2020 General Manager Finalist Interview, featuring Christian Westbeld

Christian Westbeld is the General Manager of Raffles Hotel Singapore and a General Manager finalist for Stelliers 2020. Westbeld discovered his passion for hospitality at a young age while growing up in Frankfurt, Germany. Since his apprenticeship days at the airport hotel in Frankfurt, he has since travelled the world and worked his way to become the leader of one of Asia’s leading hotels. Learn more about his philosophies and the values that he stands for as a seasoned hotelier.

1. Describe your childhood and upbringing. Where and when did your initial interest in hospitality begin?

Born and raised in Frankfurt, Germany, I was brought up in a banking and finance family. I learned at a young age that I was drawn to hospitality and new destinations as a result of travelling throughout Europe on family trips.

As a young child, I was mesmerised by the well-choreographed dance that the hotel brigades delivered during dinner service and the pleasant tunes that the restaurant band played for the guests. Aside from the dining experience, I enjoyed trying new cuisines and showing sensitivity and respect to different customers, cultures and environments.

My fascination for travel grew with age. During my first long-haul travel to the United States, where I spent a year in High School in Maine, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life travelling and working around the globe.

My first hospitality apprenticeship was at the Sheraton Frankfurt Airport hotel. At the time, the Frankfurt airport was continental Europe’s largest airport –– the eye of Europe to the world. I chose to train as a hotel specialist at this specific hotel because it had the reputation of being one of the best training grounds for hoteliers in Germany. In this role, my passion to work abroad grew stronger and solidified my belief that the broader and deeper the foundation, the higher we continue to grow.  

Following the apprenticeship, I wanted to complete my formal education in global economics to learn the ropes of running a business at an international level. At the University of Applied Studies and Research in Wernigerode, Germany, I pursued a four-year dual-degree program, during which I completed two overseas internships and two semesters at an international partner university. For my two internships abroad, I spent them in Thailand where I met my mentors. For the overseas semesters, I returned to Maine in the United States and obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration, complementing the Diplom-Kaufmann degree earned in Wernigerode.

Upon graduation, I knew I wanted to return to Asia and begin a career in hospitality. With that said, I graduated in 2002, shortly after 9-11 and the difficulty in the job market led me back to a trainee role. At the Peninsula Manila, I began my journey and have since met incredible individuals, learned invaluable lessons and led a remarkable hospitality life.  

2. Was there a particular key turning point in your career that contributed to your success today?

For me, the turning points are at every corner in this industry. It is always about the people and the mentors that we meet. It is about how we relate to our mentors and supervisors, learning from them about the dos and don’ts of the industry.  

At my first job interview for the management trainee role in Manila, I met the Resident Manager on my one-day trip from Bangkok to Manila. During the phone conversation, I felt delighted that he showed a genuine interest in me as an individual. The feeling was echoed during the in-person meeting and the following day when he showed me around the property. I knew then that I respected the Resident Manager as a person, beyond his position. That was the moment when I realised what it means to work for the people versus the corporation.

Even at this moment, I remember the way that the Resident Manager made me feel and my experience at The Peninsula Manila. Over the last 20 years, I had the honour and privilege of working with some of the industry’s finest hoteliers who have influenced me to become who I am today.

3. COVID 19 has been (and still is) an immense challenge for the hospitality sector, can you share how you decided to lead your team and the property through this period? 

As we navigate through the on-going pandemic, Raffles Hotel Singapore continues to embody the philosophy that guides our service excellence, whilst maintaining the highest hygiene standards to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our guests and colleagues.

To address the on-going challenges, we introduced enhanced measures, adhering to the highest level of cleanliness protocols and ensuring that hygiene standards are met and surpassed. The hotel has been officially certified by the local authorities as adhering to the SG Clean programme requirements for cleanliness and hygiene safety. We have also launched the Accor ALLSAFE Cleanliness & Prevention Label, which represents some of the most stringent cleaning standards and operational protocols in the hospitality world.

The speed and scope of the current pandemic have posed extraordinary challenges for leaders today. The key to successful leadership during a pandemic of this magnitude is to exemplify the values of transparency, honest communication and decisive action. Each of these values needs to be supported by the underlying values of compassion and empathy. Delaying action or downplaying the threats unnecessarily makes people anxious – something we have consciously avoided. It is a time that calls for leaders to take responsibility and focus on solving problems.

In a hotel environment where many stakeholders are involved, transparent communication is key. Aside from constantly communicating with stakeholders, providing honest and accurate descriptions of reality is imperative to manage expectations. However, the message delivered must always include hope and a vision of how the situation may improve in the future. Without a positive outlook, resolving the crisis may be impossible.

A leader during these times also needs to be open to diverse opinions, a strategy I have employed in my role since day one. We remain focused on the end goal and are able to adjust swiftly to changes when necessary, be it in response to exploring new revenue streams or adapting to the “new normal”.

4. The hospitality industry has an interesting road ahead, what do you think the next few years hold for the sector and its recovery?

These are unprecedented times for the world and the hospitality industry. COVID-19 has impacted the entire globe, and the hotel industry is among the hardest hits. It is anticipated that pre-COVID-19 occupation rates may return by 2023 or later. Around the world, concepts like travel bubbles are being discussed on bilateral levels, whereas Asia seems to be ahead of the rest of the world with a glimpse of recovery.

Building trust and having uncompromising levels of hygiene and safety standards have become basic requirements for every property. Hotel operators have to understand varying concerns, fears and motivations of different source markets, creating plans of action for individual markets and being extremely flexible when adjusting to the ever-changing environment.

It is predicted that domestic leisure markets will dominate the next six to twelve months, before regional and international leisure travel return to normal levels. With that said, it is expected that non-essential corporate and MICE events will take an even longer time to return to normal.

For hotel operators, it will be imperative to create demand and new revenue streams. Cash flow management will remain a high priority, whereas investments could still be made in the digital environment as the pandemic has brought forward the impetus for the hospitality industry to accelerate their push for digitalisation.

5. Aside from being a hotelier, what is your passion?

Fitness is another true passion of mine. I am a firm believer that a healthy mind requires a fit body as a prerequisite to perform. Every day, I do a variety of fitness activities, from morning yoga, tennis, swimming, running to strength-training. When the schedule permits, I try to add a round of golf to round out the week!

6. What is the motto that you live by?

Never give up, never surrender.