General Manager of Marco Polo CHANGZHOU

CIIP: Hello Jorgen, Could you please give our Netizens a self-introduction that helps make them familiar with which nation you come from and what your homeland is like?

Jorgen: I am from Denmark, Hans Christian Andersen’s home country and I am proud to say that people in China most often associate my country for the fairy tales that he wrote. It is very much a fairy tale country and I am lucky to be from a beautiful city called Helsingor which is most famous for a play that was written by another author - Shakespeare’s Hamlet, to be or not to be that is the question!? Denmark is very different from China, it consists of hundreds of large and small islands and we have always been seafaring people that are keen to explore the world. This is how I found my way to China dreaming of discovering the world, just like Marco Polo did.

CIIP:  Why did you choose this industry to work in and where did you study?

Jorgen: The number one dream of most Scandinavians (from Denmark, Sweden and Norway) is to travel the world and explore faraway countries. I started doing that as a tour guide but quickly fell in love with the hospitality industry and eventually studied in Switzerland to obtain my hotel school diploma and Bachelor in Hospitality management from Bournemouth University.

Atlanta: How long have you been in Changzhou and what is your impression of our city?

Jorgen: I have been here a total of 3 weeks and I love it. Traffic is smooth, the parks are beautiful and the people are all very friendly. The city falls asleep very early but there is a lovely pace of life that is very different from my previous homes in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. I am a little concerned about those dangerous dinosaurs that I have heard are roaming the city…

CIIP:  Have you been successful in finding the kind of employees that help make an excellent hotel here in Changzhou?

Jorgen: I am genuinely impressed with our staff and team members and if anything I think that our number one ranking in Tripadvisor.com (DaoDao.com) for Changzhou is a clear reflection of the quality of the team and the standard of the Marco Polo Changzhou. We always try to find the best people with the right attitude and we help and train them to be able to do their jobs really well. We call it hiring for attitude and training for skill.

CIIP:   What specific character traits do you look for the most when hiring for the hotel?

Jorgen: Personality, outgoing, warm, naturally smiling with a genuine desire to make guests and other people genuinely happy. Marco Polo maintains the long-standing ethos of discovery, creating unique guest experiences and drawing on the philosophies of our name sake, Marco Polo, being an adventurer, a traveler, an entrepreneur and a connoisseur of culture just like our modern travelers are today.

CIIP:  Is English speaking ability necessary for employees coming to your hotel?

Jorgen: It is not a necessity but it is a clear advantage. It is also a little dependent on which department and what is the job that the staff is engaged in. As we see a growing trend with more foreigners from around the world coming to Changzhou English is especially important in direct guest contact areas such as in our restaurant or front office.

CIIP: What has been your biggest challenge in getting Marco Polo Changzhou up and running?

Jorgen: Opening a new hotel is always a challenge but also an opportunity to differentiate yourself against the competition. I am personally new in the market and at the hotel but it seems to me that the greatest challenge has been to share with people of Changzhou how exceptionally unique and special that Marco Polo Changzhou really is. That I will be addressing and I can promise you that we will become one of the most talked about hotels in Changzhou and Jiangsu for many years to come. We are proud to be in Changzhou and representing the quality and style that the city has to offer.

CIIP: How will Marco Polo distinguish itself among the many 5 star hotels that Changzhou already has in operation?

Jorgen: We already stand out in the sense that all other hotels are big square boxes in which you find rooms, restaurants and maybe a ballroom. We are an urban oasis sitting on 19 acres of land with beautiful gardens, indoor beautifully decorated spaces in three separate structures and buildings. The main ballroom, meetings and weddings venue is directly connected with the main building and the exclusive The Mansion is located right across a beautiful bridge that crosses our own little creek that flows into the Zaojiang River slowly passing by the hotel. We have private gardens where you can stroll through, children can play or you can have an outdoor fun event or a romantic weddings ceremony. The opportunities are endless in how Marco Polo can become the center of your life from your wedding, to important meetings, the full moon party of your child or your many lifelong anniversaries. We aim to become the first hotel and venue that you will think of to use for those special occasions in life. The stately arrival into the property is unique for any venue here in Changzhou.

CIIP: What advice would you give young people interested in entering the Hospitality/Tourism industry that would help make them more successful?

Jorgen: Be adventurous, be humble and put in the hours to learn and experience a variety of aspects of the hotel day-to-day operations whether that is in the Rooms Division, Food and Beverage or Sales and Marketing. Learn to speak different languages and dialects and learn how to connect with people.

CIIP: Would you tell us a little bit about your family? How do you spend time with them when you are not working?

Jorgen: I am lucky in that I have a beautiful and kind wife that is my best friend and the best mother that you can imagine. She takes so good care of our daughter and son that love to drive her and myself crazy. We love to go out and have fun together or meeting with friends and family. If we can go to the beach we do that but mostly we just go out for exciting adventures together.

CIIP: In this industry it appears that it is necessary to move around a lot, how does that affect your family structure?

Jorgen: We live in an amazing world and I have been very lucky to experience so much of it when moving to new places every now and again. With children the moving around becomes more difficult when it comes to schools and making friends in new places. However that also represents opportunities to meet new and exciting people and we are very happy to be here in Changzhou allowing us all be improve on our Chinese linguistic abilities.

CIIP:  What are some of your hobbies and do you get a chance to practice them here?

Jorgen: Being Scandinavian I have always been an avid sailor enjoying the wind in my hair and the salt water on my cheeks. Maybe that is why I love Changzhou so much with the many waterways that penetrates the city. Being a northerner I also must have a skiing holiday every year and getting the chance to show my children the joys of racing down a mountain on skis or by other means has been and will continue to be so much fun.

CIIP:  Thank you so much for this interview and I hope you find great success in Changzhou.