By Lily lin
INTRODUCTION
Hiroko Noguchi is Japanese and a graduate of Hosei University in Tokyo in 1985. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in Japanese literature. She has been the GM since the grand opening of the Hyatt Regency Hakone Resort & Spa, Japan in 2006. She is highly regarded professionally in her current position. In fact, she is the only female GM in Japan. Before becoming the GM of Hyatt Regency Hakone, she was the Director of Sales & Marketing at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. Along with other hotel management experience, she also worked for Arthur Andersen in Tokyo as the Manager & Senior Consultant of the Hospitality & Leisure Group.
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| Hiroko Noguchi, GM |
Despite the fact that an Equal Employment Opportunity Law was passed in 1985 in Japan, more than 20 years later, only 10.1 percent of Japan’s 27 million working women, which made up nearly half of its work force, held management positions in companies and government. By contrast, women held 42.5 percent of managerial jobs in the United States in 2005. An even bigger barrier to the advancement of Japanese women is the nation’s notoriously demanding corporate culture, particularly its expectation of working 15 hours per day and six and a half days a week. If expected to work 15 hours a day, most women with children will give up. Considering these barriers, Hiroko Noguchi is, indeed, a rare species.
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| Haru, the Residential Dog |
Personally, I have never met a Hotel Residential Dog before, although many years ago, I did have the pleasure to meet three Residential Cats in a Fashion Shop in New York City, Soho District. I assume that the primary responsibilities of a residential dog are greeting hotel guests and ensuring that guest-dogs behave while staying in the hotel. We shall find out from Haru’s boss, Hiroko san1.
As an animal lover, I secretly hope that more hotels would employ residential dogs and cats, giving them fantastic job opportunities, not to mention that for some hotels, it would make good business and economic sense. Perhaps they could be given a title, Director of Pet-Guests program, with special perks such as a plush doggie office, gourmet meals every day, weekly spa treatment and guaranteed job security, medical coverage and pension --- after all, they don’t draw salary --- or bonus, for that matter. J
1. Attaching “san” after a Japanese first name is a sign of respect.
INTERVIEW
Did you always want to work in the hotel industry?
I wanted to be a marketing professional. I used to work for a distribution company in charge of marketing. It was by chance that at age 29, I changed my job to work for a hotel company in the marketing department.
Can you tell us something about your professional experience?
I am very lucky to have seen and experienced hotel operations from all aspects. Besides my experience working as a part of hotel management team in a number of hotels, I also worked as a consultant for bankers, property developers, hotel owners, investment funds and hotel operators. Without these experiences, I probably wouldn’t have been able to succeed at my current position.
Even though modern Japan has come a long way in gender equality, it is still uncommon for a woman to be in charge of a luxury hotel. Secondly, Japanese work customs make it specifically difficult for women to have both a family and a career. How do you balance the two?
I believe that I was very fortunate to have worked for several individuals and companies. They believe in selecting employees based on their capability and performance instead of their gender. First, the President of Hyatt Japan, Mr. Koga, recognized my ability and job performance. He recommended me for the GM position at the Hyatt Regency Hakone, despite my gender. Second, the owner of the Hyatt Regency Hakone was Morgan Stanley. [Morgan Stanley is one of the world's largest diversified financial services companies, headquartered in New York.] After a number of interviews and meetings, the management decided to entrust me with the GM position. In March 2010, Hyatt Regency Hakone had a new owner, SHKP Hotels in Hong Kong. Mr. Ricco deBlank, CEO-SHKP Hotels, decided to entrust my ability and keep me in my current position. Again, I felt lucky.
Regarding your second question, unfortunately, I am not a good example. I am a person who is not able to focus on my work and my private life at the same time. As the result, I am still single. I have been working very hard my entire career, which has brought me wonderful achievements, but I am not as successful in my private life [according to traditional Japanese beliefs].
Because you are a woman in a man’s world, do you feel that you have to try harder?
Yes, that’s true. I’ve been working so hard --- much harder than most people. Of course, men also have to work hard if they want to reach the top. But, for [Japanese] professional women, we need to work harder to achieve success.
Are most of your management team men?
Our employees are pretty much gender divided right down the middle but our senior management team consists of all men except for one woman.
How do you feel about having mostly men working for you?
Actually, I feel quite comfortable working with men. For me, it’s more about the ability and attitude of the person as opposed to gender.
Which aspect of your working life do you find most challenging?
The GM of a hotel has a whole range of responsibilities that include the hotel owner, guests and employees. Trying to grasp the technical areas, such as engineering, does not come as naturally as other disciplines for me.
In your opinion, will the economic problems in Europe affect Japan’s hotel industry?
Europe is an important trading partner for Japan. Therefore, Japan has close connections with many European companies. There are many widely recognized European brands for consumer goods in Japan. Not only that, European goods such as cheese and wines are essential part of Japanese life. In addition, China is the biggest export market for Japan --- and Europe is one of the biggest export markets for China. Because it is all interconnected, the rise and fall of the Chinese export to Europe would affect the Japanese economy.
Also, well-known European brand companies are good hotel clients for rooms and banquets, e.g., events and parties, especially in Tokyo. Products from Europe are necessary ingredients for hotel restaurants and bars in Japan. As such, European economy will have a direct impact on the Japanese hotel industry.
In recent years, Japan has faced some hardship. Has this affected the hotel industry?
In 2011, we had the worst earthquake ever experienced in Japan. Hotels in northern Japan, including Tokyo, were negatively affected. After the earthquake, people simply did not want to travel or spend as much money. The months of April, May, June and July 2011 were very tough for us because business was slow. We began to recover in the summer and by December we were able to achieve our financial objectives. In fact, our sales performance exceeded 2009 and 2010 sales for the same period. It was really a tough year but we took the opportunity to review and improve our operation style and cost-control mechanisms.
What is your forecast in 2012?
Overall, Japanese spending on traveling and F&B is decreasing; for example, consumers spend less on wine nowadays. International tourists also dropped dramatically. [The Hotel’s guest breakdown is 90% Japanese and 10% international.] We don’t expect a dramatic recovery in 2012 because we still have small earthquakes from time to time that remind us of 2011’s disaster. However, our January revenue was the best January revenue since the Hotel’s opening, which was a good start for 2012. This year we hope to achieve the same revenue levels as in 2010.
What steps did you have to take to ensure that your hotel was able to withstand this bad time?
I always keep in mind two things. One, we are a small hotel with a small management team, and this makes it possible for us to be flexible and to communicate with each other easily. After the earthquake, we became more flexible in our day-to-day operations. For example, we adjusted the operation hours of our restaurants and bars. Second, we are a part of the Hyatt family, and Hyatt supports us. After the earthquake, we were able to send some of our employees to Hyatt hotels located overseas to work for a short term. This helped us to reduce our payroll cost as well as to gain an opportunity of cross-culture exposure for our team members. Also, experienced and knowledgeable Hyatt personnel from the headquarters gave us good advice on how to overcome the challenges during a soft market. I didn’t need to feel distressed alone. I’ve learned that when we faced difficult times, our employees and Hyatt demonstrated their real strengths by giving us and each other the support needed.
Revenue management is a fairly new concept in the hotel industry. In fact, its role and function are still evolving. How is the development of revenue management in Japan?
[In my previous job] as the Director of Sales & Marketing, I worked closely with the Revenue Director at Park Hyatt Tokyo. She is now the Hyatt Strategy Director for the whole of Japan. I am very proud of her. I’ve learned a lot about revenue management. As you said, the importance of revenue management is increasing. RM is also becoming more popular in the Japanese hotel industry. The international chain hotels are leading the development in Japan. Smaller domestic hotels still don’t have revenue management. They are starting to learn though . . . .
Japanese consumers love the latest gadgets, such as mobile phone, SMART phone, IPad, IPod, etc. Has this affected the way Japanese travelers make their hotel reservation?
Yes. When we travel, we check the popularity and reputation of hotels or airlines through word-of-mouth information. We also try to find the cheapest rate. Travelers write their impressions and comments on blogs or on travel sites. The reviews of a hotel could affect its reputation either positively or negatively. Also, more and more people are using their mobile devises to make reservations for hotels, restaurants, air or ground transports.
Can you explain to us, what is the Japanese brand of hospitality?
We take the concept, “hospitality”, serious and believe that “service” is a profession. There have been cases, where employees from department stores, luxury brands, financial institutions and hospitals are sent to a hotel to receive service training.
Japanese hospitality is based on the spirit of the word, Omotenashi, meaning “warm treatment”. The same spirit can be found in the style of Sado, the tea ceremony, and Budo, the martial arts. Under the Sado and Budo philosophy, there is an important thought, ichigo ichie, meaning treasure every encounter with another person, because it may never happen again. Based on such philosophy, a host emphasizes utmost consideration of others. He or she will find every possible way to help guests feel comfortable and at ease. Another element of Japanese hospitality is that it is delivered in a very unpretentious way without ostentatious gesture, and that the host never expects the guests’ gratitude. Based on the Japanese philosophy of hospitality, we, at Hyatt Regency Hakone, offer professional service and authentic hospitality.
As the GM of your hotel, what concerns you the most?
I am concerned with the future of the hotel. I am thinking, I wish we could expand the hotel, or have an annex, or have another hotel. As the first Hyatt Resort and Spa hotel in Japan, we have laid the foundation. It would be wonderful for us and our staff to have an opportunity to make the best use of this opportunity.
Are there differences between Japanese guests and American or European guests?
Japanese guests are very sensitive to the communications of our employees or the reactions of others. So, our team members have to be very skillful when communicating with their guests. Japanese guests also rely more on others to make them enjoy, relax, or feel comfortable. They want to have everything they can get, they assume to get, and they expect to get. American and European guests are more willing to take initiative. They want to enjoy traveling on their own. They request what they need from the hotel staff and then they go about doing their own thing.
In Japan, consumers demand quality. How do you ensure quality of service?
For us, it is about guest recognition. When a guest has stayed with us more than five times, we ask if we can take a photo of the guest. We use the photo so that all staff will try to remember the guest’s face and name. Then, we try to call the guest by name. Once a more personal communication between the staff and the guest is established, we can identify the guest profiles and use the information to personalize our services for the guest.
I don’t believe that being dog-friendly is a corporate-wide policy for Hyatt. So, what made you decide that this Hyatt Regency Hakone should be dog friendly?
The hotel was originally built as a resort apartment in 2003. Hyatt began its renovation in 2006. There were six dog-friendly rooms. We had a choice: We could keep the dog-friendly rooms, or we could change them into six regular guest rooms. We decided to keep the dog-friendly rooms. We made sure that each of the dog-friendly rooms has a big cage space, a separate dog shower, toilet paper for dogs; a trash can to dispose the dog toilet paper, two bowls (water and food), wet tissues, and toilet bags for doggie strolls outside of the hotel.
Some dog-friendly hotels in the US offer doggie amenities, such as doggie cookies, doggie bed, doggie bowls and even doggie tennis balls. What doggie amenities does your hotel offer?
We hired a dog attendant, so that we could provide our doggie-guests with special services. For example, we offer our doggie-guests with a welcome doggie snack when they first check in. We have room service for our doggie-guests. We also offer doggie manicure and hair brushing service. In fact, our unique doggie service has gained some reputation among the dog lovers in Japan.
Does Haru, the Residential Dog, belong to someone who works in the hotel?
Actually, we bought the dog. We hired a dog-trainer when he was three months old. The trainer still comes once a month to give Haru remedial training. Haru learned to welcome guests by opening the automatic door and keeping the door open until the guests are inside the hotel lobby. He wears a scarf, which is the same color as the staff’s uniform. He also wears a name tag just like all staff. He is quite well known among the Japanese dog-lovers.
Where does Haru sleep? Does he have a doggie room with a panoramic view all to himself?
I live in the Hotel, and Haru stays with me at night. During the day time Haru is with the Dog Attendant, working with him to help our doggie-guests.
Do you think Haru contribute to maximizing your hotel room revenue?
Haru is a famous dog. He has been picked up by various magazines and websites. Many of our guests like dogs. While they are checking in, they see Haru, they smile. He is their first contact in our hotel. Haru contributes to selling the brand of our hotel. Also, he helps to raise the occupancy rate of the Dog-Friendly Rooms.
On a more serious note, as living standard improves, affluent societies are increasingly showing their concerns for their pet’s or pets’ welfare. In light of this development, do you foresee that pet-guests will become more common and that they could be a significant source of incremental revenue income?
Japanese birth rate has been dropping steadily over the years. It is said that we have more dogs than babies. Also, in Japan we are starting to help abused dogs. I think that pet-guests will become increasingly common and an important source of revenue income.
I know that the traditional channel of distribution for manufactured goods in Japan is completely different from that of the US or European markets. How does the Japanese channel of distribution in the travel market work?
In the past, most travelers depended on travel agencies to arrange their bookings. Today, there are still quite a number of Japanese travelers who rely on travel agents. However, many are also using online travel sites to make bookings as well as booking directly with the airline or hotel.
Some of the European and American chain hotels are facing difficulties with powerful OTAs in maintaining rate parity. Do Japanese hotels also face the same problems?
In Japan, we are just starting to use OTAs on a full scale. We are finding our way to utilize OTAs effectively and timely in order to sell rooms. The development of OTAs has brought us several new ways of selling; for example, lastminute.com, groupon.com, etc. It is an important channel for airlines and hotels.
What are the most important lessons you’ve learned from your current job?
I’ve learned so many things from my current job. I can say that I am learning something every day. The most important lesson I’ve learned is that there is always more to learn, therefore, we need to always keep an open and curious mind.
What were the proudest or the most satisfying moments in your career life?
If someone who used to work with me tells me with a happy face that his/her working experience with me was very valuable and that it brought him/her something positive, or if he or she says: “I was lucky to have worked with you“ and ”I learned so many things from you”, these words bring real joy and meaning to my life and make me very proud.
What advice would you offer to students and junior employees, who are inspired to become a GM someday?
First, one should develop one’s taste and knowledge of food, wine, furniture design and just art in general. Second, for hoteliers, the first couple of years are the hardest. They need to learn everything about the Hotel’s products and services. The hotel business is human business --- they need to gain confidence talking to guests as well as to other employees. If they feel confident talking to others, it will make them feel more confident as a person.
Finally, in Japan job mobility is rather low. People do not change jobs often. Do you expect to stay working as the GM for many years to come?
The younger generation is changing. They expect to move more often in their career than the older generation. As for me, currently I have no idea and no specific plan about my future. What I can say is that in my career, a new challenge always comes to me, whenever the situation calls for it. So, I am just working hard as always, learning, growing and enjoying every day.
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