Interview with Chris Hart
Four Seasons Hotels Senior Vice President, Asian-Pacific operations
Even as integrated resorts with glitzy casinos and thousands of hotel rooms are mushrooming across Asia, there is still room for traditional accommodations such as those offered by Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, says Chris Hart, the Canadian company's senior vice president for Asian-Pacific operations.
"Using our business model as a midsize luxury hotel where guests are recognized by name and treated as individuals, we can't enter the 3,000-room-hotel market and continue to serve our customers well. We take care of travelers who are looking for attention to detail, and focus on the customer," he said.
Mr. Hart has spent most of his 24-year career at Four Seasons in the relatively uniform U.S. and Canadian consumer market. But in January the 50-year-old Canadian national relocated from the hotel chain's headquarters in Toronto to Singapore, where he now oversees the management and operations of its hotels and resorts in locations such as Bali (Indonesia), the Maldives, Thailand, Shanghai, Sydney, Langkawi (Malaysia), Hong Kong, Mumbai, Macau, Tokyo and Singapore. From 2009 to 2012, Mr. Hart intends to continue Four Seasons' Asian expansion, with additional footprints planned for Hangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Sanya (Hainan) and Shenzhen in China; Hyderabad, Guragon, Kerala and Bangalore in India; and in Vietnam, Phuket (Thailand) and Kuala Lumpur.
Born in Canada, Mr. Hart grew up in England, where his father worked in the pharmaceuticals industry. But Mr. Hart chose to follow in the steps of his grandfather, who had owned the Windsor Hotel in Ottawa, Canada. He enrolled in the Westminster Hotel School in London, and trained at the prestigious Claridges and Berkeley hotels, both in London, before returning to Canada to join Four Seasons.
Prior to Mr. Hart's current appointment, he was Four Seasons' regional vice president and general manager based in Toronto from 2003.
Tor Ching Li interviewed Mr. Hart in Singapore.
WSJ: What was your first job and the biggest lesson you learned from it?
Mr. Hart: I was a newspaper delivery boy in my early teens. Although it was a routine job, if you were reliable and delivered on time, rain or shine, you were very much appreciated by your customers and the news agent. My first summer job in hotels was as a room-service waiter at the Waldorf Hotel in London, England. I learned that without proper training, one could not perform confidently, and how critical it is that management takes a direct and sincere interest in its employees.
WSJ: Who gave you the best business advice?
Mr. Hart: My father was my No. 1 coach and mentor, until he passed away this past May. He was a successful international pharmaceutical executive who believed in treating all with respect, regardless of who they were. Dad's greatest gift to me was to teach me to see the issue from all sides and not my own myopic viewpoint.
WSJ: What advice would you give someone starting out in hospitality?
Mr. Hart: If you are interested in studying hotel management, get some practical experience in the best hotel you can. See if this is what you would like to commit yourself to. Upon graduating, find an organization that not only has a great reputation for treating its customers well but is excellent in employee and management development. Ideally it should have a track record of promoting from within and a global reach. Early in your career take opportunities to work in different countries, learn other languages if you can, and try to understand and appreciate the various cultures you are working in.
WSJ: Do you have a favorite business book?
Mr. Hart: The first management book I read was by Robert Townsend, called "Up the Organization" [subtitled "How to Stop the Corporation from Stifling People and Strangling Profits"] written in the '70s. It focuses on how Townsend, then CEO of Avis, a money-losing [U.S. car-rental] operation, turned the company around based on the simple slogan: "We try harder." I love the common-sense approach to management that stresses concentrating on the basics of treating people well and creating a high-performance service organization.
WSJ: What are you reading now?
Mr. Hart: "China, Inc." [subtitled "How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America and the World"] by Ted Fishman, a great read and explanation of what has happened in China from a business perspective in two decades. Very helpful for me as Four Seasons further expands into China.
WSJ: What principle of management do you wish you knew when you started out?
Mr. Hart: Try to understand your weaknesses early on, work on them, but select people to work around you who can complement your shortcomings. Don't be too hard on yourself, and when you make mistakes, besides owning up, get back in the saddle quickly. Don't be afraid to delegate the best work you can to others.
WSJ: What's the one thing you wish every new hire knew?
Mr. Hart: You are capable of more than you know. If you want to grow, or want more responsibility, ask for it; if you are not ready for it, find out what it is you need to work on, and work on it. If your company does not have a formal mentoring system, find a good role model, someone you respect who has either the job or the skills you would like and ask for their help and advice. You will rarely be turned down.
WSJ: How do you keep ahead of the competition?
Mr. Hart: It is the people and the service we provide that really give us an edge. We truly believe that by treating our employees well, and by hiring employees who share a value system that stresses respect and kindness, that collectively we can create a guest experience that is second to none.
WSJ: Did you ever feel you let your company or colleagues down?
Mr. Hart: I have made many mistakes over the years. When I look back at these incidents, it is generally where I failed to involve others sufficiently, especially those that would be most affected by the decisions I was making. I have learned to slow down and ensure I am consulting the right people. On the bigger decisions, I sleep on it.
WSJ: Would you recommend that someone starting out in your field attend business school?
Mr. Hart: I think one should get as much education as one can, although you do not have to have an MBA to be a general manager with Four Seasons. We still encourage a very practical hands-on management style at each hotel. When we are trying to do simple tasks, consistently at a very high level, and better than anyone else... that's the tricky part, and doing that well comes through trial and error, something that no book can teach you.
Source:
The Wall Street Journal
Even as integrated resorts with glitzy casinos and thousands of hotel rooms are mushrooming across Asia, there is still room for traditional accommodations such as those offered by Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, says Chris Hart, the Canadian company's senior vice president for Asian-Pacific operations.
"Using our business model as a midsize luxury hotel where guests are recognized by name and treated as individuals, we can't enter the 3,000-room-hotel market and continue to serve our customers well. We take care of travelers who are looking for attention to detail, and focus on the customer," he said.
Mr. Hart has spent most of his 24-year career at Four Seasons in the relatively uniform U.S. and Canadian consumer market. But in January the 50-year-old Canadian national relocated from the hotel chain's headquarters in Toronto to Singapore, where he now oversees the management and operations of its hotels and resorts in locations such as Bali (Indonesia), the Maldives, Thailand, Shanghai, Sydney, Langkawi (Malaysia), Hong Kong, Mumbai, Macau, Tokyo and Singapore. From 2009 to 2012, Mr. Hart intends to continue Four Seasons' Asian expansion, with additional footprints planned for Hangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Sanya (Hainan) and Shenzhen in China; Hyderabad, Guragon, Kerala and Bangalore in India; and in Vietnam, Phuket (Thailand) and Kuala Lumpur.
Born in Canada, Mr. Hart grew up in England, where his father worked in the pharmaceuticals industry. But Mr. Hart chose to follow in the steps of his grandfather, who had owned the Windsor Hotel in Ottawa, Canada. He enrolled in the Westminster Hotel School in London, and trained at the prestigious Claridges and Berkeley hotels, both in London, before returning to Canada to join Four Seasons.
Prior to Mr. Hart's current appointment, he was Four Seasons' regional vice president and general manager based in Toronto from 2003.
Tor Ching Li interviewed Mr. Hart in Singapore.
WSJ: What was your first job and the biggest lesson you learned from it?
Mr. Hart: I was a newspaper delivery boy in my early teens. Although it was a routine job, if you were reliable and delivered on time, rain or shine, you were very much appreciated by your customers and the news agent. My first summer job in hotels was as a room-service waiter at the Waldorf Hotel in London, England. I learned that without proper training, one could not perform confidently, and how critical it is that management takes a direct and sincere interest in its employees.
WSJ: Who gave you the best business advice?
Mr. Hart: My father was my No. 1 coach and mentor, until he passed away this past May. He was a successful international pharmaceutical executive who believed in treating all with respect, regardless of who they were. Dad's greatest gift to me was to teach me to see the issue from all sides and not my own myopic viewpoint.
WSJ: What advice would you give someone starting out in hospitality?
Mr. Hart: If you are interested in studying hotel management, get some practical experience in the best hotel you can. See if this is what you would like to commit yourself to. Upon graduating, find an organization that not only has a great reputation for treating its customers well but is excellent in employee and management development. Ideally it should have a track record of promoting from within and a global reach. Early in your career take opportunities to work in different countries, learn other languages if you can, and try to understand and appreciate the various cultures you are working in.
WSJ: Do you have a favorite business book?
Mr. Hart: The first management book I read was by Robert Townsend, called "Up the Organization" [subtitled "How to Stop the Corporation from Stifling People and Strangling Profits"] written in the '70s. It focuses on how Townsend, then CEO of Avis, a money-losing [U.S. car-rental] operation, turned the company around based on the simple slogan: "We try harder." I love the common-sense approach to management that stresses concentrating on the basics of treating people well and creating a high-performance service organization.
WSJ: What are you reading now?
Mr. Hart: "China, Inc." [subtitled "How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America and the World"] by Ted Fishman, a great read and explanation of what has happened in China from a business perspective in two decades. Very helpful for me as Four Seasons further expands into China.
WSJ: What principle of management do you wish you knew when you started out?
Mr. Hart: Try to understand your weaknesses early on, work on them, but select people to work around you who can complement your shortcomings. Don't be too hard on yourself, and when you make mistakes, besides owning up, get back in the saddle quickly. Don't be afraid to delegate the best work you can to others.
WSJ: What's the one thing you wish every new hire knew?
Mr. Hart: You are capable of more than you know. If you want to grow, or want more responsibility, ask for it; if you are not ready for it, find out what it is you need to work on, and work on it. If your company does not have a formal mentoring system, find a good role model, someone you respect who has either the job or the skills you would like and ask for their help and advice. You will rarely be turned down.
WSJ: How do you keep ahead of the competition?
Mr. Hart: It is the people and the service we provide that really give us an edge. We truly believe that by treating our employees well, and by hiring employees who share a value system that stresses respect and kindness, that collectively we can create a guest experience that is second to none.
WSJ: Did you ever feel you let your company or colleagues down?
Mr. Hart: I have made many mistakes over the years. When I look back at these incidents, it is generally where I failed to involve others sufficiently, especially those that would be most affected by the decisions I was making. I have learned to slow down and ensure I am consulting the right people. On the bigger decisions, I sleep on it.
WSJ: Would you recommend that someone starting out in your field attend business school?
Mr. Hart: I think one should get as much education as one can, although you do not have to have an MBA to be a general manager with Four Seasons. We still encourage a very practical hands-on management style at each hotel. When we are trying to do simple tasks, consistently at a very high level, and better than anyone else... that's the tricky part, and doing that well comes through trial and error, something that no book can teach you.
Source:
The Wall Street Journal
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