At Langham, it’s all about poise
Print Edition
STRAIGHT-FORWARD, sincere, meticulous, fair and humorous — these are some of the words Sven Isberg’s associates and acquaintances used to describe the German native who is currently the managing director of The Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi, a 357-key luxury five-star hotel in the heart of the city.
Isberg moved from Shenzhen three months ago to take the helm of Langham Hospitality Group’s flagship property in China, his first-ever appointment in Shanghai after working in the country for 17 years. The Hamburg-born hotelier said spectacular brand heritage and individuality in hardware delivered through impeccable service sets The Langham apart.
“Coming from the first grand hotel in Europe makes us special in terms of heritage,” Isberg said, referring to the 150-year-old Langham London. “With luxury at the core, each Langham hotel maintains its own individual flair and atmosphere though the service of the brand and the poise we deliver always remain the same.”
Joining Langham Hospitality Group in 2011 as one of the pre-opening team for The Langham, Shenzhen, Isberg said his understanding of luxury is all about the meaning of the word “poise.”
“Luxury has a lot of things and I personally very much agree with this one word ‘poise,’ which means you are proud of servicing or being of service,” he said. “Because serving does not mean you are a lower person; it is quite the contrary: you are very distinct about what you do, better than most in serving and you have the confidence of that. That distinguishes us from others and that is how we view our service delivery.”
An international hotelier and a business man, Isberg’s enthusiasm in the industry dates back to his high school days when he worked as a bartender on weekends, his first exposure to hospitality industry. Instead of going to university or college, he decided to do an apprenticeship, a decision he never regretted. He later continued his studies in hotel management at Cornell University in the United States as he took off for a truly international and successful career.
“I am very lucky because I picked what I really enjoyed,” Isberg said. “The job is about people, in every shape or form, being it guests, employees or owners. Besides, there is always something new and different, and every day something that’s not on the list may happen. Finally, it connects with travel. All of them I enjoy very much.”
A hardworking and goal-oriented person, Isberg swiftly climbed up the career ladder at Hilton properties in Munich, Istanbul, Seoul and Taipei and became the youngest Hilton general manager at the age of 35.
In a highly competitive luxury hotel market like Shanghai, where almost every brand that a person could think of can be found, Isberg believes that hotels will make their service and delivery more and more local to adapt to a changing clientele.
“The business mix of hotels in terms of nationality has changed dramatically in China over the past 17 years, with domestic travelers rising rapidly and foreign components getting smaller,” he said. “That requires us, as hoteliers, to adjust our delivery, in most cases, putting minor touches and changes that will make all the difference.”
He cited slippers as an example. The quality of slippers is of utmost importance to Chinese guests compared to Westerners, many of whom would either find them too small or simply don’t have the habit to wear them in rooms with carpets. Local guests, however, are impressed by high-quality slippers.
Local touches aside, direct and genuine service is what he thinks is key to win over guests.
“We hope to create a genuine atmosphere and deliver genuine care with poise to individual guests,” Isberg said.
A small hotel group that owns most of its properties, Langham is now taking a different approach in China — going for more management contracts — to accelerate its local expansion. It is introducing Cordis, categorized in the upper upscale segment carrying a younger, fresher, more trendy and friendly image. The first one is scheduled to be opened early next year at the city’s Hongqiao hub. In addition to that, seven new hotels — under the brand of The Langham, The Langham Place and Cordis — will also be unveiled in 2017 in Hefei, Chongqing, Dalian, Changsha, Datong and Nanjing.
A family man, Isberg can often be found on some rugby or football field with his boys on the weekends.
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