Can you introduce Holiday Inn Pudong Kangqiao as a meeting destination?
Our hotel has been opened for over a year since May, 2011.
Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Kangqiao aims to be the flagship Holiday Inn brand hotel in Greater China. We have very supportive owner SPG Land (Holdings) Limited and management company InterContinental Hotels Group to put a lot of efforts into developing the best class hotel.
The hotel has totally 390 spacious and well-equipped guest rooms with friendly facilities. The health club includes the 1st cantilever swimming pool in China and outdoor tennis courts. Our hotel also features a 1100 sqm ballroom as well as eight breakout rooms and a 680 sqm Winter Garden to meet different needs of requirement.
In terms of dining we offer various options. Guo Feng Chinese restaurant serves Cantonese and Shanghainese dishes, SML all day dining serves Western and Chinese food with over 60 dishes, and D7, our pub which just re-launched into a sports bar offering beers on tap, a good wine list and comfort food such as fish and chips and even steak and kidney pie!
Where does your passion for hospitality come from?
I have been brought up in a family surrounded with food culture. With both parents working in catering, entertaining and catering were part of my childhood, and I guess I wanted to emulate that when I decided to embrace a career in the hospitality industry.
Thus, I love to pay attention to details and make things right.
You just arrived in China, what are your first impressions?
China market finds itself in a very fortunate position.
Shanghai is a micro market with more and more supply and a growing demand. Kangqiao - where our hotel is located in- is developing very quickly. A few years ago it was countryside, it has become a part of Pudong and finds itself as a new destination for corporate and leisure.
Overall, after a spending few months in China, I believe that Government and Chinese local policy should be credited for the market growth.
What are your favorite places in Shanghai?
I love Shanghai, not only the city, but also the people. Shanghainese food is just magical. Eating great Shanghainese food with my peers and colleagues is just the perfect evening.
So far, Yu Garden is one of my favorite places in Shanghai. The place is a quiet oasis right in the middle of bustling Shanghai.
What is your career best memory?
I am very proud to lead a team through a rebranding exercise in my previous position back in UK. Thank to the whole team efforts, we handled hotel refurbishment and over achieved our financial target!
It was a fantastic learning experience. With a well motivated team almost anything is possible. We are committed to "Making the impossible possible"