Serving it right with an international perspective

Running a successful hotel, according to Founder & CEO of Rhombus International Hotels Group Calvin Mak, is much more than satisfying your guests during their stays - a great deal of it has to do with scouting the right talent for the right task. As the Rhombus Group expands its operation into more destinations in the coming years, Mak thinks it is important to ensure the staff grow at the same pace as the group.

Rhombus Group is slated to launch a handful of new properties in the coming months. These include two hotels in Causeway Bay Hong Kong , a 300-room hotel only five minutes away from London’s Heathrow Airport and a hotel in Xiamen, China.

Mak describes the Rhombus Group as a professional hotelier, catering to all aspects of hospitality business but not only limited to operating a hotel. “Any project we touch turns into gold, we partner with investors to ensure the best return of their investment by providing them with an international team of highly professional staff who are ready to serve.”

Hard work, according to Mak, is what the group’s reputation built on and it is this reputation that attracts investors to partner with Rhombus Group. “We have a great track record of 95% occupancy rate all year round in Hong Kong, even during the financial down turn in 2007 and 2008.”

Mak says their good reputation has given them the freedom to choose which projects they associate themselves with. “We are not out there seeking to secure contracts. Investors are coming to us, wanting to work with us and partner with our group.”

Surfing market trends

The Founder & CEO, who came to the city eight years ago from Vancouver and built up Hong Kong’s arm of the group, believes their ability to expand steadily at a fast pace is because they have a team of highly capable staff. They are able to gauge and plan their development strategy according to market trends. “The financial issues in Europe and North America along with the recent war in the Middle East and the territorial dispute between Japan and China are all global factors that posted challenges for us in the past couple of years, however our team reacted promptly and we are still able to have a very good return for all our owners and investors.” Mak says.

His strategy for dealing with these global issues is to run all properties as an international hotel. What that means, he explains, is not to rely on a single targeted market of travellers and always look out for travel trends.“ US corporate travellers used to be the top segment for Hong Kong hotels. Now it’s the second or third, and we’ve seen slowing down in the last eight months in the number of Japanese travellers.”

Offering its services to a diverse set of guests means Rhombus Group is able to take advantage of other segments that are on the rise to pick up on the slack.

“Our mother country is providing us with a tourism push by allowing 14 provinces to travel outside of China to Hong Kong. This is one of the great benefits of being the gateway of China.”

Strategic star ratings

Another strategy that goes hand in hand with the expansion of the group is to strategically managing hotels with different ratings in one area. This can capitalise the traffic of travellers with different budgets and needs in a particular neighbourhood. “For instance, we have a three, four and five star hotel on Hong Kong Island. This strategy is nothing new but it’s certainly been on the raise in recent years. We are developing our new properties with this concept in mind.”

But being able to spot all these trends has as much to do with market and industry knowledge as it does with surrounding himself with the right staff. Being the recipient of the Leading Management Award, Mak shares his thoughts on managing staff in an industry where providing top-notch service is a top priority.

“The key to building a great team is all about care. Most of the times, staff do not know their own potential and it is the management’s job to tell and show them what they are capable of,” he says. To do this, Mak says it is crucial to select the right person for the right job. “Our industry requires individuals who are ready to serve. If you’re shy and would rather hide behind a desk, this is not the job for you.”

“Rhombus Group is keen to provide staff with career development opportunities to grow and to experience which money cannot buy “For instance, we always encourage our staff to try new dishes on the menu. How can we recommend a dish to our guests if we don’t even know how it tastes like,” Mak says.

Mak always encourages the staff to see and experience more; he believes this is the key to building a great hotel that can serve international travellers. “The more we know about their cultures and behaviours, the better we can provide service that suits their needs.”

FAST FACTS
• Named ‘Leading Hotel Management’ by Hong Kong Business High-Flyers Awards 2011

• Named ‘Hong Kong’s Most Valuable Company 2011’ by Mediazone Group

• Named ‘Most Progressive Hotel Group of the Year’ at the Asia Hotel Forum 2011

• One of the ‘Best Choice International Hotel Management Company for Investors’ at the 11th China Hotel Forum 2010-2011