《大酒店》十二月封面故事:經典傳承 揚帆遠航 ——專訪重慶來福士洲際酒店蒲克南先生

A Classic Sailing Boat to Future Success

——Exclusive Interview with Mr. Achim Brueckner,

General Manager of InterContinental Chongqing Raffles City

 

經典傳承 揚帆遠航

——專訪重慶來福士洲際酒店總經理蒲克南先生

重慶這座城市有多重身份：奇特立體，錯落有致是「山城」；穿江而過，坐擁兩江是「江城」；雲輕霧重，朦朧飄渺是「霧都」；夏季漫長，冬季無雪是「火爐」，因魔幻3D的地形，豐富多樣的美食，熱情好客的氛圍以及美不勝收的景色而深受年輕人喜愛。2020年8月1日，洲際酒店集團旗下的地標性超高層城市酒店--重慶來福士洲際酒店盛大開業，為重慶這座「網紅」城市新增打卡景點。

酒店雄踞朝天門龍頭位置，位於都會核心來福士商圈， 坐擁長江、嘉陵兩江美景,離解放碑、洪崖洞等知名景點近在咫尺。總經理蒲克南先生說道：「重慶是個網紅城市，我們不光離景點商圈近，酒店本身也是個地標性景點，酒店正對的朝天門廣場對重慶本地人來說是一個充滿情懷的地方，酒店的建築也是一個奇觀，吸引了很多遊客甚至本地人來打卡。」重慶來福士洲際酒店擁有歷史感和時尚感兼備的城市特點，同時又繼承了洲際集團詮釋的「經典」。「洲際集團品牌特質之一就是與本地的聯結，我們相信我們的客人來到一個地方是為了擁有真正的本地化體驗，所以對本地文化的洞悉和升華貫穿在我們的服務和產品中。」 蒲克南先生解釋道。

重慶來福士洲際酒店從外觀設計上，印有「山水之城」的特點，國際知名建築大師摩西·薩夫迪（Moshe Safdie）及其設計團隊根據朝天門廣場的地形特點，以渝中半島的地形和山城歷史文化為靈感，在長江、嘉陵江交匯處的朝天門打造了這組形似「帆船」、由八棟摩天大樓組成的建築群。兩棟超高層建築如同「帆船」的桅杆，重慶來福士洲際酒店便位於其中一根桅杆的頂部，採用突破性的弧線形結構，仿佛「帆船」正在乘風破浪、揚帆遠航。蒲克南先生著重介紹道：「TheCrystal水晶連廊的正式開放標誌著重慶來福士的最終落成，這座300米長的水平摩天大樓坐落在250米處，橫跨八座大樓中的四座。薩夫迪建築事務所設計的重慶來福士從本質上回應了這片特殊的場地，作為對城市特色以及山地景觀和極端氣候的雙重回應。該項目體現了在高度發達的城市中心內解決人口密度、社區連通性和城市更新等問題的成熟思考。」

酒店如同一艘大船揚帆起航，其房間設計也呼應延續了「帆船」的概念。高居44至65層的380間豪華客房及套房，創意引用遊艇客艙的視覺元素。房間每個角落都充滿著曲線美，讓人感到舒適愉快。蒲克南先生補充道：「酒店所有的客房都是景觀客房，落地窗之外便是迷人山水夜景。房間設施上，酒店定製的皮具、配備的戴森吹風機、Tivoli藍牙音箱、Nespresso咖啡機和和智能電視系統IHG Studio等多種人性化的科技應用則是為了讓客人在感知本地氛圍的同時擁有與洲際品牌匹配的奢華的居停感受。」

重慶是美食之都，重慶來福士洲際酒店是城市的縮影，囊括了各類美食，滿足客人的味覺需求。在採訪過程中，蒲克南先生向我們詳細介紹各大餐廳：「在設立餐廳概念時，我們就意圖將「酒店感」淡化，把我們的餐廳和酒吧打造成能夠吸引人專程過來打卡消費的場所，而不僅僅是服務酒店客人的餐廳。位於42樓的「空中花園餐廳及酒吧」，得名於我們在250米高空栽種了很多真實的樹木，像是對山城的「魔幻感」的致敬。「空中花園餐廳及酒吧」包括5間風格迥異的餐廳及酒吧：「重·林」，用新鮮香草、小食車、塗鴉、路燈等元素進行裝飾，給客人營造重慶的街頭的感覺，還原戶外家庭聚餐氛圍；中餐廳「菁」內飾靈感來自兩江交匯，採用大量色彩的碰撞，國潮的黑與金，代表江水的翠與橙，並由特邀的前上海Hakkasan行政主廚JeffTan呈現城中為數不多的正統粵菜以及一些結合本地風味的融合菜，配以豐富的酒水珍藏，給全城食客帶來別樣體驗；若客人是酒水愛好者，可到「航」，品味行家侍酒師對於紅酒、威士忌、雞尾酒的全新詮釋，同時享受地中海風味的珍饈佳餚。「會當凌絕頂，一覽眾山小」是大堂吧「覽」的名字來源，賓客可在這享受愜意的下午茶同時，俯覽城市風景。」

蒲克南先生擁有30多年的酒店管理經驗，其足跡遍布世界多個國家，深諳奢華服務之道。在他看來，真正的奢華服務是全方位、充滿人情味、內斂而又無處不在的，這些都無法被當下流行的高科技應用取代。他吐露：「重慶來福士洲際酒店傳承洲際集團『真正的待客之道』。讓人為人服務，展現真心和溫暖，這才能把普通的停留變成體驗。我們一直致力於將洲際的品牌特點和本土風土人情相結合，為客人打造個性化體驗。」他不僅在意客人的體驗，還注重員工的感受。在採訪現場，他分享他的團隊管理經驗：「賦能授權和溝通是我的管理非常重要的部分。我鼓勵我的團隊通過會議和團建加強部門之間的交流，確保所有人了解對於現在的我們來說什麼是重要的，並且我們會設想各種場景演練事情發生後如何進行補救。我鼓勵他們勇敢做出決定，就算犯錯，只要是事後會進行反思的錯誤，都會幫助我們向下次正確的決定更前進一步。我擁有一個非常國際化、來自五湖四海的團隊，順暢的溝通和成功的決策對我們來說是必須。」

2020年，發生了很多故事，打亂了一些計劃。「本來我們的開業日期是今年年初，疫情導致我們8月才開業，並且依然有半數房間和幾間餐廳沒有開放。」蒲克南先生談起疫情的影響。但變化也帶來驚喜，「我們在設計產品的時候就照顧到了任何消費群體的需求，再加上重慶網紅城市的流量，我們的起步還是比較順利的。在境外旅遊受限的情況下，大家也會把目光轉向國內，選擇城市旅遊，而我們酒店無論從哪個方面來說，都是不二之選。」事實證明，重慶來福士洲際酒店開業即轟動。重慶來福士洲際酒店集經典與特色於一體，無論前方是風平浪靜，還是大風大浪，它都有實力乘風破浪，揚帆遠航！

The city of Chongqing is a melting pot. The spectacular landscape earned it the name of the 「Mountain City」, and the two rivers passing through carried it the fame of the 「River City」. Clouds and mysterious fog surround this 「City of Fog」. Summers last longer here, and winters are warmer. The landscape, the scenery, the specialties and the hospitality of its people have gained Chongqing great popularity among the younger generation and on social media. On August 1, 2020, the opening of InterContinental Chongqing Raffles City, the iconic InterContinental Hotels Group skyscraper hotel, unveiled yet another landmark in this attractive city.

 

Located at the prime spot of the Chaotianmen Square and in the center of the core Jiefangbei business zone, InterContinental Chongqing Raffles City enjoys the fantastic view of both Jialing River and Yangtze River, within easy reach to famous tourist attractions such as Jiefangbei and Hongyadong. 「Chongqing is a highly-recognized tourist destination on social media. Our hotel is within easy walking distance to the shopping mall and scenic spots. The Chaotianmen Square right beneath us is full of cultural heritage. Meanwhile, the hotel itself is an architectural masterpiece. These factors attracted visitors and local residents to the hotel,」 said Mr. Achim Brueckner, General Manager of InterContinental Chongqing Raffles City. InterContinental Chongqing Raffles City interprets the classic brand heritage of InterContinental and combines it with the trendy and fashionable atmosphere in Chongqing. 「Localization is one of InterContinental’s brand characteristics. We believe guests visit a place to experience the authentic local culture, and thus we incorporated our understanding and interpretation of the local culture in our services and products,」 Achim explained.

 

The architectural design of Raffles City Chongqing by the globally renowned architect Moshe Safdie and his design team was inspired by the landscape of Yuzhong Peninsula and the local culture of the 「Mountain City」. Fitting the landscape of Chaotianmen Square, the team created a sailboat -shaped collection of eight skyscrapers at Chaotianmen, facing both the Jialing River and the Yangtze River. InterContinental Chongqing Raffles City is located right on top of one 「mast」 of this 「sailing boat」, featuring a breakthrough arc-shaped structure, as if the 「sailing boat」 is breaking the winds and waves. 「The Crystal, an enclosed 300-meter-long horizontal sky bridge that sits atop four of the eight buildings at a height of 250 meters, is the crown jewel of Raffles City Chongqing. Designed by Safdie Architects, Raffles City Chongqing responds to the city's character as well as its mountainous landscape and extreme climate. The project embodies a considered approach to issues of population density, community connectivity, and urban renewal within a highly developed city center,」 Achim introduced.

 

Resembling the exterior design, the interior design of InterContinental Chongqing Raffles City also adopts the theme of sailing boats, incorporating elements of luxurious cruise ship cabins into its 380 luxury guest rooms and suites on the 44th to 65th floor. The curvy design brings an extra sense of comfort to guests. 「All guest rooms and suites are river view rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the charming scenery of mountains, rivers and the city. In terms of facilities, we have customized leather items, Dyson hairdryer, Tivoli Bluetooth speakers and wireless charger, Nespresso coffee machine and smart TV system IHG Studio, among all our cutting edge offers to infuse destination stay experience with the luxury flair of the InterContinental brand,」 Achim added.

 

Chongqing is a city of gastronomy, and InterContinental Chongqing Raffles City aims to woo the city with its selection of drinks and cuisines. During the interview, Achim introduced Sky Garden Restaurants & Bars. 「When designing the concept of our restaurants, we wished to minimize the impression of hotel outlets by positioning our bars and restaurants beyond hotel dining rooms, they should be destinations that attract guests of their own. Sky Garden Restaurants & Bars on the 42nd floor is located inside the magnificent Crystal, combining five restaurants and bars and featuring a real botanical environment at a height of 250 meters. Botanica replicates the atmosphere of picnics and outdoor gatherings with elements such as herbs, food trucks, graffiti and street lamps. Decorated with contrasting palettes of black and gold, turquoise and orange, Jing Dining Room & Bar presents authentic Cantonese cuisine and fusion dishes inspired by local flavors and spices specially crafted by former Executive Chef of Hakkasan Shanghai, Jeff Tan, plus an extensive wine and cocktail menu. Wine, whisky and cocktail drinks are available for guests at The Maven, along with Mediterranean nibbles and gourmets. Horizon offers an amazing view of the Chongqing skyline for guests enjoying an afternoon tea time. 」

With a wealth of over 30 years of experience in hotel management across the globe, Achim understands luxury the way it should be. For Achim, luxury service should go beyond simply applying high-tech facilities, but to be around, considerate, attentive, and always go an extra mile. 「InterContinental Chongqing Raffles City embodies True Hospitality, sharing knowledge and taking care of guest to turn a stay into an experience. We are committed to embrace the local culture whilst exceling in our brand hallmarks to create personalized services for our guests,」 Achim said. In his philosophy of delivering great guest experience, Achim attaches great importance to team work. During the interview, Achim shared his insights in team management, 「Empowering and communication are important facets of team management. I encourage my team to improve communication across departments through meetings and team building activities, ensuring that every individual understands our current goals and priorities. We practice problem handling in scenarios and I encourage my team to make decisions independently. Every mistake, as long as it is reflected upon afterward, will be fundamental to making the next right decision. As our team has members from all over the globe, smooth communication and effective decision-making are essential to us.」

 

The year 2020 had been quite eventful against careful planners』 wishes. 「Our opening was originally planned in the beginning of this year. Due to the pandemic, we delayed the opening till August, and still have half of the rooms and few restaurants yet to open,」 said Achim on the impact of the pandemic. Yet changes are accompanied by surprises. 「We knew we had to drive F&B, and that remained our strategy throughout. We were especially mindful of the needs and wants of the locals, and we did numerous research on how to cater to the taste buds of a city with such a distinct gourmet culture, eventually in our Sky Garden Restaurants & Bars, we made sure we have something for everyone. With the social media influence and smooth recovery of Chongqing, we had a fairly smooth start. Since overseas travels are limited and domestic city tourism is booming, our hotel easily became a prime choice for tourists.」 In fact, the opening of InterContinental Chongqing Raffles City has been a proven success, the sailing boat that is InterContinental Chongqing Raffles City will certainly ride the waves and winds towards a bright future.