Subtle differentiation is a growing concern among hoteliers in China as they compete for guests and employees in burgeoning and competitive markets. Shenzhen has dozens of top hotels, so advocating special features is a must for hotels who hope to survive in this market.

Xin Jie is Chairman and General Manager of the Pavilion Hotel Shenzhen. A Chinese national, he has focused his hotel on surpassing global standards, building corporate social responsibility, and integrating best practices to build his brand.

What are some of the changes you have implemented since taking the reins at Pavilion Hotel?
China's hospitality industry has gradually matured since the reform and opening up to the outside world. A comparatively perfect operational model has been formed, thus courage is needed in case of making any change or reform. Our creative reform is to introduce international advanced managerial technologies and measures to improve our operational level and innovate the value of customers, on a basis of keeping the basic running model of our hotel unchanged.

Shortly after the opening of the hotel, we introduced ISO9000 and ISO14001 and updated the former P&P operating document to a TCS (Total Customer Satisfaction) file, which made our administration department self-motivated. This managerial model had been awarded the first prize by the Shenzhen Management Innovation Prize by Shenzhen Municipal Government in 2004. In the same year, we were referred to the original criterion of American Baldrige Award, introducing Performance Excellence Model into the hotel, and adopting the Balance Score Card to every process of the hotel management, which won us the 2005 Shenzhen Monitor Qualities Award.

All the renovation we've made is focused on the essential concept of "Total Customer Satisfaction" and the perspective of becoming the mirror of global green business hotels.

With so many new International Hotels opening in Shenzhen, how does Pavilion Hotel differentiate itself?
Products and services of high quality is the key for all the enterprises' success, and there is no exception for Pavilion Shenzhen. Pavilion Shenzhen has a distinct core competing power, which has helped ensure its leadership in the market.

As a "green" business hotel, the Pavilion is dedicated to providing products and service of comfort, health, security and environmental protection, which is conformed with the developing trend of the market at present and in the long run is well recognized by more and more customers.

The Pavilion always finds creative ways to create surprise and value for our customers with our renovation of products and service. The management renovation has input new energy to the hotel and helped it step onto a new stage.

What are some of the challenges to operating a hospitality business in Shenzhen and China?
Human resource shortage is a common challenge faced by the entire hospitality business in Shenzhen and China, as well. The rapid development of high star grade hotels in recent years has caused a lack of hospitality professionals and an unbalanced supply of human resources for the industry.

Due to the human resource shortage, we have been consistently carrying out a "People Oriented" policy within our hotel. We try to attract more excellent employees to work with us with competitive salaries and benefits; we set up a complete training system to help our employees plan their career and self-development; we care for each staff's life and feeling through various means of communication; we work to build a strong team and by combining our administrative departments with our work team; and we have formed a seamless and united whole.

At the Third China Human Resource Management Annual Meeting of 2006, we were accredited as the Annual Top Ten Employer. With this strong human resource foundation, we are confident to meet any challenges posed ahead us.

What sort of community outreach programs does your hotel take part in throughout the year?
Shenzhen Pavilion Hotel has been advocating CSR and we have regarded "the promotion of the sustainable development of the society" as an important part of our missions and have listed the participation in various social outreach programs into our annual plans. Each year, we will allocate special funds to help support those poverty-stricken areas and Project Hope. And from time to time, our PR department will work with the local communities to organize various public welfare activities. Whenever there is serious natural catastrophe, our staff will rush to donate. To sum up, CSR is a main feature of our enterprise culture.

How has the opening of the Century Tower affected the business of the hotel overall?
With the opening of the Century Tower, Pavilion Hotel's total rooms have reached 534 and meeting space 1600 square meters. Right now, we have two different styles of Western food restaurants, a Japanese restaurant, a fitness center, a constant temperature swimming pool and a parking lot that can hold 700 cars. In addition, over 100 entertainment and F&B brands, including Phoenix House , Chun Man Yuan, Tian Shang Ren Jian, and Huan Chang, have joined us and made us one the best five-star business hotels with the most complete set of facilities in Shenzhen.

The fashionable and young-looking decoration of the Century Tower is obviously different from Pavilion Hotel's nobility and elegance. The launch of the Century Tower has made our products more diversified to better serve our clients.