- 2 months ago
The Economy with Ibrahim Sani brings you inside the holiday season experience at Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur with Herman Kemp, General Manager. We explore how luxury hospitality is shaping festive offerings, what travellers are looking for today, and how Kuala Lumpur is positioning itself for year-end demand.
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00:00Welcome to the show, I'm Ibrahim Sani, your host in this very special episode, we are currently
00:16at the Park Hayat Kuala Lumpur at Merdeka 118, arguably the tallest and the highest luxury hotel
00:22here in the center of Kuala Lumpur. I'll be speaking with Herman Camp, the general manager
00:28of Park Hayat Kuala Lumpur about what the hotel offers for guests in and around the world
00:33and perhaps try to explore a little bit better in terms of what the offerings could be during
00:38the festive season right now, during Christmas and of course New Year. Enjoy the conversation.
00:58So congratulations on the launch and it's been three months but of course even in that short
01:21three months there's a lot of things that has happened in Kuala Lumpur and therefore with
01:25Park Hayat. Talk through us through the opening and until right now, how has Park Hayat been
01:32faring?
01:33Absolutely, so we opened up the 7th of August, right, so we opened up the 7th of August until
01:39now, so that's about three months so far and so far so good. Of course any opening comes
01:45with its challenges, we have to take a look how we operate, we have to take a look if
01:51our operations is going smoothly, there's always things to tweak especially in the beginning.
01:56I do feel that now that we've had some very good tests in the past couple of months and
02:03we've gone through them quite well and we're heading in the right direction.
02:07I'm sorry, I just have to ask you, how does one open a hotel like Park Hayat? I mean, are the crew
02:15trained? Are they from somewhere and then you import them in or are they also fresh? How does that
02:20like come to the inside of the hotel?
02:22Combination, combination. So we do have some fresh new hires as well of course or fresh in the industry
02:28coming from interns who just graduated for example, who's starting their first job but those are
02:34limited in numbers to start with. So most of the team that is on board are more seasoned, are coming
02:41from the industry itself. Take note that over 90% of our team is Malaysian and we only have six or seven
02:50expats on board actually at the moment and the rest is all Malaysian. So from the 380 people that we
02:55are hiring are all Malaysian. So you know, you open the hotel, you know everything is supposed to be
03:01there and there's some teething issues. As per normal, you open anything, there's going to be
03:06some issues and I'm pretty confident that you're resolving those issues but at the same time,
03:10you're also training people. There's a lot on your shoulders, especially carrying the Park Hayat brand
03:16being the flagship, I guess, portfolio of all the Hayat portfolios. Does that pressure, I don't know,
03:23get interesting throughout this particular internship of being a DGM?
03:28Luckily it's not only on my shoulders, right? It is on my shoulders of course but luckily we have a
03:32very strong leadership team on board as well which we have selected to open this property
03:39and of all the leadership team members, all seasoned veterans, more than half are also seasoned with
03:46Hyat. So with over 10-15 years experience with Hyat. So that helps a lot as well. Also putting
03:52together a very comprehensive training program during our opening period. Prior to that we also
03:57have trial runs. During the trial runs we actually test every single room and we actually test our
04:03systems as well. So we invite Hyat colleagues from the region, from the country, from Malaysia to
04:10visit our food and beverage outlets.
04:12That must be fun, being criticized by your own colleagues.
04:16Absolutely. I don't think it's a critique. I'm not sure if it's a critique, right? I think it's
04:21good feedback to have. It's good feedback to have and that's the only way how we can learn.
04:27Yes.
04:27That's the only way we can learn.
04:28And they mean well, I'm pretty sure.
04:30Absolutely.
04:30And they want to raise the bar even higher.
04:32Absolutely.
04:32So there's a few questions I want to get through with you. The first is, why does Park Hayat choose
04:37Kuala Lumpur as the next property to open? And why is it here in Merdeka 118?
04:45So it's not really a choice from only Hyatt. I think it's a combination, right? So P&B, who's the
04:52owning company of Merdeka 118, who is the owning company of the hotel as well, they had a selection
05:00procedure, who they would like to have as their operator and Hyatt pitched the best story and
05:05Park Hyatt pitched the best story. So we came to an agreement that there would be a cooperation
05:12between P&B and Hyatt International and the brand that was chosen was Park Hyatt. Of course
05:19because of Merdeka 118 being such an icon, being such a culturally significant building, we also
05:26wanted to make sure that the hotel choice selected in there was our most luxurious brand.
05:32And of course the segment that you're focusing, I presume it would be luxury segment, business
05:38traveler. How do you view market segments and which area of concern that you want to market
05:45yourself to?
05:46So definitely the luxury segment and definitely corporate business as well. The higher end corporate
05:51business coming in, there is a good mix coming in, into Kuala Lumpur in general, right? Because
05:58Kuala Lumpur being the capital of Malaysia, also connectivity here as a connectivity hub,
06:03Kuala Lumpur is excellent. So we can see that there is a lot of luxury travel coming in and
06:09a lot of corporate travel coming in. If you take a look at the regions where it's coming from,
06:14Singapore is very, very strong. Other Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Taiwan, and
06:21also with the work that Malaysia has been doing in the past years with regards to visa-free
06:27waivers from China, from Taiwan, but also recently from India, right? That helps the tourism industry
06:36coming in as well. And there is a luxury niche market in all of these markets.
06:40The luxury space is, of course, a very unique space. You can't, well, we can't actually equate,
06:47say for instance, regular hotels with the luxury space. But in this area that you are in and
06:53you're operating in, there's only a few competitors that will rival, I guess, your brand. So how
06:59do you differentiate yourself from one particular property over the next, considering that these
07:05are very highly discerning individuals with high taste and they have a specific idea of
07:10what they expect? It's a pretty competitive space, no?
07:15It's a very competitive space, but it's also a very niche space, right? And I think the key
07:20thing there is what kind of service you deliver, what kind of personalized service you deliver,
07:26what kind of service touches you have, and how you distinct yourself with your product and
07:34combination of services provided.
07:37So now that it's the Christmas season, and of course with New Year's around the corner,
07:43a lot of guests are looking at some options in terms of how they're going to celebrate both
07:48Christmas and New Year's. What would be some of the Pakayat offerings that you can share with us today?
07:52Well, this is going to be our first, right? So we're looking forward to come in with a bang,
07:58right? So we do have a very bespoke, unique offering going on. We have our signature restaurant,
08:03Merdeka Grill, which will be serving a set menu, six and seven course, for Christmas Eve,
08:09as well as a set menu for New Year's Eve as well. Then we have our park lounge, which is more
08:16family-orientated, so we have family activities and children's activities going on as well.
08:22And that is going to be a Christmas Eve and Christmas Day brunch. So that will be our offerings
08:28in terms of food. Then we have cacao, where we will be having our New Year's Eve offering.
08:34We will have a New Year's Eve party as well. We'll be opening till early in the morning,
08:39which will be a fantastic event as well, where, of course, you will have the best views of all
08:48the fireworks of KL. I bet. Even right now, as we look outside, the view is going to be stunning.
08:53We have a clear view of the KL Tower, KLCC. I mean, it's just going to be stunning.
08:58So on a clear day, you can see Gunting from here as well, which is very fantastic.
09:02Let's also talk about how things have been since opening until Christmas.
09:09You know, for somebody like me, I probably go through some sort of anxiety dealing with
09:13a lot of these guests, high-profile moments. But at the same time, for Paka, this is your
09:19everyday thing. During ASEAN, I'm pretty sure it was pretty hectic for you as well.
09:24I think the U.S. delegation was here. Maybe you can share with us what was the situation
09:32at Pak Hayat and how did you entertain the guests then?
09:36Well, ASEAN, of course, was a big event here in KL and big in Malaysia. I do think that
09:41how Malaysia set that up was very, very well done. It was an excellent event and had a lot
09:47of benefits for a lot of hotels in KL. We were lucky enough, indeed, to get part of the
09:53U.S. delegation, which is fantastic.
09:56Trump didn't stay here.
09:57No, no, Trump did not stay here. So we did do very well during that time period. And it's
10:04about liaising with the different parties, making sure that all arrangements are done.
10:10There's a lot of added security measures, of course, when it comes to delegates, whichever
10:14delegates you may have, and as well as a lot of extra arrangements and last-minute requests
10:20which we have to deal with.
10:21Yeah, I'm very sure that's not easy and not fun, I guess, to deal with these.
10:25It's not easy. It is fun. So there is a difference. I do think that there's a difference there.
10:30It is a lot of fun dealing with high-profile guests, dealing with delegates and things like
10:38that because it gives our team a challenge as well. And I do think that how we perform
10:43during that time, we pass with flying colors.
10:46I'm pretty sure. I mean, is it fair for me to say this? If you hear nothing in the media
10:52regarding your service, that's actually quite awesome. Is that a fair kind of way to look
10:57at things?
10:57That is in partly fair, but what we appreciate even more is that we've gotten several written
11:06compliments with regards to our performance during ASEAN, but also the feedback that we've
11:12gotten from the market has been exceptionally good during that period.
11:16But then that comes hand-in-hand with Park Hayat, which brings me to the man running the show.
11:22I'm sure there's no school of GM for Park Hayat that exists on the planet. So what does
11:26it take for one to be a GM? Tell us about your career.
11:32Well, there's no school for a Park Hayat GM, of course. There is luckily several great hotel
11:39management schools around the world. I'm half Dutch, half Indonesian, and I was lucky enough
11:45to go to a hotel management school in The Hague in the Netherlands, where I had a great education,
11:54and that's where my career started, right? So my interest for hospitality has always been
11:59there. My father owned several restaurants, was always in hospitality, worked for the cruise
12:07ships for 20, 30 plus years. So it's always been around hospitality.
12:11It's in your blood, I suppose.
12:13I guess it's in my blood, yes. And then becoming a GM. And after that, I think growing as a GM
12:20comes with experience, right? You learn from your mistakes and you will make mistakes. The
12:25key thing is, is how do you learn from it and how do you grow from that?
12:28That's the key part here. You need to grow, you need to learn. But at this stage in your
12:34career, you need to also share and coach and inspire. Do you think that the younger
12:41generation of today has what it takes to be in the hospitality business? You know, we always
12:47complain. I'm a parent. We always complain, oh, kids these days are like this. They're
12:51not doing my time. We used to say those kind of things. But how does it translate into the
12:56business of hospitality where you've got to think about the customer first before anything
13:02else? Well, definitely in this generation, I'm sure there's going to be excellent general
13:07managers and excellent hospitality experts around, right? I do think though that the market
13:14has changed a lot. Education has changed a lot. And the mindset of the younger generation
13:20is very different than what was in my time or in our time, right? So I do think that the
13:27main thing now is that we will have to adapt and be able to pivot to what is relevant now.
13:36And what is relevant now may not be what was relevant 10 years ago or 15 years ago.
13:40So it's also folks like you need to be open-minded and open to new ideas because you were brought
13:49up in a different generation, I suppose. And the younger generation, your younger colleagues
13:53today might have a different take on things and you might want to approach it that way.
13:57Absolutely. Absolutely. We nowadays, you know, we have to work with chat GPT and things like
14:01that. Yeah. Yeah. And even a couple of years ago, we didn't know what that was, right?
14:07But sometimes you need the personalized note, right? From the GM.
14:10Absolutely. And we still do. If I pay that kind of amount, I expect that kind of service,
14:14nothing makes my day more than a simple card that says, hey, Ibrahim, welcome to your,
14:18what this, you know, we wish you a pleasant stay, sign the GM. That's enough.
14:22So for all my VIPs, I still write them all by hand in, in, in gold, no, in, in gold color,
14:28in gold color pen. Yes. And, and I don't know if, if your guests tell you this, but at least
14:34for me, I appreciate that because at least, okay. So, you know, I'm okay. You know, that,
14:39that, that, that whole idea of safety is there. Um, and, and, uh, because of your European,
14:45uh, heritage, uh, and because of the Nusantara heritage, uh, it's also quite interesting to
14:51see these two worlds, uh, meld into one. Do you think that Southeast Asia is the place
14:58to be for the years to come when it comes to travel, business, government, those kinds
15:04of items? Do you think that, that, that this is the place where the exciting things are going
15:07to take place? For me? Yes. For me? Yes. Definitely. Southeast Asia is always very
15:12high up there in terms of, uh, travel, in terms of tourism, uh, business, perhaps in
15:20certain pockets, right? Like for example, in Singapore and in, in Bangkok, definitely. Um,
15:26I do think that there are other countries around the world that, that do it, uh, better
15:30and are maybe better positioned at the moment. But Southeast Asia definitely has the potential,
15:35right? And in terms of tourism, yes, in this region, there's so much to offer here. And what
15:41you see as well what Malaysia is doing next year with the visit Malaysia year, I think
15:44that will be fantastic for Malaysia. I think that will really drive Malaysia forward, moving
15:48forward as well for next year. And, uh, I do think a lot of, uh, the country and a lot
15:54of hotels will benefit from that.
15:56So, let's try a little bit. Can you speak? Bapak, can you speak about
16:00Indonesia? Yes, please. So, do you want to speak few
16:03quick about how Bapak comes in, how come? About how
16:05Bapak comes from, how much is that it can be growing? And
16:08and, eh, eh, eh, and, eh, eh, and how
16:13how the difference is between Indonesia and Belanda and Indonesia? It can be, Pak. So, Ibu
16:18I'm from Indonesia, from Bandung, from a small town called Tasik Malaya.
16:24That's famous in Malaysia.
16:26Tasik Malaya, right.
16:28And my father is from Belanda.
16:31I live in Indonesia for 17 years.
16:36I live in Bandung.
16:38So SD, SMA, SMP, everything is there?
16:41Betul, betul. Tapi sekolahnya sekolah Belanda sama sekolah Amerika, sekolah international.
16:48So ada bahasa yang ditutur di sekolah itu bahasa Belanda, English of course, dan juga bahasa Bunda?
16:54Bahasa Ibu dari Ibu saya.
16:57Bahasa Indonesia saya dapat dari Ibu saya.
17:01Dan Ibu masih menetap di Bandung ya?
17:03Masih, masih sehat dan masih di Bandung.
17:06How do you see the culture of Indonesia and Malaysia shape up?
17:12We were one's one.
17:14And of course, because of our history, we have some sort of shared origins.
17:17But we are a little bit diverse.
17:20But clearly, this is what my takeaway is.
17:23Every time I go to Indonesia, the level of hospitality is really, really awesome.
17:28I mean, a simple restaurant at a shopping mall, for instance.
17:32It's as simple as that.
17:33And I don't think I can get that same of service here in Malaysia.
17:38How is that transpiring into culture of service between these two countries?
17:44There are very distinct similarities and very distinct...
17:49Divergence.
17:50Divergence between Indonesians and Malaysians.
17:54If you take a look at the similarities, both people are very, very kind people.
17:59Are very, very accommodating people.
18:02And also are very well spoken in how they interact.
18:07I think the biggest difference between Malaysians and Indonesians is that both are hospitable.
18:14However, Indonesians are more forthcoming in that sense.
18:19So if you take a look, for example, if you go to a hotel and you want to check in.
18:27In Indonesia, they will, out of nature, go in front of their desk and come to you and say, like, how can I help you?
18:35You see someone needs assistance with their luggage, they will jump and they will go directly.
18:41A Malaysian is also just as friendly and will help you in just the same way.
18:47However, they will not go to help you with the luggage unless you ask them.
18:54So in that way, they respect your space.
18:56Exactly.
18:57So it depends on how you look at it because both are very, very friendly.
19:01It's just a very different approach towards that added attention.
19:05Let's talk about the numbers of Park Hyatt.
19:13How many rooms do you have?
19:14What kind of rooms do you have?
19:16And what kind of features that people might want to think about when they want to stay at Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur?
19:22So 252 rooms. Of those 252 rooms, 28 suites.
19:28What we'd like to highlight here at Park Hyatt Kuala Lumpur is that when you come up the escalators and into the hotel,
19:39we are creating an experience of coming home, of coming into a Malay kampung home.
19:44That's why a Malay kampung home traditionally is on stilts.
19:48So that's why you go up the escalators and then into a more homey area.
19:52Then you come up to our reception where you open up into a porch area and then you come into our Park Lounge restaurant,
20:01which opens up into your kitchen, the kitchen of a traditional Malay house.
20:06So we have several different distinctions there.
20:09And as well, what we made sure of is that throughout the hotel there are very particular and specific cultural Malaysian aspects in the hotel.
20:20So we have batik panels which are depicting Malaysian batik.
20:24Over 50% of our art is local, our local art pieces and locally crafted pieces.
20:31And throughout the hotel and in the rooms there are touches of Malaysian architecture and art.
20:37Let's talk about some of the art that is, you know, interesting and you want to share.
20:42Including this one, I suppose.
20:44Yeah.
20:45So, yes.
20:46So this is a depiction of the wau kites in Malaysia, right?
20:55So when they make the wau kites, so this is referring to a wau depiction of the kites translated into the lamps.
21:04So the art pieces are like that, I suppose, where there's a lot of Malaysian elements as well.
21:09Is this the same that you carry with other properties of Park Hyatt around the world?
21:14What I mean is the local blend of the various properties?
21:19I'm not so sure if we would say local blend, but normally every Park Hyatt worldwide will have some local connotations throughout the hotel.
21:29But it is normally not as a parent.
21:32It is very in the background and you'll have to...
21:37Focus on it and experience it and then you will see that, ah, that's the local touches that they have there.
21:44Fantastic.
21:45Final words that you want to share before we conclude our conversation?
21:50I would say come and give us a try, right? Come and give us a try. It's definitely worth an experience.
21:57We have a lot going for us in terms of rooms, in terms of views, but also in terms of offerings for our F&B, but also our spa, our infinity pool on level 99, as well as our event spaces.
22:11Fantastic. Thank you very much, Herman.
22:13You're very welcome. Thank you.
22:16That was my conversation with Herman Kemp, the general manager of Park Hyatt, Kuala Lumpur.
22:21Until then, thanks very much for watching.
22:23Merry Christmas and have an excellent Happy New Year.
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