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COVER STORY: Leaders in Extended Stay Operators in China. Interview with Choe Peng Sum, CEO of Frasers Hospitality Group
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Leaders in Extended Stay Operators in China
Interview with Choe Peng Sum,
CEO of Frasers Hospitality Group
By Natasha J.

cover 01 2     全球化浪潮在科技日新月异的今天加快了自己的脚步,商务人士的长途出行更催生了新的需求,服务公寓的出现大大丰富了世界各地旅客的住宿选择。在众多服务公寓的品牌中,辉盛国际作为新加坡星狮地产有限公司的成员,从1998年在新加坡的412间客房做起,发展成为横跨欧洲、中东、非洲、北亚、东南亚、亚太和澳洲地区80多个城市,拥有140家服务公寓,房间数量超过23,400套的全球服务公寓品牌领导者。

      辉盛国际在我国的发展速度同样惊艳。作为中国领先的服务式公寓品牌,辉盛国际目前已在北京、长沙、成都、大连、广州、南京、上海、深圳、天津、武汉和无锡等11个城市开设了16家物业,另有16家物业正在筹备中,并将入驻南昌和海口等国内其他城市。

      就在刚刚过去的6月8日,辉盛国际旗下的天津招泰美伦辉盛坊国际公寓在天津滨海新区盛大开幕,推进了辉盛国际在华扩展的脚步。天津招泰美伦辉盛坊国际公寓是辉盛国际继2016年开设天津招商美伦辉盛坊国际公寓后在天津成功拓展的第二家服务式公寓。

      集团成功的背后,离不开集团全体成员尤其是领导人的辛苦耕耘。辉盛国际首席执行官曹炳森先生正是这支扬帆远航的服务公寓舰队的总舵手。他在接受我们的采访时表示,未来的三年内,集团在中国的服务公寓将达到32家之多,一切都在紧锣密鼓的筹备和建设中。二线城市的机场等基础设施建设的飞速发展也成为公寓拓展的有利条件,这些城市更呈现出较大的发展空间与潜力。上月开幕的天津招泰美伦辉盛坊国际公寓正是辉盛国际在中国建设的其中一家服务公寓。公寓地理位置优越,位于天津经济技术开发区(TEDA)中心区,毗邻泰达MSD购物中心和天津地铁9号线(津滨轻轨)站,是时尚与国际化生活的代表。此外,公寓附近还有泰达图书馆、泰达足球场、泰达市民广场、天津开发区会展中心和泰丰公园,文化娱乐资源丰富。对于家庭长住旅客,公寓附近有七所学校,包括南开大学泰达学院、泰达中学、枫叶国际学校等。泰达国际心血管医院和泰达医院也在附近,便于客人就医。公寓内拥有224间金质标准服务式公寓,为每一位宾客提供贴心的个性化且专业热情的服务。曹总在采访时也表示非常看好滨海新区未来的发展前景。

      辉盛国际取得今天瞩目的成就,与其服务指导思想不无关系。曹总说“以不变应万变”是他们的服务方法,辉盛国际的每个人都会时刻关注客户需求,从而改进自身服务。例如成为消费主力的“千禧一代”已经不再仅仅满足于简单的住宿功能,在一天辛苦的工作后,到酒店大厅里喝杯啤酒放松一下是他们的生活方式。

      在接受采访时曹总提及他非常热爱自己的工作,而且在工作中收获到了许多快乐。他说如果人们真正热爱自己的工作,那么你就已经成功了一半。作为一名虔诚的基督徒,他在工作中恪守原则尊奉道德,珍视集团的员工和同事。对于辉盛国际的中国团队,他欣然表示自己的团队非常强大且精力充沛,会为无论是一线还是二线城市的服务公寓提供同等优质服务。

      当被问及对集团目前在全球的发展情况是否满意,曹总认为,辉盛国际一直在成长,从未止步。我们也深信拥有强大团队与过硬服务品质的辉盛国际在未来将迎来更大的发展空间!

BT 201807 Cover 01Singapore based Frasers Hospitality is one of the world’s biggest providers of high-end serviced apartments. It enjoys an established presence in China, with 16 properties across key cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. 32 new properties in China are in the pipeline and will come up over the next few years. This will see it enlarging its footprint in cities such as Chengdu, Nanjing, Shanghai and Wuhan, as well as opening in new cities such as Nanchang and Haikou.

The grand opening of Fraser Place Binhai, Tianjin, on June 8th signals the continued expansion of Frasers Hospitality, a member of Frasers Property Group, in China.

With its 20th anniversary, Frasers Hospitality Group continues its quest to reach the 30,000-unit mark in its portfolio.

Chief Executive Officer of the global hospitality asset management and operations group, Mr. Choe Peng Sum, expressed his confidence in the Chinese market in an exclusive interview with Business Tianjin Magazine. He brings with him over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry.

Choe charted the company’s growth from its inception in 1996 with two properties and 400 keys in Singapore, to currently owning and managing 140 properties across 77 cities globally with a total of over 22,500 keys.
BT 201807 Cover 02In a few words, describe yourself.
I love my job, and I enjoy it so much it does not feel like work. I treasure the people around me. First is my family and the wonderful team that I have had with me. I am a devout Christian and I like to work with the right ethics and principles.

Are you satisfied with the global development of Frasers Hospitality thus far?
We are constantly thinking of more ways to grow. It’s a never-ending process and we are at it.

Frasers Hospitality plans to double its portfolio in China within the next few years. What is your target market and what makes China so attractive to you?
We have set ourselves to double our numbers in China. Currently we are on the 16th property in China with the opening of Fraser Place Binhai, Tianjin. Within the next three years we will be able to double that number to 32, which is close to 3400 apartment units. Although many projects are already signed up, the reason it takes that long is because it needs time to build from ground. Our team in China is very strong and energetic.
BT 201807 Cover 03What is the next project for Frasers Hospitality in China?
We will announce them as we go. I’ve always been advised not to let the cat out of the bag. [laughs] I must say that traditionally we have been growing quite strongly during this first year, especially in Beijing and Shanghai and other cities including Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Recently we have seen tremendous growth in the areas in 1.5, 2 tier cities, specifically, in cities like Nanjing, Chengdu and Changsha.

Our focus on emerging cities is in tandem with our plans to continue enhancing our offerings in the key cities where we already have an established presence.

What type of partners do you like to work with?
We have many great partners who have some of the most sought out locations, especially at city centres. It’s been a lot of long-term relationships especially with China Merchants Group. We’ve maintained good relations for the last 14 years and continue to enjoy a good rapport with Costco, Yann Lord and China Resources.

Fraser Place Binhai, Tianjin, is located in the industrial area. It is an excellent location surrounded by International schools, sports centres, shopping malls, golf courses, subway stations - what other facilities would you like to highlight to convince potential clients?
When I first came to China in the early 90’s, Pudong was just farmland. Fast forward 10 years and it’s a completely new city. I’m sure many people who stayed away now wish they had got in a long time ago.
BT 201807 Cover 06I’m very proud and happy to say, “We have a Fraser Suite facing the bund”. It was the same story with cities like Chengdu and now with Tianjin Binhai.
Over here in Binhai the infrastructure is fantastic. We took a connecting fast train from Beijing to Yujiapu station in Binhai. It is just a 10-minute drive from Fraser Place Binhai, Tianjin. It’s very convenient. At the same time, we are quite close to the Singapore Tianjin collaboration, the eco city. We are already involved with many of their projects. When we see that place grow we see this place grow too.

With this opening, our two properties in Tianjin will complement each other perfectly as they cater to both short-stay and long-stay business travellers as well as luxury travellers.

Tell me how you have approached change.
As the cliché goes, “The only thing that remains constant is change”. At the same time, we don’t change for the sake of changing. One of the biggest changes we are beginning to see is our clientele. The millennials tend to spend a lot more and really want to enjoy life. It’s a totally different thinking all together. I suppose those of us who are older, we’ve been through many recessions and that makes us more careful. But in the age of affluence the youngsters want to enjoy.

As hoteliers, if we don’t change over time we will perish because hotels are very boring. We are building a new hotel in Ginza, Tokyo, and we have brought in one of the world-renowned architects, Kengo Kuma to work with us. The brief to him was, we want a hotel that the millennials will feel comfortable in. He came up with a wonderful idea, to create a living space in the lobby. When you come home you immediately come home to a living room. You can feel comfortable in your shorts, T-shirt’s and flip flops and drink a beer or two to wind down, or others might still want to do their work but in a more relaxed environment. It’s a completely original approach.
BT 201807 Cover 05We see success in your operations, what is the secret of your management style?
Someone used to always say that there are two management styles. One says that the leader needs to know everything. The other says that the leader does not need to know everything. He just needs to find the right people around him. I like the second one. [laughs]

I treasure all the people around me. Loyalty is very important, and I am tremendously grateful to staff who have stayed with me. Theresa, our General Manager at Fraser Place Binhai, Tianjin, has been with the Frasers group for almost eight years. I always say that if you join Frasers, you will never grow old.

When you run your own business it’s different. You can’t say I’m off today. In the same way everyone should own that part of the business.

I have breakfast meetings with staff or any of the new team members that join, including from overseas. I can’t help but share with them my opinions, I say not all of us are billionaires and we must work over 300 days per year to earn a decent living. Is it possible to work in an environment where nobody needs to play politics or needs to backstab each other? In order to grow you don’t need to push someone down. Is it possible to create such an environment where we don’t have to look over our shoulder and think, they’re after me? We have enough problems outside than to worry about problems within.

I look at work as fun, and not as a chore. If people really enjoy their work, then you’ve won half the battle.
BT 201807 Cover 07How do you manage your time between work and family?
Finding time with family is getting harder. One discipline I have is, I fly back home by Friday night. So at least I have the weekend with my wife and two daughters. The children are used to it. If I happen to be around on the weekdays they’ll say, “Oh you’re home dad”. They are very cheeky yet loving girls. [laughs]. People ask me what I do on weekends, and I say that we’re into all types of sports from skiing to rollerblading to every outdoor activity.

When you leave Frasers Hospitality, how do you want to be remembered?
I want to be able to still visit all the Frasers properties and check that young man or young lady who is now the General Manager.

Two years ago, we opened Fraser Place Binhai, Tianjin and Business Tianjin Magazine was with us that year. It’s fascinating to see our growth and how the second Fraser in Tianjin is the No. 1 in Binhai. It’s inspiring. Within two years they’ve grown so much and wonder where they could go from here on.

I had breakfast with Theresa’s team. I felt that there was true happiness around. They said that the letter “F” for Frasers is, “the family feel” is so great. We even brought one of our senior housekeepers to push further to become a future executive assistant manager, which is no. 2 to the GM. This will inspire others to look forward and they will push forward another person and it will go around. It sounds a little bit like ‘and they lived happily ever after’. That’s exactly what we want for our team.

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