanghai to offer catering service to 6 major automobile brands, including Lamborghini, Lexus, Volvo, Ford, Hongqi, and Arcfox. In May, collaborating with Starbucks and Nestle, the hotel will set up pastry boutique on the ground floor, where travelers may rest when staying for a short while or waiting for a car or friends since the hotel is adjacent to multiple metro lines with heavy passenger flow.” Ms. Karazawa explains. According to the GM, while bringing in more customers is important, the hotel selects partners prudently, putting itself in the shoes of guests to evaluate potential values and convenience cooperation may generate. Styles and characters of future partners are also carefully examined since only a good match achieves a greater synergy of “one plus one equals more than two.” Apart from executing sensible collaborations, Hyatt Regency Shanghai Global Harbor attaches great importance to its brand development with IP creation and promotion so that it can build a strong brand image in the market. The family room featuring the theme of “Treasure Hunting in China” offers an excellent experience to those who travel with children and has been popular among guests from the Yangtze River Delta.
提高产品知名度是占据市场的第一步。唐沢女士深谙其道,多角度全方位进行市场宣传,细分市场,不断创新营销模式保持市场竞争力。“我们通过美食达人的直播提升酒店在市场上的活跃度,利用新媒体效应,把酒店餐饮打造成为打卡圣地。更是通过电视购物直播及知名OTA平台直播带货酒店产品,不仅可以增加酒店的媒体曝光度,还可以提升酒店收益。我们呈现业态资源的整合以促进增长,扩大消费者的购物触角,提升品牌形象。同时,我们更多关注其他行业线上的营销方式,分析成功案例,不断创新优化酒店现有的营销模式。” 唐沢女士介绍道。 Improving product and service awareness is the first step to occupy a market. A veteran hotel professional, Ms. Karazawa understands well only with multi-channel communications, marketing segmentation and continued innovative marketing can a hotel keep its competitive advantages. “We work with foodie influencers in live streaming to improve our visibility in the market, fully use the social media impacts to turn our hotel restaurants into must-go destinations among internet celebrities, and even promote product sales live on TV shopping channels and top OTA platforms. This gives more exposure and drives the revenue. We boost growth with integrated resources across sectors, create more touchpoints that resonate with consumers, and enhance our brand image. At the same time, we actively check on marketing methods adopted in other industries and carry out case studies to innovate our marketing strategies on a constant basis.”
2020年,对于酒店来说,是挑战,对于市场来说,是筛选。原地踏步,一成不变的酒店会被市场慢慢淘汰。改革和创新是上海环球港凯悦酒店始终保持优势地位的重要原因之一,而其源头源于市场需求。唐沢女士说道:“我与团队通过各种方式时刻洞察市场的变化,例如年轻一代喜爱的小红书和抖音,从中汲取灵感,对酒店日常设施服务进行更新,并对各节日活动进行深入的策划和执行。此外,我们也更加关注于客人们的个性化需求,针对客人微妙的需求变化,以提供更多个性化的服务。” The year 2020 has confronted the hotel industry with an unprecedented challenge with the market going through a process of “survival of the fittest”. Those who fail to adapt to changes will gradually be eliminated. Reform and innovation remain one of the crucial drivers that allow Hyatt Regency Shanghai Global Harbor to keep its dominant position, and the root cause for reform and innovation comes from market demand. The GM explained, “I, along with my team, watch closely, via a variety of ways, how the market changes. For example, the younger generations love using Red and TikTok, from which we draw inspiration to renovate our facilities and curate activities for various holidays and festivals. In addition, we also focus more on personalized services to our guests. We observe the nuances in their needs, and offer more personalized options.”
在2020年大酒店传媒第14届颁奖盛典上,唐沢女士被颁予年度女性领袖。在采访过程中,便可以感受她卓越的领导力。无论在什么时期,遇上什么难题,整个团队都呈现出热情洋溢,干劲十足的精神状态,团队成员各司其职,配合默契。在她雷厉风行的做事风格下,整个团队也是效率至上。追求效率的同时,唐沢女士关爱每一位同事,让他们尽善尽美显真我,在高效友爱的氛围下发挥所长。 Ms. Karazawa was awarded Female Leader of Outstanding of the Year on the 14th Grand Hotels Media Award Ceremony & VIP Gala Dinner in 2020. Throughout our conversation, we are impressed by her outstanding leadership. No matter what times the hotel faces and what difficulties there have been, the whole team manages to emerge as passionate, resilient, collaborative, and highly effective, with each member devoted to their clearly allocated roles. While the team is very efficient, thanks to the GM’s exceptional vigor and leadership, each individual enjoys respect and care from their leader so that they can be true to themselves and give full play to their capacity.
一年的时间里,上海环球港凯悦酒店蒸蒸日上,但唐沢女士处事不惊的优雅和运筹帷幄的自信一如当初。她时刻走在行业的前端,让创意落地,让想法执行。总经理的人格魅力一定程度上反射酒店服务水平。笔者相信上海环球港凯悦酒店在唐沢女士的管理下,将继续乘风破浪,勇往直前。 As Hyatt Regency Shanghai Global Harbor continues to grow steadily in the past year, Ms. Karazawa remains elegant, strong-willed, and confident as always, a frontrunner in the industry capable of bringing visions to reality. The character and charisma of the general manager, to a great extent, embody the level of service of the hotel they manage. We believe under the leadership of Ms. Karazawa, Hyatt Regency Shanghai Global Harbor will continue its strong development momentum in the future.
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