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COVER STORY: LOCATION, LOYALTY AND LIFESTYLE, Talking about the Serviced Apartment Industry with Guy Feest, General Manager, Fraser Place Tianjin
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LOCATION, LOYALTY AND LIFESTYLE

Talking about the Serviced Apartment Industry with Guy Feest,

General Manager, Fraser Place Tianjin

By Annie Ly

BT 201512 050 06 Cover Story 97A6522As the serviced apartment industry continues to grow, Business Tianjin sought the insights of Guy Feest, General Manager of the newly-established Fraser Place Tianjin. Located on Wei Jin Nan Lu, in company with Tianjin's Olympic Stadium, Water Park and Ao Cheng complex, Fraser Place Tianjin presents new opportunities for lifestyle and living, attracting a variety of people from executive travellers to families.


With over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Feest has worked across a number of major hotel brands all over Asia. Prior to coming to Tianjin, he spent time as the general manager of Millennium Residences and Fraser Residences CBD East in Beijing. He now brings a wealth of expertise, and knowledge of the serviced apartment industry, to Tianjin and gives us his views on what lies ahead...


You arrived in Tianjin in April this year to open the first Fraser Place residence in this city. What influenced your decision to make the move to Tianjin?


As well as being a new place to discover and work in, an attractive thing about Tianjin was its history. But more than anything else, it was the opportunity to open a new property. I have been involved in a few openings before, but never as a general manager. Right now, I'm really enjoying opening this property and building up this team of people. It has been a fascinating learning curve for all involved.


What can Fraser Place Tianjin offer its customers?


BT 201512 050 27 Cover Story 97A6665When I asked my Director of Sales and Marketing for the three reasons people would stay at this property, I told her the answer is not necessarily the Fraser management, the big rooms or the free shuttle bus service. I believe, as the old real estate maxim goes, the most important thing is location, location, location. Our owner -- China Merchants Real Estate (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. -- chose Frasers Hospitality as their partner, and they clearly understood this to be true when developing Fraser Place Tianjin. They have been very smart to select the Aocheng area as their development location.


We are located right on the corner of a huge intersection, where people can be found travelling all the time from Beijing to Xiqing, the economic development district to the south of Tianjin. To get to other areas, such as Binhai or into the city, you just have to look at the opposite sides. For business travellers, access to almost anywhere is very easy from this location.


Aocheng also has a lot to offer. A lot of families and expats will make the trip to the Aocheng area all year round to go to a bar or a restaurant. The sports facilities and Convention Centre here also attract people with different interests. Fraser Place Tianjin offers a place to stay in the heart of it all.



What makes Fraser Place in Tianjin stand out from other serviced apartments in the city? Why should people pick your residence over others?


We have a good relationship with other serviced apartment owners in the city but we have a very different product. All owners will provide top quality service, but what currently sets Fraser Place apart is that this is a new property with brand new facilities. The purpose of a Fraser Place is to be attractive to businessmen and families, and we strive to make our facilities reflect that.


We will also be offering a shuttle bus service with a very extensive route. It will go towards office buildings in the city, shopping areas and tourist attractions. The service will align with the subway expansion to ease the stress of travel. When the Aocheng subway station opens, it will be a mere 500-metre walk to the entrance. Therefore, if you look at the opening of Fraser Place with a long-term vision, it will only get better.


BT 201512 050 17 Cover Story 97A6675

In what ways has your management style changed since taking on the role of general manager of Fraser Place Tianjin?


Fraser is very strong on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which is something that is relatively new to my colleagues. CSR is something that I personally want to make sure is a hallmark of Fraser Place Tianjin. It is not something that I want to just pay lip service to. I want it to be something that really makes an impact and that people know us for; because we do the right thing. There is a fundamental benefit in terms of getting things done and having good relationships, but I think that developing a good reputation in the local area will be a very attractive feature. Knowing how to make bridges with the local community can really make a difference. They have a lot of insights that are well worth learning from.


What challenges did you face when you opened this new facility and how did you overcome them?


Recruitment here in Tianjin has proven to be a challenge. I was able to find all my department heads very quickly but finding reception staff, wait staff and housekeeping staff was a little more difficult.


Getting busy and building up the reputation of Fraser Place Tianjin is another challenge we face. During job interviews, one thing I stressed was that Fraser Place is not a well-known name in Tianjin yet. But, we are opening this property and another in Binhai in the middle of next year, with possibilities of more properties opening in the following years. Although there is good coverage for Fraser properties in the south of China -- in places such as Guangzhou, Suzhou and Chengdu -- the Fraser brand is not as well known up north.


Local people in Tianjin know that the location of Fraser Place is quite an exclusive, high-end area. They know that once the subway extension is completed and open to us, it will tie in very well with our planned trajectory for occupancy rates. Some people we interviewed could not work here due to location. In the future, the expansion of the travel networks will help us to solve recruitment issues, as well as attract more customers to the area because it will make it more accessible.


What is the key to being an outstanding general manager of serviced apartments under a successful international brand like Frasers Hospitality?


I have been fortunate to work for some outstanding general managers in the past. The key lesson I have learnt from them is that recognition is important. It doesn't need to be about anything specific, but acknowledging staff can make a real difference in relationships. When good things happen, recognise them. Recognise people on a personal and professional level in a positive way. That is the best way to build loyalty with your staff. It ensures that your staff are just as invested in the property as you are.


BT 201512 050 26 Cover Story 97A6665If a customer is looking for a serviced apartment in Tianjin, what advice can you give?

 

The key thing people should consider is, 'what am I going to do outside of work'? All serviced apartments will offer the same things: a comfortable place to live and security. Customers must also think about their free time, and that's where this property, in terms of location, has its advantages.


You must also consider your personal needs. If you are a family, your priority will be being close to schools. If you're here for business, access and transportation to work is important. If you are coming to China to work, just day-to-day living can be a challenge. You will want to come home to somewhere you can wind down and relax. You will want to come home to a situation where your children have had things to do. This is what Fraser has to offer; whether its kids' clubs, cookery classes or cultural trips, we can offer opportunities to make connections with the city in a way that will occupy and entertain people with a variety of needs and interests.


What is the future for the luxury serviced apartment industry in China or indeed Tianjin? Do you see any trends or developments emerging?


Serviced apartments in general are getting a higher profile. What people have come to realise is that the cost basis for a serviced apartment is much less than a hotel. You usually have a much larger space which is self-contained, all at the same price, if not lower than what you might pay for a five-star hotel. Our properties are usually part of mixed-use complexes, so you could walk out the door and be in a shopping complex. You receive the same level of service, same level of security, same international feel but with more convenience which makes them more attractive.


A lot of hotel companies and developers are looking into this market because the cost of building an apartment per square-metre is substantially less than building a hotel per square-metre.


If the market changes completely, you also have the advantage of being able to sell the apartments to private owners which is an attractive feature for developers. Every destination around the world has a need for long-term stay properties. I see the serviced apartment, or extended stay market, as getting stronger and stronger as a result.BT 201512 050 21 Cover Story 97A6682


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