‘OUR STAFFS ARE
OUR ASSET’

Says Anthony Mirza, GM of Novotel Ambassador Doksan,
the envy of the hotel industry

Novotel Ambassador Doksan was ranked second to Ibis Seoul in terms of occupancy, revenue growth and profitability compared with 2004 performance. The hotel is a joint venture of Ambassador Hotel Group and Accor Hotels. Established in 1997 amid worries over its location, the hotel has proved itself as a great success for nearly a decade.
The key factor behind this success is the unparalleled and dedicated effort of the staff who provide utmost services which are no less than those of other eminent five-star hotels in Seoul. And there is Anthony Mirza, General Manager of Novotel Ambassador Doksan.
Mr. Mirza came to Korea in 2001 as Resident Manager of Sofitel Ambassador and was then promoted to General Manager of Novotel Ambassador Doksan in May 2003 amidst the SARS Crisis, the Iraq War and other regional factors affecting the business climate. The hotel was experiencing a downturn in business to levels unseen in the industry as were most hotels in Seoul at the time.
"The morale was low and the business strategy had to be redefined in order to reposition the hotel in a favorable competitive advantage. "Time was the essence and we had to work fast."'OUR MAIN PRODUCT IS PEOPLE'― Early on in his career, he learnt that harnessing employee intellect and motivating the team is the driving force behind the success of any business and that is certainly demonstrated in the success of the hotel today. It's usually difficult for rivals to replicate this human element and maintain it to a sustainable level for long.
He took interest in each employee; observing and analyzing his/her attitudes towards customers, co-workers and his/her job.
During this phase, it was important to align every employee to the new strategy vision and direction of the organization. Identifying talent and placing the right people in the right job was paramount.
When interviewing job applicants, he is most interested in their personality, attitude, energy, and positive demeanor. Job skills and experience play a little role in his decision making when hiring someone, unless the position absolutely requires it. His business approach tends to be unconventional and out of the main stream. Forward and innovative thinking is the order of the day. And he encourages everyone on his team to think outside the box and empowers them to make decisions by diminishing the bureaucratic systems that cripple the organization.
One classic case involving one of his staff is Jason Lee (F&B Manager). He was Managing minor worker when Mr. Mirza came to Novotel Ambassador Doksan.
But, Mr. Mirza whose hobby is observing people and has a kin sense of grasping peoples'personality and quality, highly appreciated Jason's passion and energy for his work and appointed him as a floating manager. But, nobody understood his decision at that time and even Jason himself lacked the confidence and declined the offer. But, Mr. Mirza was quite determined and finally Jason accepted this new challenge. The general manager himself spent considerable time, training, coaching, developing and supporting him every step of the way, until he felt he was ready to tackle the daily challenges. Today, Mr. Jason is Novotel Doksan Food & Beverage Manager and very successful. In 2005, F&B operation had a record year in the history of the hotel. Growing future leaders in our industry is our responsibility. "Leaders are both made and born,"says Mr. Mirza. It's up to us to find the right mix and create the right environment for learning and developing.

MANGERS AT THE BOTTOM, RANK & FILE ON THE TOP ― Such is the organizational structure at Novotel Ambassador Doksan. Every manager plays a pivotal role in supporting the front line. Mr. Mirza also pays great attention to details and developing and maintaining the team spirit. Saying "Our employees are the single most important engine to our success,"Mr. Mirza invests a considerable amount of resources, energy and time in making sure that his team becomes the leanest and finest that Seoul has to offer, thanks to Ambassador Hotel Group Chairman, Mr. Suh, Jung-Ho full support and commitment to this process.
His daily routine starts with giving inspiring messages to the entire staff. And throughout the day, he meets and communicates with every employee on every level in every area of the hotel. This witty and humorous general manager of Novotel Ambassador Doksan knows the name of every employee and encourages all employees to have fun while working. Creating a pleasant and family-like atmosphere has paid off for the team where they spend more time at work than they do at home.

Ultimately, the customers had benefited tremendously from this approach.
In the back of the house, corridors are called "Staff Galleries" They are decorated with inspiring Art Work, pictures, messages, information and communications leaflets, Guest Comments Cards, Complimentary Internet Station for the staff to use, we could see various bulletins and posters which are designed to motivate employees. In the "Best Employees"section, you can see the pictures of the best employees selected by co-workers each month and one selected as the best employee of the year. They also singled out the Best Manager of the quarter. He has another program to stimulate thoughts and ideas. It's called "Innovative Tuesday" Where every manager once a week has to present a minimum of three ideas collected from his team by way of brainstorming. The ideas are then discussed openly and voted upon based on five categories. Departments are rewarded for best ideas monthly.
This kind of rewarding program is adopted and encouraged throughout Ambassador hotels.
Each department, internally, also has their own rewarding systems. The interesting thing is that one bulletin board we noticed pictures Rank 7 File at the top of the board and the managers at the bottom. Their daily productivity is highlighted whereby, a reward system is used to track every employee" contribution to that particular department. It stands for their philosophy that the front line employees who directly serve guests are of great importance. As a result of such efforts, the hotel proudly shares with the team their astonishing 97% Guests Satisfaction rate.'MAKE A DIFFERENCE'― As for managers, Mr. Mirza stresses the responsibilities of a good leader and a role model. Applying work ethics and ethical standards are paramount in his organization. He constantly reminds his managers to ask themselves when they wake up each morning; "What can I do today to make a difference?
And at the end of the day, to ask themselves again, as to
"What have I done today that made a difference?
Leads by example.
He directs his managers to take an active role in every facet of the hotel. Managers are not allowed to visit their offices during operation hours. "Guests Come First"philosophy. As for Mr. Mirza, important operational decisions are made in the morning. i.e, Sales & Marketing, Hotel Strategies, Pricing and Hotel Promotions, etc.
He hotel career spans over 28 years. He started as a Night Auditor in small hotel in New York City. Everything in those days was done manually. Balancing guest and hotel ledgers was major headache. However, it thought valuable lessons that I still use today. When faced with complex issues that require serious problem solving while experiencing a mental block, "Reverse the problem and track it backwards" This method helps break the redundant thought process that brain is accustomed too.
Allowing people to make mistakes is acceptable as long as the same mistakes are not repeated over and over again. Says, Mr. Mirza.
If you reprimand employees immediately without investigating the cause and processes that led to the mistake in the first place, you would be throwing away the experience.
"Fix the process, not the problem,"is our motto.
"2005 was a great successful year for the hotel. In fact, it was a record year since the hotel opened.

JEWEL OF DOKSAN ― Novotel Ambassador Doksan is located in the center of a newly emerged business area which merges Geumcheon, Guro, Gwangmyeong and Anyang district. It is the one and only deluxe hotel in the Southwestern area of Seoul. It is in the point of strategic importance and relatively close to both Incheon International Airport and Gimpo Airport. And three World Cup stadiums in Incheon, Seoul and Suwon are easily accessible, too.
The hotel has 230 rooms; 153 Superior rooms, 7 Ondols, 7 Deluxe, 54 Executive, 3 Executive Deluxe Rooms, and 5 Executive Suites The top floors of the hotel are dedicated to the Executive Club, while two extended floors occupy the ultramodern Health Center. It includes a 3-lane, 25-meter swimming pool, a state-of-the-art gym, golf driving range, and spacious sauna and jacuzzi facilities. Member of fitness center of Novotel Ambassador Doksan also can use the exercising facilities of sister hotels; Sofitel Ambassador and Novotel Ambassador Gangnam.
Korean, Japanese and International cuisine are featured in the hotel's multiple Food & Beverage outlets as well as in the Banquet facilities which includes a 450-seat banquet hall and 3 other function rooms for smaller events. Guests at Novotel Ambassador Doksan can also enjoy a wide range of shopping, dining and entertainment activities. The hotel's shopping arcade features a tailor shop, convenience store, florist, photography studio, and golf & gift store. And the night entertainment complex showcases live entertainment, karaoke facilities, drinking and dining. To provide further convenience to the business traveler is a revolutionary in-room entertainment and information service that delivers the Internet in a compelling TV format. nw

Anthony Mirza, General Manager of Novotel Ambassador Doksan

Staff Galleries (left) &
New Organization Chart of Novotel Ambassador Doksan

Yura Conference room Banquet

A general view of Novotel Ambassador Doksan Doksan room (above) & New Phoenix

Garden Terrace Buffet Stand (above) & A staff in front of a wide range of palpable dishes (below)