A Passion For Excellence At Sanya Yalong Bay Marriott Resort And Spa

German-born Stephan Stoss, the general manager of Sanya Yalong Bay Marriott Resort and Spa, has enjoyed a long and successful career with Marriott International. As well as China he has also held senior positions in Hungary, The Philippines, Russia, and Thailand.

What are your impressions of Sanya?
I like Sanya. When I first arrived I was impressed by the warm tropical climate, the blue ocean, and the friendly Chinese people.

How will you use your previous management experience in running the Marriott Sanya?
I believe in the saying that 'success is never final' and this reflects the way I approach every new assignment. I have a passion for excellence and I share this with my team so that they clearly understand our mission to look for continuous improvement in order to serve our guests better. Sanya Marriot Yalong Bay Resort and Spa is proud of the many awards and recognitions the resort has won, this is a reflection of our strong dedication to providing the best service to our guests. We look forward building on our great reputation in the future.

Marriott Sanya has an excellent location, what do you expect the percentage composition of your guests to be?
MICE business and leisure travel are the two most important business sectors for Sanya Marriot Yalong Bay Resort and Spa. However in the near future I see wedding and honeymoon packages making up a significant part of our business. Our spacious oceanfront lawn and multi sized meeting facilities offer a variety of venues for corporate meetings and events while the newly launched ocean view wedding chapel is a perfect venue for wedding ceremonies and exclusive themed events. Additionally, we have an exclusive kids club in a private villa with a range of facilities for family getaways, e.g. a kid's pool with water slide, lap pool, games room, adventure playground, and more. We aim to continue catering to all sections of the travel market by providing the best service and value.

At present, many large hotels are focusing on business development in the MICE sector, what special expansion plans does Marriott Sanya have for targeting the MICE market?
The key difference that makes Sanya Marriot Resort and Spa an ideal place for MICE groups is our commitment to service and support. We have a very experienced and friendly team that ensures each event is a complete success. When companies hold events with us they know that they will receive a dedicated and professional service, ensuring that their event is perfect in every way.

As a senior professional manager in the hospitality industry what is your management philosophy? How will you train your staff?
Marriott was founded on the principal that success is never final and that success is in the details. My management philosophy is to pay attention to details and to continue striving for the very best. I attempt to instill a sense of pride, purpose and personal development in all resort associates. We all have the potential to better ourselves and become more than we are. Living and working with such a philosophy creates a positive atmosphere that is felt by all our guests.

What experiences do you offer for guests who stay frequently at Marriott Sanya?
Our frequent visitors are usually Marriott Rewards Members which entitles them to a range of special benefits such as complimentary room upgrades and late checkouts. Our constantly changing list of '81 Things To Do at Sanya Marriot Yalong Bay Resort and Spa' ensures that frequent visitors always have plenty of new things to try. However, the key things that we offer to repeat visitors are the same as the ones that we provide to all guests. People staying with us are assured of dedicated friendly service, a range of excellent facilities and a warm pure white sand beach with crystal clear ocean. Guests return because they know that Sanya Marriot Resort and Spa is a great place to stay. Our wonderful resort is truly the place that you have always wanted to go and never wanted to leave.

Comparing Sanya with other island tourist destinations what areas does Sanya need to improve?
For the future development of Sanya into a major tourist destination it will be important that local authorities continue to promote the island extensively over the next few years locally as well as internationally and further develop the island’s infrastructure as well as develop new tourist attractions. As a hotel we are very keen to work closely with local authorities to promote Sanya as the premier upscale beach resort destination in China.

What is the development plan for Marriott Sanya this year?
Our plan for the Sanya Marriott Yalong Bay Resort and Spa is to continue to focus on our strengths. Sanya is a beautiful destination and Yalong Bay offers an incredible sandy beach and crystal clear waters literally inviting you to take time out from your usual hectic daily life and spend quality time with your family and friends. We offer our guests a wide choice of recreation and dining facilities for the entire family including a dedicated Kid's Club and a landscaped tropical garden, while our team of associates ensures that all our guests are provided with the special attention they deserve to make their stay with us and in Sanya a truly memorable one. We will continue to drive our resort's and Sanya's image as a premier tourist destination at home and abroad by further strengthening our relationships with local and international media and key players in the market.

China hospitality news’s readers are mainly from the key decision makers and buyers of domestic and international bookings for corporations, mice organizers, travel agents (MICE), PCO etc. Many corporations like to hold events in Sanya, an ideal MICE destination. What resources and benefits can your hotel offer to these customers in terms of team-building?
Sanya Marriot Yalong Bay Resort and Spa has a dedicated team to provide team-building activities for guests, and offers various themes and venues, either on our private white sandy beach, outdoor swimming pool or oceanfront lawn. Meanwhile, we work together with well-organized team building companies and they can deliver tailor-made activities for our guests.