Born and raised in Hong Kong, namely “the country of modern skyscrapers”, I have had the opportunity to keep up with the pace of development of the world. Having obtained two Master degrees in Hospitality and Business Administration, as well as achieving great fluency in four languages, I am fully confident that the foundation has enabled me to surpass the challenges in my career.

Accompanying Danang Golden from the very first days when it was an empty land until its current reputation as a 5-star hotel in Danang City, one of the strongest cities of tourism in Vietnam, I am totally proud of myself to fulfil my responsibility as not only an enthusiastic manager, but also a trainer-consultant to my colleagues.

Certainly, my answer for this question is customer satisfaction. I am always in the status of being proactive to let myself in the others’ shoes to guess what a customer might expect before, during and after his or her stay. It’s really important because a perfect and memorable stay is always expected, however, a minor mistake might lead to an unexpected complaint, but how a person deals with the problem properly to avoid those complaints but to have the customer’s recognition instead will leave a more impressive memory in a customer’s mind.

I am currently the Chief Operating Officer of Danang Golden Bay Hotel, in charge of managing the business of the hotel as well as enhancing the quality of services in different departments to strengthen the bond and connection among our team. To be a strong hospitality professional, the first thing that I always bear in mind is that I wake up every day with a new goal, which is my motivation for a working day.

Living with a purpose is really important. The second is to accept change, which means getting ready for any circumstances, and the last is to share my knowledge not only to support my colleagues but also to listen and exchange with them, to see a matter from different perspectives.

Set by the breathtaking Danang Bay - near the estuary where Han River joins the East Sea, Danang Golden Bay is believed to be a skip away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.

Experiencing a stay at the hotel, I trust that guests can be treated to an exciting adventure to Wonder Park with gold-plated miniature monuments, and have the options of international meals at 7 restaurants and a bar. Honoured to embrace the highest and largest 24K golden infinity swimming pool in the world, our Danang Golden Bay is a luxurious retreat to ease guests’ time away from home.

The first factor that I have to mention is that Danang Golden Bay is the first hotel in Vietnam to feature the gold in almost every detail, from the facilities in the room to the cutlery that guests may experience during their stay.

With the view of the beautiful Danang Bay, Danang Golden Bay is sure to clear all the stress of customers away with the calmness and the comfort that the beauty of nature may bring about. Besides those, we are proud to have the highest and largest 24K golden infinity swimming pool in the world on our rooftop, and the first Wonder Park in Danang City with 13 monuments plated with 24K gold.

It is sincerely our great honor to be the winner of the award “World Class Riverside Hotel” as we are aware that there are strong competitors against us on this category, but I believe guests are sure to be blown away by the view of the beautiful bay from their rooms, or by the sparkling sunset from our golden infinity swimming pool.

I myself, along with my colleagues at Danang Golden Bay, have been making every effort into defining our position in not only Vietnam, but also the international market. We trust that the award is a huge step forwarding us closer to our reputation.

There are specific challenges of hotel management, specifically to motivate your team, i.e., to set the targets always. Besides, finding a schedule that works for everyone is really important too, and to do this, a manager needs to understand thoroughly the strengths and weaknesses of his team. By the way, unexpected incidents might occur without any prediction, so a manager needs to always have a cool mind to keep up with the pace and to support the team efficiently.

First and foremost, everyone’s health is the most important. Without proper physical condition, people cannot do anything. That’s why at Danang Golden Bay, we perform temperature checks whenever somebody enters the hotel, encourage people to wash their hands and keep the safe distance with the others. Also, the disinfection process is really necessary to ensure a healthy and clean environment. In case somebody gets sick, we encourage them to go to the hospital or have a rest instead of continuing their work or travel.

Moreover, every hotel should be flexible on cancellations of bookings, or changes to travel plans. The sympathy with the customers during the pandemic will show that a hotel cares for their customers’ feelings and health, which is the point of the hospitality industry. To maintain the development of a hotel and to optimize the internal processes, a hotel should never stop the marketing campaigns. This doesn’t mean a hotel should give mass discounting, which may result in an opposite effect. Last but not least, the plan for the future, for a rebound must be on the list, so everyone could always get ready to be back on the track.

Vietnam has a long history of influences from the Chinese and the French, and its unique cultural traditions are still maintained. Together with the stunning landscape and breathtaking sceneries, those factor attract a lot of visitors around the world.

Besides that, in order to boost tourism development in Vietnam, the local government has put effort into improving infrastructures, like airports, public transportation networks, sewage systems which help to deliver better service for travelers.

It is said that happiness is a perfume, so if you pour this unique perfume on somebody, the scent spreads around you. To make people’s day is to make your day lovelier and more meaningful. What’s more, to be creative in customer service is one of the reasons to have a returned guest. A simple question to show your care after a guest’s stay, or a small cake as a surprise on a guest’s birthday is sure to leave a profound impression on his mind. Also, delivering the service to people opens your door to the world as you learn more by exchanging, approaching different types of customers or broadening your network.

It is the era of technology now, so a positive online review is much more valuable than anything. More positive reviews will lead to the higher ranking of your property, so never forget to remind your customers to do it by giving a little note with a QR code or get a portable device prepared for reviews on site. Secondly, be a treasure trove of information for your guests – both online and in-person. The first thing that a traveler is seeking for is popularly to discover the local nature and culture, so if your property can give good information or useful tips to customers, you already have a plus point in your customers’ eyes. Finally, don’t forget to leverage the power of visual content. The pictures posted on different social media channels are not only for references, but for your customers’ imaginations and to have an overview of your property from various perspectives as well.

As Vietnam becomes more popular with international visitors, the hospitality industry plays a key role in national economic development, thus the Vietnamese government has provided a lot of incentives and policies to encourage and attract investment. And as the number of people coming to Vietnam for business purpose keeps increasing on the heels of strong investment inflows, the demand for hospitality industry is expected to grow even stronger in the upcoming years.

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.