Category: Interview

An interview with Mr. Simon McHendry,
General Manager of The Temple House, Chengdu

Mr. Simon McHendry, is the General Manager of The Temple House, Chengdu, overseeing operations and leading the team in Chengdu.

Simon began his career in Asia over a decade ago in 2004 when he relocated from London to Hong Kong and then later to Beijing. With hospitality in his blood and planted in Asia all these years, Simon has gained valuable insights through fully immersing himself in the culture and building genuine relationships.

In 2015, Simon joined Swire Hotels first as Executive Assistant Manager – Sales & Marketing at The Opposite House, then later in 2016 moved over to EAST, Beijing, taking on the role of General Manager. Having been a part of the Swire Hotels family for over four years in both The House Collective and EAST brands, he embodies the Swire culture and guides the team at The Temple House in the same spirit, encouraging team members to be themselves, make decisions, try new things, and most importantly, to have a sense of humor. He also brings with him to The Temple House a deep understanding of Swire Hotels’ dedication to service, familiarity with culture, as well as a wealth of knowledge and experience in both back-of-house and front-of-house operations.

Mr. McHendry, who in the first year after he took the position in The Temple House Chengdu in 2019 encountered the pandemic and continues to successfully lead the team through these challenging times, was interviewed by SpaChina.

China’s domestic tourism has been recovering. How high is the occupancy rate during this summer vacation in July?

As the Chinese Mainland has eased restrictions on domestic travel, we have naturally seen an uptake in bookings, and July has been the start of very encouraging months for us with occupancy levels over 90%.

What kind of experiences do the guests want to have during their stay by choosing The Temple House, Chengdu?

Our guest profile continues to be quite varied, with increased domestic visitors than previously. We are fortunate to have built a loyal following and have many repeat guests who stay with us for business and pleasure, with the average length of stay of 2 nights. They come to experience the beautiful blend of traditional and modern design of The Temple House which is very much a landmark here in Chengdu, amidst the chic Taikoo Li shopping and entertainment paradise.

Has The Temple House launched any health-related or wellness packages, spa treatments or others in this post epidemic era?

We are seeing a move towards healthier living. We have recently launched our new summer vegetarian menu at our MI XUN Teahouse, re-introduced our rooftop yoga every Saturday and have a fantastic selection of wellness packages and treatments at our MI XUN Spa including our new MI XUN Ultimate Transformation Journey which includes a 60-minute Bamboo massage, our Venus Legacy V-shape Facial and a wash and style.

Currently what factors do the guests first consider to choose a hotel to stay?

In my opinion, it will take some time for domestic consumption levels to consistently reach pre-pandemic levels as confidence in the stability of the situation grows. Therefore health and safety is definitely a greater consideration now when hotel choices are made, which calls for increased sanitation measures. That being said, experience will always be a priority, so engaging hospitality and the introduction of fresh new initiatives and service offerings continue to be of utmost importance. Travelers would probably seek out places that they can fully trust to give them a good balance between safety and impeccable guest experience.

Will the pandemic affect the traditional ways of the hotel industry and staff work routines?

In the long-term, I feel that people won’t be fearful of traveling, although they will expect hotels and airlines to increase the frequency for both deep cleaning and daily disinfecting procedures. Hotels will need to adapt and be creative to find different ways to surprise and delight guests, in the face of post-Covid-19 restrictions that may become the norm. As unfortunate as this whole situation has been, it is making the industry that much stronger and equipped to face possible future challenges, and is raising travel expectations and standards globally.

What challenges do you think the hotel industry will face in future?

The travel restrictions in place globally will be challenging and rather unpredictable for the hotel industry. Being part of Swire Hotels, our approach is far from formulaic, and the current pandemic situation have encouraged our appetite for innovating and improvising as we steer through the coming months. Our people are encouraged to have fun and be playful, and creativity naturally stems from this to create new offerings and unique experiences. As ever, our team will continue to adapt and respond to the needs and desires of our guests.

What do you think of the economic situation next year in China and worldwide? What kind of mentality and action should we take to prepare for it? Full effects of the pandemic on the economy have yet to be seen, and there are many factors involved that are out of our control, making it vital for the hospitality industry to be fluid in terms of managing change, as well as keeping optimistic, supportive, and showing solidarity with our communities and guests.

An interview with Mr. Christophe Olivro, Regional Director,
Aman China & General Manager, Amanyangyun

Christophe Olivro, GM of Amanyangyun, has over two decades of leadership experience in the luxury hospitality. Hailing from Caen of France, Christophe began his career in 1996 with Ritz-Carlton. After gaining further experience in the US with Ritz Carlton, Christophe moved to The Dorchester Collection in 2006.

Christophe joined Aman as General Manager of its star property in Utah – Amangiri, where he spent 2.5 years. Then he further advanced his career with Aman by moving to Asia as the General Manager of Amanpulo, Aman’s property on the tropical Pamalican Island in The Philippines. During his tenure there, Christophe was promoted as the regional director to oversee Aman’s four properties in mainland China as well as Amanpulo. It was during those years that he started to learn about the Chinese market.

Christophe joined Amanyangyun in early March 2018, where he continued in the role of regional director and successfully led the team to launch Amanyangyun. ‘Each Aman tells an incredible story and Amanyangyun is no exception. It is our group’s most ambitious project to date and I feel proud to be part of this journey to preserve the past,’ said Christophe.

Since this May, China’s domestic tourism has been recovering. How about Aman in China?

Aman China resorts have been recovering very well, beating business expectations in the last couple of months since May. The properties, except for the Beijing location, have reached our peak of occupancy, eighty percent and above on weekends and holidays.

What kind of guests are visiting Aman now? What kind of experiences do they want to have during their stay?

At this time, there are no international travelers, so mainly leisure guests, single and multigenerational families, couples living locally are Aman’s guests. Their stay will be about 1 to 2 nights, experiencing the nature surroundings with a bike ride in the park or a walk to the organic garden, participating to the activities offered by the Cultural and Discover Centers, visiting the wellness center/spa and its specialists. And last but not the least, food is a major component of their visit, enjoying the different restaurants and afternoon tea MUST be a stop.

Has Aman launched any health-related or wellness packages or spa treatments in this post epidemic era?

In the post epidemic period, there has been an increasing awareness and sensitivity to well-being, immune system and being health conscious. Aman has been on the forefront of health related and wellness packages offering different types of wellness/health journey based upon guest behaviours and property location. Amanyanyun just launched Wellbeing and Fitness retreats this summer.

Do you think the current consumer spending by Chinese guests has returned to the level before the epidemic?

Domestic tourism consumption has come back and even stronger than pre-pandemic levels. Chinese customers have buying power, and the limitation to go abroad has pushed them towards domestic consumption. Key factors are safety, seclusive and relax areas, reconnecting with natural surroundings, outdoor and experiential activities, healthy food options, wellbeing options and ease of traveling.

Will the pandemic change the traditional ways of the hotel industry and staff work routines? Do people also change their lifestyle?

Yes indeed. This pandemic has created a new trend in the tourism and hotel industry as much as leisure and business sides of it from traveling to hotels to stay to food options to personal wellbeing and health conscious to hygiene and sanitation regulations. Definitively, there will be more online video meetings and training sessions as business continues to avoid traveling and areas of large movements of people (people in organizations might ask themselves… Do I need to travel?). And people’s lifestyles have changed subsequently.

What challenges do you think the hotel and hospitably industry will face in the last quarter of this year?

Hotel and hospitality industry have to reflect on how they have operated in the second part of the year to set a stable business platform for the short term for years to come. My team has taken a different business approach in the last couple of months, set aligned initiatives with strategies and taken lessons learned as we go, as next year is around the corner. Your organization must be agile and adapt fast in an impermanent environment.

What do you think of the economic situation next year in China and worldwide? What kind of mentality and action should we take to prepare for it? The China economy is resilient in 2020 and will remain strong going into 2021 where there are many uncertainties in the rest of the world. The business model has to stay focused on building a stronger domestic market, which offers many more opportunities than challenges ahead. There might be bumps at times, but you need to have a positive mindset to go stronger through it and be fast to react quickly.