“What we created at Rissai Valley, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve is truly a new level of hospitality in China and will help others to pursue higher standards in luxury and guest experience.”
Luxury hotel group Ritz-Carlton unveiled Rissai Valley, their first Reserve in China, in June last year. The 87 villa Reserve is nestled in China’s secluded Jiuzhaigou Valley — a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name “Rissai” is a transliteration of the Tibetan word for “village”. It is the sixth property in a rare portfolio of exclusive estates worldwide.
I visited this amazing resort a while ago. There I met Dutchman Marcel Damen, and Marcel has a lot of information to share when it comes to Rissai Valley.
- What do you do at the Rissai Valley, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve?
I am the General Manager of Rissai Valley, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve and joined 2 years ago as the first employee of the pre-opening team for the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve in China!
- Tell us about your journey, how did it all start?
My journey goes back a long way when I was still a young boy in primary school I dreamed of becoming a chef.
I do not know where that dream came from since none of my family members or close relatives that time worked in hospitality.
To pursue my dream I went to culinary school, learned how to cook and serve and at a very young age of 14 I started to work in the weekends in a local fine dining restaurant in the kitchen to help in the kitchen. That was the start of my career in hospitality.
- What made you decide to pursue a career in the hospitality industry?
Hospitality industry is always evolving and what I like the most is that it opens the world to you meeting guests, working with all kinds of people with different background and culture and be living and working in a place where others look forward to be part off.
- How would you define the purpose of a hotel?
A place where guests are taken care of in each and every detail to fulfill their needs of travel.
- What experience have you had in hotel industry?
Since my early beginnings, I worked as a Chef, Waiter, F&B and Rooms Trainee, experiencing almost all areas of the operations. Sales & Marketing, Front Office Manager, Director of Rooms, Hotel Manager up to General Manager across the globe in various places and 9 countries.
- What education have you received in hotel management and hospitality?
After culinary school I attended the Hotel School in Amsterdam, Netherlands before I started to work for Marriott.
7. What motivates you about working in hospitality?
The people I meet and am surrounded with.
Learning about their life experiences fascinates me the most. And as a hospitality leader there is never a dull moment, we need to swiftly adapt to the ongoing changes in the industry and the market where you operate.
- Why do you want to be a manager for this hotel chain?
The company has supported me along my career path and given growth opportunity that benefits me both professionally and personally. There is a very good support mechanism and after these many years it feels like family to me.
- What have and what will you try to accomplish in this resort?
Setting a new benchmark in luxury hospitality in China.
What we created at Rissai Valley, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve is truly a new level of hospitality in China and will help others to pursue higher standards in luxury and guest experience.
- What category of guests do you receive? Leisure, business, domestic?
Purely leisure for our property and destination while we see more and more inbound guests who choose us for the unique experience.
- What attractions would you recommend to resort guests?
Suggested itinerary is a 3-night stay or longer.
Spend at least one day inside our resort to wonder around the hotel landscape, take pictures, enjoy the spa and relax, enjoy the unique Jiuzhai & Sichuan cuisine we offer, relax in our spacious villa on the terrace or inside and interact with our “local” employees that can share more about the culture, history, dance and singing rituals.
Visit the Jiuzhaigou National park, which is just 15-minute drive from the property. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the nature, lakes, waterfalls which are fascinating at any time of the year.
Furthermore, there are local activities such as visiting a local Tibetan family house, nearby hiking routes, horse riding or simply enjoy the peace the hotel is surrounded by.
- What is the USP (Unique Selling Proposition) of the resort? How has the resort positioned itself in this competitive market?
Situated within close proximity to UNESCO World Heritage Site Jiuzhaigou National Park in Sichuan province, Rissai Valley is nestled amid the majestic rolling mountains and wild forests, yet within steps of traditional Tibetan villages that still embrace ancient ways of life.
Drawing inspiration from these mythical surroundings that have inspired countless fairytales, Rissai is a transliteration of the Tibetan word for village, while Jiuzhaigou means nine villages.
The name Rissai Valley signifies a deep connection with its surroundings, weaving together indigenous culture with the pristine natural landscape.
At Rissai Valley, guests can find replenishment in nature and through the soulful experiences that tap into local culture.
Upon arrival, guests set foot into another realm where they are warmly welcomed with the heartfelt Zhaxi Dele Tibetan ceremony and blessing. As evening falls, guests are invited to participate in the Night Ritual during which a Guozhuang celebratory dance and prayer dating back thousands of years is performed by the open fire.
Guests can also get in touch with authentic Tibetan culture through unscripted experiences provided by the dedicated team of local Experience Ambassadors comprised of homegrown artisans, naturalists, chefs and healers.
Surrounded by beautiful scenery, Rissai Valley is a peaceful setting for guests to discover the artistry of Tibetan folk dance and classical music and find balance through the meditative practice of Thangka painting.
- Could you tell us about some new initiatives that the resort has recently unveiled?
We are offering our guests a 24 hour stay experience, meaning if guest arrives to Jiuzhaigou via an evening flight the guest can book a similar return flight back to fully maximize their stay experience and time at this very unique destination, without worrying about checking out at regular hotel check out time (12 noon). This is to maximize the guest stay experience.
14. What incentives do you offer to travel agents and tour operators?
We have a large network of travel partners that have been loyal to Ritz-Carlton and Marriott Luxury Group both domestically and globally and serve a large customer base of High Net Worth individuals. What are important to them and their clients are personalized service and much flexibility.
We train our ladies & gentlemen to always ensure the genuine care and comfort of our guests is our highest mission to ensure our Travel partners do not have to worry about their clients stay experience.
We can take care of many of the guest needs such as transportation, tours and activities, so there is no need for a local DMC.
15. What is your leadership style?
I like to provide clear direction and expectations on the vision of the brand and set high expectations on details to support this vision. Then I empower my team to follow this direction and have their strengths flourished to contribute to this common goal.
16. In your opinion, what is the most challenging aspect of a hotel manager’s job?
A challenging factor in today’s hospitality world is to keep up and constantly enhance and evolve the service delivery to our guests while employees looking for fast track career progression, which impacts the consistency since younger generation always looking for further growth opportunities.
To ensure we maintain a solid service level we look at ways to develop our ladies & gentlemen within the property or offer transfer opportunities within the company.
Simultaneously we have been fortunate to have received many talented individuals from within the company that joined us to further grow their career.
17. Tell us about a time when you demonstrated your leadership.
Real leadership comes out at time of crisis. In my career I have faced some different crisis situations where I needed to take charge and made quick and clear decisions.
I recall a situation back at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach where I had to evacuate a large wedding holiday group after Hurricane Wilma passed Miami and completely destroyed the city’s infrastructure including loss of electricity.
Air-condition ceased operating in the entire hotel, no elevators were working, also major disruption to the food delivery – there were about 150 guests in the wedding group that flew from across the globe to celebrate activities for an entire week in Miami!
While the city was on a standstill after the hurricane, they wished to stay at the hotel to continue their celebrations.
Since it was just irresponsible to keep such a large group in the hotel with such conditions and the mood of many family members already started to change, I “ordered” the meeting planner to move the entire group to The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota across the state in an area not affected.
I organized busses and booked their accommodation and activities, while the entire group returned 3 days later we welcomed them back with our entire hotel team in a wall of applause and the guests literally hugged and kissed all of our ladies & gentlemen because they were so happy to be back at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach to continue their Miami celebrations and activities!
18. Can you read financial statements?
Yes I believe I am rather savvy at reading financial statement, always analyze the numbers and monitor trends to see where we can further improve while not impacting the guest satisfaction.
19. Have you handled a budget before?
Yes since I was a teenager and my parents provided me “clothing allowance” so I had to budget my spending on clothing, learning you can’t spend more then you have and need to ensure proper cash flow to be able to buy as well the seasonal clothes such as a more expensive winter jacket or shoes when they need to be changed.
20. Have you in the last 12 months read something or taken a class about hospitality?
Our company offers a lot of online training; I do enjoy to completing them, mostly outside of working hours so I can fully focus on the courses.
Furthermore I keep myself informed on hospitality industry and business trend, watch (international) news daily but also use the internet to strengthen my knowledge.
21. What experience do you have with marketing and promotions?
Especially in the pre-opening of my current property I have been much involved in all kind of marketing and promotional efforts to launch the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve in China and introduce Rissai Valley to the market.
Understanding the different PR and marketing tools and strategies, especially for the Chinese super-fast changing customer environment this is so unique compare to other parts of the world. To be part of this has been a very valuable experience for me.
22. What are some of the new trends the resort is witnessing?
Guests seem to value the more unique experiences that money can’t buy. At a Ritz-Carlton Reserve we offer that.
23. How will you react to a negative review or complaint from a guest while staying at the resort?
I welcome all feedback and I am not afraid to connect to a guest directly and learn more about their feelings and find a way to seek ways to rectify what has happened. It is important that a guest feels valued.
24. How would you deal with a difficult customer?
The more experienced you are in your career the more comfortable you will be to deal with any kind of unusual guest situations.
25. What are your interests outside of work?
Enjoy my time with my family, a good meal and love sports and music.
26. What advice would you give to youngsters joining the field?
You would want to work with other people, guests, colleagues, personal interaction is required; working hours expected include different shifts, working over the weekends and public holidays when others are off.
* Dining Beyond delivers extraordinary and creative dining experiences beyond traditional F&B outlets.
Rissai Valley, a Ritz-Carlton Reserves are thoughtfully tailored to the guest who is going to celebrate special occasions.
Identify a breathtaking and intimate location the guest likes in the Valley, be in touch with nature and exclusive culinary delights for the unforgettable experiences. Customized menus designed for guest preference showcasing signature local foods in Jiuzhaigou district such as yak yogurt and highland barley tea. The chef will on-site cook the cuisine and Nieba (Personal Host) to offer the dedicated service throughout the dining.
