《大酒店》新年特刊封面故事：勇于创新 缔造传奇 ——专访福州东湖万豪酒店总经理高佳奇先生

<Grand Hotels>  New Year Edition Cover Story :

“有福之州”，四个字寄予对福州这座城市美好的祝愿。从古至今，福州便是令人惊奇的城市。千百年的历史文化，塑造古城的底色；海上丝绸之路，打造榕城的特色；数字经济的发展，刻画福州的亮色。在充满挑战的2020，福州首家万豪酒店—福州东湖万豪酒店的出现，为这座城市增添新的光彩。

酒店位于长乐区，所处的东湖数字小镇是一个聚焦人工智能、大数据、虚拟现实、区块链、医疗大健康等前沿数字经济产业，打造的一个集投资、创业、研学、居住、工作、休闲、会展、旅游于一体的科技、人文、生态特色小镇。福州东湖万豪酒店和数字小镇两者搭配，相得益彰。正如总经理高佳奇先生解释道：“东湖数字小镇内汇集了360多家数字企业和机构，在一定程度上为福州东湖万豪酒店奠定了客户基础及资源优势。而福州东湖万豪酒店的入驻弥补了福州长乐区国际品牌酒店的空白，为整个福州滨海新城区的建设提供了必不可少的酒店配套，更是为整个东湖数字小镇及福州数字中国会展中心提供了核心配套。”

2020年，酒店业持续处于疫情阴云下，整体低迷，福州东湖万豪酒店的开业无疑带来惊喜。在问及在如此特殊的时期，筹备一家新酒店的感受，高先生说道：“疫情没有影响我们延后开业，反而在业主公司福建新东湖投资有限公司的支持下，我们坚定了开业的决心。酒店从2020年3月份开始逐步复工，到4-8份加快酒店工程建设，从3月份的一片工地到9月份员工进驻酒店，仅仅花了半年时间。福州东湖万豪酒店自奠基到开业，仅用了2年10个月零10天，创造了酒店开业史上的神话。”在2020年11月28日开业庆典当场，众多明星嘉宾出席，为酒店的开业助力加油。其中包括 TVB 首位连庄视后、著名演员邓萃雯女士，著名歌唱家蔡国庆先生，著名主持人刘仪伟先生，Smile with US HK 一起微笑慈善组织创办者-香港知名企业家何超莲女士，以及体操奥运冠军、演员刘璇女士及先生王弢。除到场嘉宾外，著名主持人杨澜、著名演员张国立、著名演员朱时茂、著名演员王迅、中国企业家曹德旺等也纷纷发来祝福视频。在众多祝福下，福州东湖万豪酒店迎来美好的开端。

相比于一个落脚居停点，福州东湖万豪酒店更像一座艺术博物馆。作为长乐区唯一一家国际化品牌酒店，恰到好处地将福州特色融入酒店设计中。高先生介绍道：“酒店整体以‘浮风流水’为设计线条。从酒店入口的水景艺术雕塑《星月》到酒店大堂的大漆艺术屏风《岁月流金》，再到大堂酒廊由汤志义为酒店订制的以‘海上丝绸之路’及‘云上科技之路’为主题的漆艺著作《海丝扬帆》无不彰显福州长乐作为海上丝绸之路起点的海洋文化、国家非物质文化遗产大漆艺术及福州茶文化精髓。酒店5个电梯厅的3D数字打印技术画面分别选用了：福州的三坊七巷图案、福州乌塔图案，福州FFC未来广场图案，福建土楼图案，以及武夷山水玉女峰的图案来彰显福建及福州代表元素。酒店中餐厅取名脱离了万豪标准称谓‘万豪中餐厅’，从而融合福州本地文化，以福州市花‘茉莉花’命名，取名‘茉莉中餐厅’，有‘赠之茉莉，一生莫离’之意。福建人爱喝茶，福州东湖万豪酒店更是打破万豪标准功能配置，专门设立了‘露芽台茶室’。这也是万豪国际在亚太区仅有的一家配置茶室的万豪酒店。”

对于旅游爱好者来说，福州东湖万豪酒店是个明智之选。318间宽敞明亮的客房和套房均配备智能迎宾系统，可在客人进入房间的同时打开窗帘、电视及房内照明，让客人感受到人性化和科技化服务。大落地窗将广阔的东湖或东海美景定格于窗前。宾客如果是水上运动爱好者，还可在东湖东海上体验帆船、游艇、摩托艇等水上运动项目。距离酒店3公里路程的福州海峡奥林匹克高尔夫俱乐部也是休闲娱乐的好去处。海峡球会三面环海，东南面临台湾海峡，海岸沙滩，水白天青，环境优美，是国内罕见的“林克斯”风格球场。

对于商务客人而言，福州东湖万豪酒店可满足各种商务需求。作为长乐区唯一一家国际品牌酒店，酒店拥有1,750平方米会议空间，可举办各种规模的会议、展览和宴会。面积1,050平方米的大宴会厅—未央厅是酒店的主要活动场地，内设95平方米高清LED屏幕。同时，酒店拥有5间风格各异的会议室。会议室以福州地理位置命名，从福州到滨海，从长乐到东湖，并有突出海上丝绸之路文化的海丝厅VIP接待室。“酒店也是整个亚太区为数不多拥有户外婚礼礼堂的酒店，以‘钻石婚约’为主题的‘海洋之心’户外婚礼礼堂的设置更是为了迎合长乐人对婚礼的重视和市场需求，诠释‘永恒的爱’。”高先生补充道。

在采访过程中，我们了解到福州东湖万豪酒店开业之后，获得优异的成就，酒店在开业首月即创造了收支平衡的酒店业奇迹，并在12月酒店盛大开业后5次满房，酒店整体收益大比例超额完成预算。在问及原因时，高先生表示：“这些成绩离不开业主公司的大力支持，也离不开酒店员工的艰苦付出和努力。”优秀的员工后面离不开优秀的管理者。高先生拥有18年国际品牌酒店工作及管理经验，先后效力于多家国际品牌酒店。此次，他全面负责福州东湖万豪酒店的开业筹备阶段和酒店开业后的运营及战略管理工作，被多家媒体评选为杰出总经理。在团队管理方面，他有独到的见解。在谈话中，他分享了经验：“对于团队管理，我的理解是：Together Everyone Achieves More! 团队一起奋斗才能创造共赢和成功。只有团队中的每个成员都拧成一股绳，一起朝着一个目标奋斗，才能创造酒店运营奇迹。相互成就就是最好的共赢!团队管理的核心在于‘创新能力’‘团结互助’和‘执行力’。”

职业生涯中所获得的业界奖项:

1. 中国酒店门墩儿奖 – 2020年度中国酒店杰出总经理

2. 酒店风尚奖 – 2020年度杰出酒店总经理

3.  美丽中国酒店业领袖峰会组委会 – 中国酒店业十佳杰出总经理

4. 酒店风尚榜- 2020 年度杰出酒店总经理

5. 旅业界--2020大中华地区年度酒店人物

2020年，对于福州东湖万豪酒店来说，是艰难奋斗的一年，是收获成长的一年，是缔造奇迹的一年。新的一年蕴含着新的期许，对于2021年的发展，高先生说道：“福州东湖万豪酒店是一个会议型酒店，除大力拓展会议会展渠道外，酒店也将重点开拓婚宴、亲子、目的地旅游及餐饮市场，继续打磨和升华餐饮出品和餐饮服务体验，在后疫情阶段酒店也将打破传统思维，试着以餐饮带动酒店整体收益，打造酒店成为福州餐饮标杆酒店。”在充满希望的2021，在高先生带领下，不断追求创新突破的福州东湖万豪酒店定能闪耀福州、闪耀全国。

Fuzhou, “the city of luck and happiness”, has a name that carries auspicious imagery. Since ancient times, Fuzhou has been a city of marvels. Thousands of years of history rendered her undertone; the Maritime Silk Road endowed her with unique features. On top of this, the rising digital economy highlights Fuzhou with a modern twist. Despite the challenges in 2020, Fuzhou Marriott Hotel Riverside, the city’s first Marriott branded property, now adds even more splendor.

The hotel is situated at the Donghu Digital Town in Changle district. The Town is home to a cutting-edge digital economy cluster including artificial intelligence, big data, virtual reality, blockchain, big healthcare, etc. It is a hub for investments, entrepreneurship, research, residence, work, leisure, conference & exhibition, and tourism, a perfect blend of technology, culture, and landscape. As Mr. Jacky Gao, General Manager of Fuzhou Marriott Hotel Riverside, puts it, “Donghu Digital Town gathers more than 360 digital enterprises and organizations, which in a sense offers Marriott Riverside a solid clientele and extensive resources. Our hotel is the first international hotel in Changle District. We not only provide an indispensable facility to the booming Binhai New District, but also support the entire Donghu Digital Town and Fuzhou’s Digital China Convention Center.”

As the hospitality industry suffered from the pandemic in 2020, the opening of Fuzhou Marriott Hotel Riverside was surely a surprise. When asked about what it was like preparing a new hotel at a special time and age, Mr. Gao replies, “The pandemic did not put off our opening. Instead, with the support of Fujian New Donghu Investment Co., Ltd., the property owner, our confidence and determination grew. We started to come back to work in March 2020, and accelerated the construction between April and August. It only took 6 months for us to turn a construction site in March into a staffed hotel in September. From ground-breaking to grand opening, it took only 2 years and 10 months plus 10 days, which is a legend that breaks hotel opening records.” At the opening ceremony on November 28, 2020, prestigious celebrity guests arrived at the venue to celebrate, including Liu Yiwei, famous television host, Laurinda Ho, established Hong Kong entrepreneur and founder of the charity organization ‘Smile with Us HK’, and Liu Xuan, Olympic gymnastics champion and actress, joined by her husband Wang Tao. In addition, television host Yang Lan, actor Zhang Guoli, actor Zhu Shimao, actor Wang Xu and entrepreneur Cao Dewang also sent their greetings in pre-recorded videos. Fuzhou Marriott Hotel Riverside thus kicked off a glorious journey amongst blessings.

Fuzhou Marriott Hotel Riverside offers more than accommodation – it is a museum of arts. As the only international hotel in Changle District, is blends Fuzhou features subtlety into the hotel design. According to Mr. Gao, “The hotel is inspired by the ‘Blowing Wind & Floating Water’ dynamic. We start with the water installation Moon and Star at the entrance, and then the folding screen lacquer art Golden Age in the lobby, and climax with the lacquer art Sailing on the Marine Silk Road in the lobby bar tailored to the hotel by Tang Zhiyi, which themes the Maritime Silk Road and Cloud Technology Road – these are all celebrations of local uniqueness: the marine culture at Changle, Fuzhou, where the Maritime Silk Road started; lacquer art, the national intangible cultural heritage, and the tea culture of Fuzhou. In our five elevator lobbies, we display 3D printed arts depicting the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, the Wu Tower and the FFC Plaza of Fuzhou, the Tulou earthen building of Fujian, and the Yunv Peak of Wuyi Mountain, all of which highlights of Fuzhou and Fujian. Our Chinese restaurant this time gives up the conventional name ‘Marriott Chinese Restaurant’ and adopts ‘Jasmine Chinese Restaurant’ instead for more local relevance because jasmine is the symbol of Fuzhou as well as a token of hospitality since it is homophonic with ‘never leave’ in Chinese. People in Fujian love their tea, so Fuzhou Marriott Hotel Riverside introduces the Dew Bud Tea House in addition to standard Marriott facilities. This is the one and only Marriot hotel in APAC that has a tea house.”

Fuzhou Marriott Hotel Riverside is a great choice for people who love to travel. The 319 exquisitely designed, spacy, and well-lighted rooms and suites are equipped with an intelligent management system, which automatically turns on the lights and television and opens the curtains upon guest entry, offering a human-centered and technology-empowered experience. The panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows in the rooms provide guests with a spectacular view over the magnificent East China Sea or the beautiful East Lake. For waterborne sports lovers, the hotel is a convenient stay to enjoy sailing, yachting and motorboating, etc., by the seaside or lakeside. The Straits Olympic Golf Club 3 kilometers away is another popular point of attraction for leisure and entertainment. Surrounded by the sea from three sides and facing the Taiwan Strait in the southeast, the Club offers a links golf course, the oldest style of its kind and a rare option in China, with a beautiful beach, blindingly white sand and crystal-clear waters.

For business travelers, Fuzhou Marriott Hotel Riverside also offers a great place to retreat, recharge, and refocus. As the one and only international hotel brand in Changle District, Marriott boasts 1,750 square meters of various meeting spaces, capable of hosting a wide range of events, including small to large-scale conferences, exhibitions and social gatherings. The 1,050-square-meter Grand Ballroom is the hotel's centerpiece venue, featuring a built-in 95-square-meter high-definition LED screen. The five function rooms with customized design - including Foochow, Marina, Changle, East Lake, and Sea Silk, the VIP Room featuring Maritime Silk Road, all named after featured locations of the city - provide venues for smaller meetings and other occasions. Mr. Gao adds, “The ‘Star of The Ocean’ outdoor chapel, set in a beautiful waterscape garden, provides a unique and unforgettable wedding experience with the green lawn next to it a perfect spot for reception or private dinner. This makes us of the few hotels in the Asian Pacific region with an open-air chapel for weddings. The theme of ‘Star of The Ocean’, an interpretation of “everlasting love”, is proposed to honor the local tradition and satisfy the need in the market.

Fuzhou Marriott Hotel Riverside has also shown a strong financial performance, demonstrated the incredible achievement of reaching the first full month revenue breakeven after its launch, as was revealed in the interview. The hotel was fully booked for five times in December, helping the overall income exceed the budget by a large amount. When asked about the reason for the success, Mr. Gao replies, “the remarkable work that has been done cannot be divorced from the immense support from the property owner and the strong dedication of our staff.” The excellent team is led by an excellent leader. Jacky Gao has 18 years of experience in international hotel management and worked with a number of top hotel brands around the globe. He led the pre-opening, operations, and strategic management of Fuzhou Marriott Hotel Riverside and was selected by various media as an Outstanding General Manager. A true expert in management with unique insights, Mr. Gao shares with us, “When it comes to team management, I believe in ‘together, everyone achieves more.’ Only by working closely together can a team achieve its goal. When every member of the team works toward the same goal with seamless communication and trust, they will be able to create something big and beautiful in the industry. Strong mutual support brings us a win-win situation, and we define the core values of the team as ‘innovation’, ‘support’ and ‘efficiency’.”

Awards Jacky has been achieved: 

1. China Hotel Menduner Awards – 2020 Outstanding Hotel General Manager of China

2. Hotel Fashion List Awards –Outstanding Hotel General Manager of the Year 2020

3. Golden-oliveAwards for China Hotel Industry – Top 10 Hotel General Manager of China

4. Hotel Fashion List Awards – 2020 Outstanding Hotel General Manager of the Year

5. MICE Trend --Excellent Hotel Character of the Year  in Greater China

The year 2020 has been a remarkable year of dedication, development, and reward for Fuzhou Marriott Hotel Riverside. It is a year with miraculous fulfillment. As we look into the new year with hopes and dreams, Mr. Gao comments on their planning for 2021, “Fuzhou Marriott Hotel Riverside is a conference and event-centered resort. In addition to our efforts in promoting conference and exhibition services, we aim to offer the right setting for every occasion, including weddings, family entertainment, leisure travel, and dining. We will keep focusing on our outstanding dining options and elevated service. In the post-pandemic time, we must break away from traditional routines, using our unique dining service to drive the overall revenue growth, and make the hotel a dining destination and landmark in Fuzhou.” In 2021, a year full of opportunities, Fuzhou Marriott Hotel Riverside, under the effective and progressive leadership of Mr. Jacky Gao and with unremitting efforts in innovation and advancement, will become a shining star of excellence in Fuzhou and the whole country.