Hanoi’s “Best Service Hotel Award” Secret

“After I attended the Vietnam Economic Times-The Guide awards ceremony in the Hanoi Opera house in 1999” wrote Jan Hilhorst the GM of the Hanoi Horison Hotel, “I called a meeting with all staff and department heads and discussed a dream of our hotel winning Hanoi’s Best Service Hotel Award. Everyone got excited and enthusiastically agreed to give our best efforts to be among the winners in the future.”

“Every member of our team worked hard, very hard. They went out of their way to improve every single aspect of the service in our hotel. We worked on improving facilities, the ambiance and the food and beverage quality. We were the first hotel in Hanoi with wireless high speed internet access and an ATM machine on the premises. And guess what, Max. In 2001 we won the Award and we have been nominated again for the 2002 Award! It's amazing what a Team with a Dream can achieve.”

“As well, in 2002 I was voted General Manager of the Year within theSwiss-Belhotel International Group of hotels along with Michael Bisschof, General Manager of the Swiss-Belhotel in Changchun, China who was instrumental in expanding the group in China."

“What’s our secret, Max? It's all about passion - a passion to achieve the best results - a passion to see happy guests return again and again - a passion to have happy owners - a passion to have happy staff who stay and grow with the company and a passion to have a happy family too!”

Congratulations Jan and thanks for sharing your secret and your passion. (Don’t you just love that sentence “It's amazing what a Team with a Dream can achieve!”)

Sincerely

Max Hitchins - The Hospitality Doctor - www.HospitalityDoctor.com

PS. Jan Hilhorst, Michael Bisschof, Lucien Blanchard are three of the many outstanding General Managers I have been fortunate enough to meet while working in Asia. They are super professionals who love their work. I’m reminded it was Confucius who first said “If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work another day in your life.”