Excellence & Elegance

The international five-star Renaissance Tianjin TEDA Hotel is situated at the heart of TEDA (Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area) at 29, Second Avenue. It was officially opened on 28th June 2004 and is the only five-star hotel in the area. It is located near to Tanggu Port, amongst the commercial centre of TEDA, and adjacent to the 18-hole Tianjin Warner International Golf Club.

I spoke with Mr Hartmut Schaller the General Manager and enquired about how difficult it was to open such an enterprise. Mr Schaller explained that it wasn’t actually that difficult as there were a wealth of resources from the Marriott Group (of which of course the Renaissance is a part) and that the sister hotels in China were also very helpful.

Mr Schaller had arrived in February 2004 from Munich, Germany, and was tasked with organising everything. Mr Schaller had lived and worked in Munich for the last twelve years and so the matter of running such prestigious premises does not seem to faze him at all.

Mr Schaller was quite clear that the key to success in a hotel is the staff. You may have great facilities but the people come first. Treat them well and they will treat the guests well. This rule applies in any country.

This was also true of the staff in China as they are part of the hotel. Mr Schaller felt that they feel it is their home. They stay longer, perhaps it is because the hotel provides housing, uniforms and meals that they feel so connected.

Even though this is his first time to China he did not find it exceptionally difficult, which was what he had expected. Mr Schaller has always had a fascination with Asia and a work assignment in Karachi, Pakistan from 1990-92 gave him a taste and a desire for more. China, but an opportunity arose to come here and he has never been a man to wait, when the moment should be grasped instantly.

As we know this is the first five-star international hotel in this area, but this is an advantage, as it isn’t competing against lower levels. The Marriott Group feels that continual development is the key and that this is no time to rest on one’s laurels. The belief is that more hotels will open, because of the financially attractive 2008 Olympics approaching.

Not only did I speak with Mr Schaller but also spoke with Mr Addison Wong the Director of Marketing, who spoke about the plans for the future, which include press conferences to highlight the attractions of the hotel, such as the 3-levels Auditorium/Convention Centre (seating 1200). Mr Wong believes as the area is close to Beijing, the hotel will focus on companies’ growing needs for international conferences and large-scale meetings. There will also be a slight change of name – “The Renaissance Tianjin TEDA Hotel & Convention Centre”.

The hotel also astutely offers rooms for long-staying guests, which are 60 self-contained apartments with all the necessary facilities and a kitchen. With the added bonus that bulky items could be stored in a separate room to reduce congestion. As more factories open or expand in TEDA there will be a demand for such types of rooms.

They also have an auditorium seating 800 people (opens in September) with the idea to bring culture and music into the hotel for the people. Plans are afoot to get in touch with artists to stage concerts and other events, thus providing the people with something a little bit different.

However, all this talk of business shouldn’t make the individual feel left out. The whole setting is not impersonal and has a very relaxed feel. Mr Wong hails from Hong Kong and has 25 years sales & marketing experience (15 of which are with the Marriott Group), and he kindly led us on a tour.

As you wander the corridors and rooms, there is a constant feeling of being uncrowded and modern elegance. The profusion of marble adds a certain amount of style as well. Mr Wong points out that ‘this is the future’ and the idea is to create a ‘feeling of space’. It certainly has the future in mind, as it contains a wireless network for laptops and many devices are computer automated. Prior to the interview and tour I had stayed the night in the hotel and the room with its brown solid wood, yellow upholstered furniture, cream walls, stainless steel fittings and marble floor created a pleasant mixture of comfort, freshness & refinement. Each room was of the same immaculate design and each contained a state-of –the art LCD TV.

The architecture and its creators deserve mentioning further and as Mr Wong explained through the design story, the hotel should have a strong ‘sense of place’, which is achieved through the variations in colour to show setting, such as the ground floor restaurant with a lovely touch of deep red and treated bamboo floors.

The architects project a feeling of east meets west culture to appeal to an international audience and with the interiors they use glass and steel to reflect the present and modern technology. As the guest enters the lobby it feels warm and welcoming, but not overwhelming.

Mr Wong pointed out that Phase 1 of the hotel building is finished, and in actual fact the whole hotel is not yet finished. Phase 2 is in preparation and on completion the hotel will be up to its full complement of 545 deluxe guest rooms.

Other attractions included a health club with all the latest equipment, a swimming pool with a retractable roof (opens within the month), Jacuzzi, massage room, sauna, steam room, business centre, spacious banquet halls (in which we witnessed the hotel’s first ever wedding), Wan Li restaurant specialising in “Hong Kong Style” Cantonese cuisine, Club Lounge, and a lot more which can be viewed at the web site below.

As I returned home I felt more relaxed and that I had been somewhere special and with a lot of class, and so that must be a good sign.

For further information on the hotel’s comprehensive facilities, prices and reservations, then the web site can be found here:

www.renaissancehotels.com/tsntj