Michael Hobson Group Director of Sales&Marketing Mandarin Oriental___
TravelDailyNews: What is your policy to strengthen your company worldwide? Which destinations have more dynamic potentials?
Michael Hobson: Our objective is to grow our company without standardising our product – an important component of any luxury brand. Our focus is on key international cities and resort locations where we have obvious gaps, and we have a number of development opportunities in the pipeline – with Europe and North Asia a priority. Looking to the future, our focus will be on management contracts with limited equity participation.
Our goal is to become a truly global player in the luxury hotel industry. We have never had ambitions to be the biggest luxury hotel group, only the best!
TDNews: What are the main obstacles – benefits in expanding your brand?
M.H.: These are some of the factors that set Mandarin Oriental apart:
- We have a well-recognised name and logo – “Mandarin Oriental” and “the fan” both relate well to our Oriental heritage with its mystique, glamour and art of hospitality.
- The culture of our Group lies in our legendary service qualities. At the same time, our hotels and resorts are encouraged to develop their own personality with a distinctive sense of place, thereby reflecting the best of their city or country.
- We have built an enviable reputation in delivering award winning restaurants that compete in major cities with stand-alone concepts.
- We have established ourselves as leaders in the development of holistic spa concepts.
- We are leading the field of providing customer centric technology and highly sophisticated in-house entertainment systems.
- We are clearly differentiated from our key - mostly US – competitors. Our brand, product and services reflect our oriental heritage. We are also not just operators of hotels but also owners of our brand-defining properties in the world’s most important cities.
TDNews: How did your company expand the previous decade and where are you going to invest in the next decade?
M.H.: Our aim is to reach 10,000 rooms. We currently stand at 8,500 and so are well on our way to achieving our goal. As stated above, we will continue to invest in key city and resort destinations, but our focus will be on management contracts with limited equity participation.
Here is a quote from our
CEO Edouard Ettedgui on his thoughts about the furture:
“Innovation is the key. If you are not the incarnation of your time, you are simply not going to survive. It is not enough to have excellent sites and superb hotels. All luxury brands need the right mix between tradition, quality and innovation. I define Mandarin Oriental as 21st century luxury with Oriental charm.”