Deng Xiaoping chose Shenzhen as one of China's first areas to open to the world, and since the late 1970's Shenzhen has grown into a thriving mainland metropolis buffering Hong Kong. Henk Meyknecht is the General Manager of the Marco Polo Shenzhen and is at the forefront of integrating global hotel knowledge into China's famed culture of service and hospitality.

Originally from the Netherlands, Meyknecht joined the Marco Polo Shenzhen 16 months ago. He was previously General Manager of the Marco Polo Omni Saigon in Vietnam from 2002 to 2006. His hotel career spans twenty years during which he has worked for SAS, Hilton International, Peninsula Hotels and the InterContinental Hotel Group in Europe, United States and Asia.

How is Marco Polo Shenzhen positioning itself in the local hotel market?
The Marco Polo Shenzhen will position itself as an upmarket, five-star business hotel. With 391 deluxe rooms and suites the hotel will cater mainly to corporate travelers and guests from conventions and trade fairs. During vacation periods the marketing and pricing strategy will shift towards the domestic and regional leisure markets, but this will be limited to upscale consumers with relatively high spending power.

Shenzhen has one of the highest Average Room Rates in China, trailing Shanghai and Beijing. The Marco Polo Shenzhen will market itself with a price range of US$150 per room, per night and above. During the opening period the hotel will feature various discount programs to build up market share. At trade fair and conventions the rate structure will be substantially higher.

What sort of changes have you implemented since taking over in your new position?
We have implemented a new service concept called "One Stop Service". This means that the guest has to call only one number in the hotel that will deal with all requests, such as cleaning the room, reconfirmation of a ticket, information on Shenzhen, reservations for a restaurant, and information on flight details for the airport.

We also implemented a strong training program called "Job Certification Program". Each employee will be checked every 30 and 90 days on specific job knowledge and receive training. We strongly promote the concept of training young and ambitious people from the tourism and hotel industry. Every young employee will receive a strong training program which focuses on language training, medical and safety training, attitude training and job skills.

What sort of qualities do you look for when hiring staff?
We look at three topics. Most importantly we look for good social skills and a positive attitude towards the future. Employees with a positive outlook on society are well suited for the hotel and tourism industry. These types of people like to interact with other people in a pleasant and harmonious way.

Secondly we select people who are willing to provide service to other people. This means you need to have the ability of understanding the need of our guests.

Thirdly we combine this with good training. Combine these three issues and you will have an excellent career in the hotel industry. We encourage young people to join the hotel, we train them and teach them specific job skills such as computer know-how, preparing good Western and Chinese meals, hygiene standards or sales skills.

What are some challenges to operating in southern China?
China has a strong domestic market for business travelers and the Marco Polo Group will attract more Chinese managers to manage our hotels in China and cater better to this domestic segment.

We see the China market is our main growth market for the coming five years and therefore need a strong team of local managers to help us with this development.

How does Marco Polo Shenzhen train and retain its staff?
We spend well over 3% of our annual revenue on training of our associates. Half of this is spent on language training and communication is very important in serving foreign and regional guests.

The other half is spend on professional skills, medical and safety training and attitude training. We employ our own training managers, have two permanent classes but also appoint external trainers for additional training programs such as management training and attitude training. We also send our managers to our hotels in Hong Kong for cross cultural training.

What was the best advice you received when starting out in this industry, and what advice could you give to others just beginning their journeys in the hospitality sector?
We look for young people with a positive outlook on the future who like to interact with other people. They young individuals are best suited for a career in the hotel and tourism industry. When you join the hotel industry, the hotels will provide training and career planning. But the attitude is the most important and must come from the individual person who decides to join our business.

Most successful General Managers for top hotels in the world all started as trainees after completing their education. They undertook many hardships in their younger years by cleaning toilets, cleaning hotel rooms and serving guests in restaurants. This seems for some people a waste of time, but it teaches future General Managers the importance on the foundation of creating a good hotel.

How do you see Shenzhen's hotel sector developing in the next 5 years?
We are proud to open The Marco Polo Hotel in Futian CBD of Shenzhen, which is our third hotel in China. We are planning other business hotels in Beijing Olympic Village, Wuhan and Chengdu. Projects are being developed in Guangzhou and Shanghai.

The hotel industry in Shenzhen has developed itself into a mature industry with its own economic challenges. With more international hotels opening, we will see increased competition, which will raise the quality standards in the hotels. This is good news for our guests, employees and also for our investors. Fu Tian District is clearly becoming the new focus point of corporate offices, trade fairs, exhibitions and other commercial traffic in Shenzhen. Fu Tian is also home to the Shenzhen government. The local authorities are investing in a good infrastructure which will attract many visitors, an excellent location for an upmarket business hotel.