OPINION

A hotel general manager should be in the lobby with his guests

Hans Jenni, the man behind GHM hotels and Ahn Lu has some back-to-basics thoughts about hospitality learned over a long career and observing mentor Adrian Zecha. An afternoon at The Peninsula Manila talking about “ripping marble” and the vanishing GM.

by Vijay Verghese/ Editor

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Hans Jenni, former GHM head argues that a hotel general manager does not need an office. "He should be in the lobby with the guests who earn the money," he says, with a chuckle/photos: Vijay Verghese

ONE OF the rare pleasures in Manila last month was a leisurely lunch at The Peninsula Manila with Hans Jenni, now 76, the driving force behind the original GHM and Ahn Luh hotels. Two steel knees and a metal hip replacement later, the bionic Hans is swinging out undeterred at the golf course. We talked of how hoteliering and the guest experience had changed over the years and what might be needed to get ‘hospitality’ back on track.

He laughingly recalled his early days "ripping up the marble floors" at Amanpulo in the Philippines where he was assisting Adrian Zecha, the Aman Resorts visionary. "They forgot to lay out the marble following the numbered sequence so the veins running across the slabs didn't match." Everything had to be just right.

But the hotel experience ultimately was never about the marble. Zecha had set a new brand standard by redefining luxury sans sniffy service — “Like a visit to a rich friend’s home,” in his words — with the 1988 launch of Amanpuri, Phuket, in a secluded coconut grove. He melded simplicity with warm service, sometimes pushing the homey touch to the limit with his resident Golden Retrievers leaping into the resort’s signature black tile pool.

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Over hearty spaghetti Bolognese, Jenni turned to me with a wry smile: "You know Vijay, hotels today are run by rank and file. You can't see the GMs anywhere. When we hired a general manager for the Chedi Bandung he asked us 'Where is my room?'... " Jenni sputtered to a stop, wiped off some tomato and roared with laughter as neighbouring diners swivelled their chairs to look at us. This was, after all, the Ayala side of the lobby (to the left) for the people who ‘have made it’, in the whispered tradition of the city.

{"You know hotels today are run by rank and file. You can't see the GMs anywhere...they're busy doing revenue reports for owners and investors...

"We said there is no office for the GM,” Hans said after a brief pause. “You can sit in the lobby.”

His pick, Daniel Meury, “mingled with guests, hugged and kissed everybody and the guests LOVED him, the employees too.” Jenni continued: “You see a GM's personality permeates the property. Daniel came from food and beverage at The Strand Yangon. I put him at the Chedi for his personality. It was perfect."

Jenni came to Hong Kong in 1973 fresh from the Dorchester and immediately dropped his drilled-in snobbery when confronted with The Peninsula Hong Kong, a jaw-dropping introduction to Asia. He shook his head at the memory. "I later connected with Adrian for Amanpulo. He needed help with the back end. He was a visionary, completely at another level. I listened to him in stunned silence for an hour." Jenni was wowed.

"People thought Adrian was nuts, no TV, no phones, how would he get US$700-$800? You see, Adrian simplified things. It was a reflection of the way he lived. Those ideas did not exist until the Regent Hong Kong arrived with the best harbour view in the city. The Peninsula had in fact turned that site down." Hans grinned and shook his head looking up wistfully.

Later, GHM was born, and with it the drive for "service, recognition of guest needs and excellence." The idea of hospitality was simple. "Don't sit in the office; go out and meet the guests who are paying you money. You put a GM in the lobby and staff are immediately more attentive and alert."

“At The Legian [Seminyak, Bali], we said we cannot charge people to wash their knickers — laundry was free, as was the mini-bar. And we got a US$400 room rate." The overall investment per room (adding up all services) was higher than most but guest satisfaction translated into higher room rates for the group.

At The Setai, Miami, Jenni went above and beyond, importing blood oranges from Morocco — "We had to be different: these oranges just melted in the mouth and produced a smooth wonderful juice. No one had seen anything like this before." And, to elevate service, the hotel applied for six-month work visas for 50-member rotating teams from Bali. This injection of warm tropical charm to elevate guest experience sustained a rate of US$900 a night, well above the competition. Several of the Balinese staff who went home after six months, were able to build a small house with their earnings. It was a win-win for all.

Hans turned to me with a mischievous grin: "I wash my own socks... but it's a nice guest benefit." I nodded. Then he jumped into his huge valet-parked Ford 'truck', waved, and roared off. I walked back to get my fill of some of the best front office service I have experienced in years. Then it was time for my flight back to Hong Kong.