Transparency and Reliability

Key to success in the Hospitality Industry

By Malaka Yattigala

Mark Francis is the General Manager at Sheraton Tianjin Binhai. He has a rich pedigree in hotel management experience with leading international hotel chains throughout several continents. With nearly 35 years of professional hospitality work experience, Mark will oversee hotel operations and lead the team in delivering quality guest experiences. Business Tianjin spoke exclusively with him about his thoughts on working at Sheraton Tianjin Binhai.

What brought you to China after working in three continents?
I worked in Hong Kong from 1999 to 2001. At that time I decided if I really had the opportunity to work in China I would take it when it became available. Then I moved to the Bahamas and Australia. I had the opportunity to open a hotel in Beijing in 2007 with the company I was working for at the time and it was clear that I wanted to come to China and have this experience. I think because the Chinese market was growing rapidly, it was quite dynamic and in 2007 - just before the Olympics - it was really exciting times so I jumped at the opportunity.

You have been working in China for more than 7 years. Could you share your opinion about the differences between international and Chinese hotel management?
Over the years the differences have become less and less because when you're working for a brand like Sheraton, you're expected to have the same standards as anywhere else in the world. So you're really running a similar style of hotel. I think that some of the bigger differences are the managing styles. Bringing a Canadian style to China took me a little while to adjust and adapt my style to the Chinese associates. My management style is very much aligned with the Sheraton brand. I think the challenge when I first arrived here was adapting to the Chinese culture and management style, whether it was the owners or the government. There are different protocols that were required to work in this area of the world. Being in Hong Kong it's like China for beginners. I think it helps a lot because Hong Kong is a very international and easy place for a foreigner to live. But you are also very exposed to Chinese culture and you learn more about the Chinese people. I often recommend, if it's possible, that people work in Hong Kong before they work in mainland China because it is beneficial.

What does Sheraton Tianjin Binhai offer guests to convince them to come back?
We are in a really unique market here in TEDA. Obviously in the economic zone, we have a lot of major fortune 500 manufacturing companies. This area is represented by three international hotel brands: Starwood, Marriott and IHG. So we all sort of fill a market segment and the business in this area is very stable. That said, it's challenging but its stable, it doesn't follow the ups and downs as the downtown market. It is becoming less and less of a niche because of the oversupply in downtown and with the shrinking market in Tianjin the city hotels are reaching farther to gain market share and grow their market share.

SPG is the largest loyalty program in the hotel industry. Does it influence your customers to choose your hotel when they come to Tianjin?
Definitely, we are a corporate hotel. The majority of our business is all business and SPG is the main driver for our repeat guests. The SPG occupancy in the hotel is over 70% of our guests. This loyalty of course keeps them away from booking competitor hotels because they are committed to our program.

Sheraton was the first international hotel chain to operate in the People's Republic of China, how does it feel to be part of that story?
It's great to be part of the story, it gives us a good claim on the market and I think clearly it shows the strength of the Sheraton brand in China. The major requirement is transparency because everything that I know about the business, the owners know. It is their hotel and we are working together for the success of the hotel. So transparency with the ownership, keeping them informed, is critical to the success of the relationship and that is one thing we do best.

What made Starwood choose you to lead the Sheraton Tianjin Binhai Hotel?
This is my second time working in this hotel. I worked here from 2011 to 2013. I initially joined this hotel just after it was opened and now I just returned this January. I think my profile fit with the owner's expectations and how this hotel was developing at the time. One of the key factors when placing a General Manager in hotels is actually their relationship with the owners; how complimentary they would be to each other and can they build a good relationship, because most of the hotels in China are managed hotels. So this owner, at that time, wanted a foreigner because of the high foreigner component of the TEDA market.

Sheraton Tianjin Hotel is located in the core area of TEDA. What are the main challenges you face in this location?
The biggest challenge here in TEDA is that it is a corporate market. We don't really have any leisure business and trying to drive weekend occupancy and increase our performance to that market is quite challenging. Being a strictly corporate hotel makes the weekend business really challenging in TEDA.

How do you train your staff to make everything work so efficiently?
Guest experience, connectivity and fitness are three key areas the Sheraton brand focuses on. Right now I am the only foreigner in the hotel. Sheraton has a very well developed training program. We send our HR managers or trainee managers to undergo training which is conducted in the hotel. We have departmental trainers doing training for the trainee program. We are training every day from skills training to brand training and the fundamentals of hospitality.

I have seen the SPA area and it gives a feeling of Thailand or Indonesia. Could you explain to our readers what makes the SPA at Sheraton Tianjin Binhai so special?
Initially the SPA was designed well and it does have a really nice feeling, very quiet and serene. We have a partner who actually manages the SPA for us and they are the supplier for Starwood hotels all over China.

The swimming pool area gives the feel of a Roman bath and the gym looks pristine. Could you explain how you keep these facilities in such good condition?
Recently we did a complete deep cleaning and refitting of all the equipment. You really have to do this to keep the area in top condition. We are now discussing about a possible enlargement of the gym since there has been a big shift from entertainment to fitness. Even though we are just five years old, our brand standards require us to upgrade and renovate our facilities very often.

We've heard that BENE is the best Italian Restaurant in town. What is the story behind it?
We just finished doing a small renovation at BENE, installed several large TV's and added a large bar counter and a billiard table. We wanted to take it from just being an Italian restaurant to being more of a venue inside the hotel so guests can stay in the hotel and don't have to go to another local restaurant or a bar. I wouldn't stay it's an Italian sports bar but it's similar to that, we are just starting to inject this concept in to BENE.

What other part of your hotel do you take pride in talking about?
The thing that I am most proud of is the people that I work with every day. They are the ones that really give this hotel its heart and its soul and make my life enjoyable. There are many people in this hotel who have been here since the opening and they are the backbone of the operation and so they are the ones I talk about all the time.

How do you manage different departments of the hotel and what tools do you use?
One of the major systems that run in the hotel is STARGUEST, it tracks our defects, guest requests and maintenance, it's a task and guest request system. No matter where I am in the hotel I can log into the system on my phone and request another pillow to be sent to a specific room. It will then be released into the system and there is a specific time window for each task to be completed. If it doesn't happen then there is an elevation system where the supervisor receives a message and if that's not responded to it will go to the department manager. Then we have a weekly meeting where we look at the response times, there is very clear brand standards for each task. So STARGUEST is quite a major system.

Living in China for more than 7 years, what are some of the things about Tianjin that you will never forget?
Yeah, I have quite a few and I was telling my secretary that when I am retired and sitting around playing cards with my friends I will have all sorts of great stories to tell. I really enjoyed travelling around China, living in four different cities. Food is one of my strongest points in living in China. Sichuan food, Dongbei food, the cultural aspect of sitting on the side of the roads and eating skewers and the social side of that is fantastic. I think the most enjoyable things to eat are either "Chongqing chao mian" or "Yang rou chua."

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