Sheraton Taipei Hotel emphasizes service, quality over price cuts

Not for the Sheraton Taipei Hotel, according to Josef Dolp, general manager of the hotel and area managing director for Taiwan of Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts.

“If you look at our (financial) results from January to November, we are one of the few companies in town to still have a revenue increase,” Dolp notes. And while he concedes the increase is “not much” at 1 percent, it is still better than the negative results and even double-digit losses of most other companies.

Under Dolp’s leadership, the Sheraton Taipei has been named by the World Travel Awards as the top Leading Business Hotel, Leading Conference Hotel, and Leading Hotel in Taiwan for the past two years.

In addition to the three existing hotels, Starwood will open another five hotels, most probably six in the near future, he adds.

Dolp’s business acumen is not a complicated one. “In the economic situation I think it’s important to keep a positive mindset ... and to look for opportunities also.”

“Also it’s very important to find the right balance,” he continues. “We are not looking into slashing our manpower. We are actually looking into increasing our productivity and looking into different ways of doing things.”

Dolp emphasizes quality of service and long-term relationships and results rather than dropping room rates and short-term fixes. “The main point is if your service is good and your people are good, the customer will be willing to pay the prices.”

“Unfortunately in the Taiwanese market some hoteliers don’t understand that,” he continues. “They are slashing their prices, which maybe has a positive impact for them in the short run but in the long run it has a negative impact, because in the hotel industry it is very difficult to get the rate back up again.”

“The Sheraton Taipei tries not to go this way,” Dolp stresses. “We will provide added value but we will not look into decreasing the rates too much. We will work on our service and improve on it to keep our loyal customers.”

The Sheraton Taipei underwent a three-year, NT$2 billion renovation that was completed in 2005, when Dolp signed onboard for his second tenure at the hotel. New perks exclusive to the Sheraton Taipei include its Executive Butler Service, featuring professionals trained by the Guild of Professional English Butlers.

But the renovation is not what Dolp is most proud of — it’s the people. “Our people do their best without being told.”

“In a competitive market like Taiwan, interaction with our customers is the major differentiator — not the hardware,” he observes. “We want to create warm, comforting connections with our customers.”

Quoting German author and poet Christian Morgenstern, the Austrian native sums up the Sheraton Taipei’s belief that “home is not where you live but where they understand you.”

To this end, the hotel’s training emphasizes the “five human truths,” which every customer as well as associate wish for: being understood, feeling special, wanting to belong, being in control, and reaching full potential, explains the general manager.

Going forward, Dolp says that it is important that Taiwan as a destination is promoted, and that the government look into how to enhance infrastructure in collaboration with the hotel business.

Branding and productivity are other issues that will take more precedence in the future for the hotel industry, as well as personalized service and talent management. “In the hotel business you deal with people and that’s the beauty of it ... and that’s also the challenge of it,” says the 20-year hotel industry veteran.

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