FOR Dutch-born hotelier Henk Meyknecht, entrepreneurship is in his blood.

He was raised in a family of hoteliers, where everyone from his grandparents and siblings had or have their own businesses.

Meyknecht, who took over in February as general manager of the 458-room five-star Kempinski Hotel Suzhou in Suzhou Industrial Park, considers the top job at a big hotel - a position he has held for more than half of his career - very similar to running your own business.

"I learned from my parents that entrepreneurship is about taking an opportunity, working incredibly hard, accepting certain risks and riding through good times and hard times," says Meyknecht, a 28-year hospitality veteran whose professional stints have covered Europe, the Middle East, North America and Asia.

"Running a big hotel is also very entrepreneurial. You need to think, where do businesses come from? How do I keep guests coming back? How do I stimulate my employees? Where do I find new opportunities and what trends will occur in the next 12 months?"

Working as a cloakroom boy at his parents' hotel when just 13, Meyknecht had an early introduction to the trade, seeing both the glamor and hard work.

After taking his first official hotel job as a banquet department trainee at a hotel owned by the SAS Group in Norway, after graduation from hotel school, Meyknecht worked in various departments, including housekeeping, stores, accounting and security.

He then developed his career in food and beverage management, before switching to marketing, which he believes is the most challenging job in a hotel.

"Marketing looks very easy," says Meyknecht, who has a marketing degree from Cornell University in the United States. "But it is very difficult these days to fully understand the hotel market and forecast it correctly. As a professional marketing person I have a major responsibility in terms of revenue creation, and bad marketing decisions can cost jobs."

However, that doesn't mean his current general manager's job requires less effort. The supply-and-demand imbalance in the hotel market and a labor shortage remain Meyknecht's two biggest general concerns. But in Suzhou, however, he does not have to contend with an oversupply of hotels - at least not for now.

"The situation in Suzhou is healthier compared to Shanghai, where too many hotels were built before the World Expo 2010, causing fierce competition afterwards," he says.

"However, total room inventory in Suzhou, from two- to five-star facilities, is set to double within the next three years, including at least five or six major international five-star hotels, and that is going to affect prices."

One of Meyknecht's focus points is to get more stable corporate business, which now accounts for about 20 percent of Kempinski property revenue. This trails the 30 percent provided by leisure travelers and 50 percent from MICE - meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.

"Suzhou is developing itself more as a destination very dependent on MICE and leisure businesses," says Meyknecht, whose first contact with China goes back to 1987 when he worked in Beijing at Jianguo Hotel, one of the first joint-venture hotels in China, managed by Peninsular Hotels.

"MICE is the biggest source of our business and we will definitely develop it further in future, but at the same time I would like to see more balanced revenue stream - one third from each segment - as perfect."

Having spent the past 10 years of his career with luxury hotels, namely Marco Polo, Langham and now Kempinski, Meyknecht has his own understanding of what real luxury means.

"Luxury is about a feeling, a culture, a state of mind, a lifestyle and an attitude," he says. "Customers should be central to all your management thinking when you run a luxury hotel. Being luxury, you need to spend a lot of money on fresh flowers, elegant background music, beautiful fragrance and exquisite decoration, as well as many other elements that can help set the right culture in a hotel."

A proactive and detail-focused person, Meyknecht always plans his time weeks ahead, rather than days, a habit he has learned from his parents.

"Operating a successful luxury hotel doesn't happen by accident," he says. "It's about hard work, planning and being consistent."

Away from balancing the books as a hotel general manager, Meyknecht still concerns himself with money in his spare time - as an avid collector of historical and antique banknotes with a collection of hundreds.

Meyknecht says he plans to return to Europe by early 60s, bringing to an end what would then be 40 or so years as an international hotelier, with most of that time spent in China.

"The international hotel industry in China is still very young - development is in China and so the China story is not finished yet," says Meyknecht. "However, it is my desire to go back home within the next 10 years. Though I have a tremendous love for Asia, and in particular for China, my roots are very much in Europe."

This is a sweet-and-sour fish dish with a "squirrel-like" presentation. The mouth of the fish is positioned open and its tail bent upward to make it look like a squirrel. The chef scores the flesh into small squares and when the fish is deep-fried the cuts open to make it resemble fur. And as the chef spreads hot sauce on the fish in front of diners, a noise said to sound like a squirrel can be heard. It is said this dish was Emperor Qianlong's favorite. Peter Xu, the Chinese executive chef from Kempinski Hotel Suzhou, uses Mandarin fish from Taihu Lake. Shrimp, green beans and shelled corn add more flavor.

Enjoy authentic Bavarian cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere at Paulaner Brauhaus, the on-site German restaurant, sample mouthwatering appetizers, signature main courses, plus desserts sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. Pair a meal with two hours' free flow of fresh-brewed Paulaner beer for an unforgettable dining experience. For 1,188 yuan (US$186) net, you can enjoy one night in a spacious deluxe lakeview room, breakfast for two adults, high-speed Internet access, admission to the Health Club plus a three-course set menu with free flow of Paulaner beer for two hours for two. Valid until December 31.

February 2012 ~ present: General manager of Kempinski Hotel Suzhou



2010 ~ February 2012:Managing director of The Langham, Yangtze Boutique, Shanghai

1998 ~ 2010: General manager of Marco Polo Hotels in Shenzhen, Wuhan and Beijing