Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Informational Interview

Company: Hilton Hotel, South Korea
Position: PR Manager
Sector: PR
Email: skincare03@nate.com
Phone: 82-10-5522-0640

1. Tell the contact about your assignment. Inquire about their thoughts about investment opportunities in the industry.
Food industry becomes important. Hotel opened another restaurant outside under the hotel brand. For example, Chosun hotel opened Opkins beer restaurants in the in COEX and W Hotel opened Pizzahill restaurant. In addition, raising Wedding Business becomes important business in the Hotel industry.

2. In which companies, sectors, segments do they see the greatest potential for growth?
W Hotel introduces Long-Term-Guest Program. At first, it was program for the businessman, it became for the children’s of top 1% the rich. Hotel focused on lots of entertainments such as clubs, innovative designed room.

3. Tell me about your job at Hilton Hotel. What are your responsibilities?
Actually, my job includes News release, Press Officer, Public Relationship preparation, Making internal / external hotel Magazine, and Press Relation (promoting hotel events)

4. What types of entry-level jobs does your organization offer?
There are lots of entry-level jobs. PR / Sales department promotes hotel rooms for large groups of foreign companies. Marketing department induces guests to pay for the services hotel offered. Banquet department only managed conventional events. Engineering department serves facilities management. F&O (front-officer) directly meets the guest and give information to the guests.

5. What skills sets do you look for in potential candidates?
Of course, personal service mind and the professional attitude is the most basic elements for this industry. Also, they must be fluent in foreign language especially English and Japanese.

6. Are there particular jobs in your company where you have seen an increase and/or decline in recent years? What was the cause?
House-keeping and Engineering fields have been decreased because of outsourcing. Also Secretarial Jobs who serves basic simple tasks decreased because of outsourcing. However, the demand for personalize service such as customer-facing business increased regardless of the IT development.

7. How do companies in your industry differentiate themselves?
Internationally Hilton hotel is leading Convention Business. There are not many hotels to offered convention business services because these services needs banquet rooms and lots of audio and light facilities. Also, they offers well-established translational technologies

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Informational Interview

Interviewed:
Marty Grims (White Dog Café)
Phone #: (610) 296-1896
Email Address: wayne@whitedog.com
Address: White Dog Cafe
200 West Lancaster Avenue
Wayne, PA 19087

The restaurant industry has many relevant aspects of business to take into consideration, therefore, I decided to ask general questions to develop a strong understanding of the restaurant industry as a whole. Martin Grims is the owner of nine very successful restaurants in the Philadelphia area.

Mr. Grims stated that there are a few areas in the restaurant industry that are likely to become more popular in time. Mr. Grims stated that the most significant change in the industry is the use of organic and locally grown food. He stated that he has started using ingredients of these sorts to provide a more healthy diet for his customers and to maintain competitive with other restaurants who are doing the same thing.

When asked about what Mr. Grims personally does as a business owner, he stated that he sees himself as the “overseer of quality and enforcer of standards.” He thinks that it is his job to ensure that the food is of high quality and to operate the financial side of the business.

Mr. Grims offers entry-level jobs as a dishwasher, food runner, busboy, and preparatory cook. He said it is easy for entry level workers to work their way up if they are efficient and work well with people. When looking for new employees, he stated that he looks for people to be “outgoing, warm and full of personality.” He suggested that customer/employee relations are in some ways just as important as the quality of the food, so it is important to be balanced.

From an economic standpoint, Mr. Grims reports that there is an abundance of people looking for jobs at his restaurants due to the state of the economy forcing many large companies to lay off their employees. He then went on to say that his restaurants have not taken much of a hit due to the economy, but is aware of the situation many other restaurants and companies are currently facing. Mr. Grims expects that in the next few years, it will be even more important to hire people based on their personality, as customer/employee relations are becoming more and more important. Due to the economy, he stated, more people are “open minded and willing to work for entrepreneurial enterprises.”

Lastly, when asked about how restaurants differentiate themselves from one another, Mr. Grims said that the quality of food, service, ambiance, location, and price are the primary factors that determine success. Successful restaurants embody all of these qualities at a high level, and that is what sets restaurants apart from one another.

In conclusion, I developed a stronger sense of the restaurant industry as a whole. I personally was not aware of the necessity to incorporate organic and locally grown foods into recipes, and how important personality and the ability to relate to many different types of people truly are. While I was not looking for a job during the interview, I learned about many crucial tactics restaurant owners partake in to make their restaurant successful.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Informational Interview

Informational interview with Malcolm Petersen, Customer Relations Manager for Princess Cruises.

How he came to be in the position of Customer Relations Manager:
When he was younger, he would watch the TV show “The Loveboat”, which inspired him to work for a cruise line. He wanted “to work with people instead of machines”. Therefore, he studied Hotel Management for three years in South Africa and then worked in various hotels for four years. Finally, he has been working for Princess Cruises for the past ten years.

Interview:
Are there any changes you would suggest in order to improve the Hotel and Leisure industry?
I would implement more training. To make employee recruiting a more selective and strict process, so that we get people who genuinely want to work with people. Also, I think the staff needs to be paid more. If the staff is happy, the customers will be happy.

Have you noticed any trends in the Cruise industry in the past few years?
Actually, in the past five years, most cruise lines and especially Princess Cruises, have increased customer services. Especially since competitors started offering the same facilities and similar packages as us, we tried even harder to offer excellent services. This is because our services is something that competitors cannot copy or take away.

Has the economy affected the cruise industry in the past few years?
Two years ago there was a big drop in booking. Some companies even had to sell some of their ships. Princess Cruises, however, managed to hold on to its customer base by dropping rates. It was more important to us to maintain a full ship, because you can't sail with an empty ship. For instance, we managed to somewhat maintain our revenue by implementing new conditions for passengers, such as requiring them to buy beverages, in order to make up for the reduced rates of our packages. This drop lasted for about two years. Other cruise lines couldn't afford to drop their rates because the salaries of the staff were of a higher standard. Princess hired people from third world countries who didn't have high demands, and who were in need of a job. Therefore, for example, an Indian would not have the same demands as a European and therefore there was no difficulty reducing our rates.

Do you think the Cruise industry is rising?
Yes, cruises are now in great demand. Even for those who are not wealthy, or when the economy is not at its best, people choose to go on cruises now. The ship has all the facilities one would need, our passengers travel to various locations and they prefer cruises because they are much cheaper than flights and staying at hotels and other resorts.

Has Princess Cruises used any specific marketing campaigns to attract more customers?
We employ a large number of travel agents, and that's how we get most of our customers. We haven't used any specific marketing campaigns; people often hear about us through word of mouth.

Does Princess Cruises practice Corporate Social Responsibility?
We usually donate money to natural disasters. We generate revenue for reliefs by advertising it on board for the passengers to donate, and the crew generates donations as well. Oftentimes, when we need to renew mattresses or pillows etc, we offload our previous ones on to poor islands that we pass so that they can be given to the inhabitants.
In addition, Princess really looks after its staff. We are very sensitive to the needs of our crew, and this makes for a happier work environment.

Does the Cruise Line intend to expand internationally?
Princess plans to build two new ships in 2013 and 2014. This will expand the business and cover new and different ports of course. The good thing is it will create new positions for the already existing crew, and will offer new job opportunities, since an average ship has a crew of about 1,100 people.

Informational Interview

Last week, I interviewed Peter Wang, the general manage of Jingmin North Bay Hotel of Xiamen. I am very interested in finding a hotel management position so I asked most about the current challenges and future growth about the hotel industry. First, Mr. Wang told me a little bit about himself and how he got involved in hotel business. He graduated from Xiamen University, and majored in business. He worked as an entry-level human resource assistant and gradually climbed up the ladder became the branch manager of the Xiamen location. Right now, he is working as an operational controller and supervising the daily hotel operation. He has five assistant managers reporting to him from different departments such as restaurant, and resort services.

Then I asked about what challenges he was facing every day. Mr. Wang consistently looked for new talents to join the company and he believed the entry-level people are the future of the company. However, he said, “I faces challenges of developing subordinates. It is extremely difficult to formulate plans and to bring the hotel’s operation to next level. We want to fine-tune the hotel’s service, organize efficiently and provide the best for the customer.” Since he started as an HR assistant, I asked him about the criteria of the HR manager. He said, “Well, HR manager is one of most important position. The candidate must be excellent at selecting the best employees for our hotel and be able to read people. They also need train those employees about company value and provide benefits for the employees for retention purpose.” The HR manager needs to find the right talents who have the required skills and fit the company culture very well. I asked what set him apart from other HR assistant and promoted him to his current position. He smiled and answered with ease, “I was a friend to all the employees instead of a boss. I lead forward. I am always on time for all the meetings and act out the company value. I look at the positive things the employee did for the company and praises them instead of searching for the negatives. Thus, our team is more synthesized instead just clock-in and clock-out.”

Furthermore, Mr. Wang consistently wants to improve the hotel service. He said, “Service is core to the success of a hotel. So generally companies in the hotel industry differentiate themselves or develop their competitive advantages by offering better service experience to customers than their competitors. For example, many of our loyal customers choose to stay in our hotel because we offer services that other hotels don’t have such as Zip-in and Express Check-out Service, 24-hour free airport pickup service, free choice of eleven different pillows and etc.”

Last, I asked about how Mr. Wang viewed the future of Chinese hotel industry. He saw a huge opportunity in the industry because now Chinese people concentrate more about leisure due to the economic prosperity. For example, the spa service in hotel becomes the fourth income of their hotel. Chinese people now focus on the wellness of body and mind. There will be always growth opportunity for hotel business.

Informational Interview

I had the opportunity to interview with Chris Richards who is a general manager of a newly established restaurant called Relish. Throughout the interview I learned key aspects of the restaurant industry that could help with the final paper. To start off, Chris operates a fine-dining restaurant in Philadelphia, Pa whose concept is based around traditional and contemporary mixes of southern cuisine. What makes the restaurant stand out from the rest is that it offers the “gateway to stylish dining, arts, culture and lifestyle” by offering live jazz and other specials every day. As a general manager, Chris is in charge of overseeing and running the restaurant at its best which consist of multiple factors such as finances, staffing, guest relations, or minor issues such as a repair.

Chris explained to me that a crucial element in maintaining success within the restaurant industry is having a flowing clientele that is pleased and satisfied with their service. It is within his responsibility to create and maintain successful relationships with guest and even many musicians, in order to secure profitable outcomes that are beneficial to the restaurant. “Within the restaurant industry, one must understand how to adapt to change because without change you are no longer beneficial to the industry. With the world around us always changing with the economy, innovation and technology, we must change with it so that we don’t fall behind.” Therefore, Chris is always enhancing his restaurant with innovative ideas that will please guests and attract more customers. For example, Relish now host recent events such as karaoke night on Friday’s and even speed-dating and relationship forums for the younger generation. Also, Chris oversees local talent searches and have independent artist from around the Philadelphia area that perform a small tour at the restaurant.

In regards to staffing, Chris stated that the restaurant has been hiring more people across all departments because the restaurant has seen growth in recent years. Relish offers entry-level jobs where employees are exposed to many different projects and tasks that enhance their ambition and skills. A valuable trait he looks for in potential candidates is the drive to succeed, he stressed the fact that he wants employees who are driven and determined. Chris is responsible for staffing the restaurant’s “back house” which includes dishwashers and chefs who need experience in preparing quality food in as little time as possible. He also hires “front house” which includes waiters, bartenders, host, and bussers in which Chris elaborates that his restaurant success relies on the staff. “Personality is key for the front house of Relish. A naturally out-going and friendly staff is ideal because guest interactions always need to be positive in order to satisfy their experience at Relish. The restaurant industry consists of all word of mouth, without customer satisfaction we wouldn’t have a successful business.With all of his employees, Chris looks to hire applicants with the ability to multitask and willingness to adapt to the fast-paced changes and spontaneous situations in the restaurant industry.
            Most importantly, as general manager Chris created an abundance of growth throughout the restaurant after cleaning up the mess of the original owners. Unfortunately, when Relish was first created the restaurant was mismanaged and received little clientele because of poor customer service. Yet, Chris took over management and added his personal touches with a very nice and immaculate ambience, an intimate jazz club approach of the 50’s, and professional service with charm. With the success of Relish I ended the interview with asking Chris if expansion was possible in the future, “of course establishing a new restaurant would be essential to our business but it is often difficult to create a restaurant with the same quality and control with a new staff and management.” Before hanging up the phone, I quickly asked Chris where the name Relish was established. Relish: verb to eat and drink with pleasure, “Relish the food,  Relish the music, sit back and Relish the experience."