I wrote this for the WebInTravel blog last week. Steve and I talked about Marco Polo returning to Singapore and the use of Social Media in the hospitality business.
The other day I met Steve Kleinschmidt - CEO of the Marco Polo Hotel Group. He was here in Singapore with a large part of his team to talk about Marco Polo's planned return to Singapore and to conduct a GM roadshow.
Following a great chat about the Marco Polo plans, Social Media and what it means to work for Marco Polo, the last 20 minutes or so of our time was spent with us both sharing enthusiastically about a passion close to my heart and, as it turned out even closer to Steve's.
The physical manifestation of Steve's passion it turned out was definitely more extreme than mine but more of that later.
Returning to Singapore
Whilst it was not the first of the group's hotels, the Marco Polo hotel in Singapore was probably the best known. Situated at Tanglin, it closed in 1999, but Steve tells me that the more he travels in the region the more he hears of the Marco Polo in Singapore despite its closing 12 years ago.
"Singapore is a critical market to be in and we are actively seeking opportunities to re-establish ourselves here", he tells me.
"It's become a destination city for business and for leisure with the theme parks and all the other attractions. The market has confirmed its 'gateway status.'"
"Singapore and Hong Kong are two cities that, as a regional hotel chain, you have to be in. Average room rates and occupancy levels are high and it's a great time to be coming back. But the opportunities to do so are hard to find with sites being difficult to locate and there not being a large number of re-flagging opportunities."
Steve sees re-flagging as, potentially, the most like way back to Singapore. Not only are there plans to return to Singapore, but Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Jakarta are all very much on the radar too.
"What would be your vision of a hotel in Singapore?" I asked him
"Somewhere between 250 and 300 rooms with a room size of about 40/45 sqm - full service but not extensive F&B."
"But the design is the different characteristic," he adds, "Marco Polo was an explorer and that strong European heritage that gets reflected in our designs - strong European-rooted designs with local reflections of Asia reflecting the local flavor and the local subtleties."
But that's only one aspect of the Marco Polo experience he goes on to tell me. The other is the Marco Polo service style - the fostering of the spirit of exploration - having an exceptional concierge, for example, who encourages guests to find something different.
"The exceptional concierge is just one of the cornerstones of our guests' customer service - another being the offers and opportunities offered by the Marco Polo rewards Programme."
A culture of Excellence
"What makes an 'exceptional' concierge?" I asked him.
"It's someone who really understands the guest; understands, for example, that he or she might have just a short time and doesn't want to be bombarded with local travel packages."
"A Marco Polo concierge is someone who is more about guiding and customization. This is something a traditional ground operator might not offer. It's more about helping our guests discover where the locals go."
"We hope that guests leave with something memorable about that city and, as the hotel is linked with the city, we understand that guests link a great city experience very much with Marco Polo experience itself.
The concierge has historically been a travel desk with access to itineraries. Steve wants the Marco Polo concierge to be about the concierge them selves - someone who can really understand the guests need and tailor and customize appropriately.
"Its about The Marco Polo way", Steve says, "its an attitude - a way of doing service."
"Anyone in a client facing situation, a concierge for example is encouraged to understand that not everything is pre-programmed. We foster an atmosphere where our staff think on their feet and quickly adapt to understanding every unique situation and putting the guest first. They recognize when there is a time to do things differently and not to follow the rules."
Social Media
Having established that Marco Polo have just recently got serious about Social Media I asked Steve to tell me more of their plans and what their approach and strategy might be.
"It's an essential communication vehicle that we better be involved with. We're having a few growing pains but lots of fun."
"We want to tie our personalities into Twitter. I'm on twitter myself and I'm trying the best I can to tackle issues raised. It's not just about talking about Marco Polo but also about broader regional themes and more generic travel subjects.
"What I find is a lot of people just responding to the negative - not doing anything with the positive. With a negative comment comes a desire from then for us to improve. We want to proactively engage with everything, not merely gloss over things or have an issue go away."
"My twitter experience has been nothing but positive. There have been negative comments, of course, but the experience around responding and dealing with them has been great."
"People have mentioned that they think properties have needed renovation but they say the service is excellent. Imagine how those customers will be when we have renovated. I love getting those constructive comments."
"Social Media gives people some time to respond. It tends not to be off the cuff. It has some substance. It's very valuable."
What about TripAdvisor compared to, say, Facebook?
"We pay more attention to Facebook than TripAdvisor because TripAdvisor is so easily manipulated. We have, however, made it a policy that GMs have to reply to every negative comment they see on TripAdvisor. If we have failed in any way we need to go back to that individual and hopefully turn a negative into a positive."
"Generally on Twitter, I like putting things out there that provoke a response. Today, for example, I put something out about how hotel F&B is becoming more like retail in terms of the design for our guests and it got some tremendous responses."
Gadgets
We arrived at the subject of cell phones and Steve let me know (confessed?) that he has 10 different phones and three different tablets.
I mentioned my desire to try out an Android phone. Steve recommended the Samsung Galaxy S2. And just then he pulled a Dell Streak from his pocket - a huge sleek Android phone - one of the ten.
Steve loves his RIM playbook - "Wonderful hardware with true multitasking but with no apps!" he said.
Dialogue and Engagement
Steve came across as a very down to earth CEO - a boss who wants to be involved at all levels within his organization.
His company's championing of their staff and his desire to engage further with both staff and guests is a testament to that.
In the true spirit of Social Media - in the spirit of dialogue and interacting, can I suggest you follow Steve on twitter and maybe share some advice, pointers and tips with him.
Perhaps you know where there is a site suitable site for this Iconic Asian brand to come back to Singapore or you have any ideas and thoughts around Marco Polo or travel and hospitality in general.
Just send him a tweet! He's bound to have at least one phone with him.
