Rejuvenation of the Lido name

With so many hotels cropping up in the megacities of China, it is getting harder to find a unique selling point. One hotel, however, has a historical advantage, as Li Fusheng reports from Beijing.

For most veteran hoteliers working in China, one name has always inspired awe and respect. When the Lido opened in 1984, it marked the debut partnership between a Chinese property owner and the InterContinental Hotel Group.

The Lido name is again commanding attention as the partners join hands once more 30 years later with the unveiling of the Crowne Plaza Beijing Lido on March 1, next to its original venture.

The 22-story hotel is 15 kilometers from the airport and the Forbidden City, an easy distance for international travelers.

"If you like shopping and dining, you have malls and restaurants within walking distance and it takes just 20 minutes to reach Sanlitun," says general manager Anna Stackler. Sanlitun is a popular hangout for expatriates in Beijing.

She adds that 99.9 percent of taxi drivers know the Lido and that is convenient for guests who do not know the area well, and especially for those who do not speak Chinese.

In the hotel, there are also many things for guests to enjoy if they would like to stay in.

One popular hangout is the lobby lounge, T-Zone, where they can comfortably have a cup of coffee and chat with loved ones and friends.

The all-day dining venue Matrix offers all-day coffee and beverages and a wonderful selection of a la carte favorites as well as buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant Mixing features modern and elegant decor as a setting for classic and contemporary Cantonese dishes.

Another highlight is Char, a New York-style steakhouse, which offers guests premium brand 300-day grain fed Wagyu beef imported from Australia. Award-winning wines Old World and New World are available to match the fine food.

For the more active, the hotel boasts the largest sunlit swimming pool in Beijing and a well-equipped gym, says Stackler.

Though the word stress is "news" for her, the Austrian says that when she is indeed stressed out, the gym is her favorite place to refresh.

"All these things make the hotel an ideal urban resort where people can work and relax under the same roof."

Besides the facilities, Stackler makes sure the hotel is warm and comfortable.

She makes sure her staff are trained to pay attention to the details that make a hotel stand out, just as her eye for these little things has made her stand out. As a woman who has risen to the top of a mostly male-dominated industry, she capitalizes on this advantage.

She studied home economics and hotel management for eight years, and started her career as a linen washer in Germany. In the last 19 years, she has worked in different roles in hotels under the InterContinental Hotel Group in countries ranging from Zambia to Indonesia and now China.

"I appreciate a company where you can grow, where you can learn. And the reason I stay here is because they developed me. I am what I am today because of the IHG.

"A company may pay you a lot of money but if it doesn't develop you or invest in you, you will be falling backward after two or three years."

Kenneth Macpherson, chief executive of IHG Greater China, says attracting, developing and retaining talent is one of the important things the group values. The group now employs 60,000 staff members, and will create another 30,000 jobs by 2015.

"It has been a remarkable journey for IHG in China over the past years," says Macpherson upon the 30th anniversary of its operations in China.

Stackler says being self-motivated is crucial because "nobody can develop you if you do not want to be developed".

She always works hard and keeps things well organized because of her belief that people must be ready, or at least be reasonably ready, for what they are going to do.

"Things sometimes happen at the last minute but I never do things at the last minute."

It is not surprising then that she is positive her hotel will hold its own against the intense competition in the hospitality industry in Beijing.

"It is good to have a competitive market. It keeps us moving ahead and thinking about how to make things happen."

Contact the writer at lifusheng@chinadaily.com.cn.