The coronavirus outbreak, in addition to causing significant hardship for the global population and the healthcare industry, also affected businesses and companies. Businesses with a crisis management strategy in place were able to mitigate the impact of the pandemic and continue to operate successfully on the market, while maintaining high service standards.
It was not easy to run a hotel in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, given the lack of human and financial resources. In Georgia, many hotels maintain their service standards and are ready to protect and host customers by following safety regulations.
Hotels & Preference Hualing Tbilisi is managed by BTL Hospitality Group and is a successful example of how to manage a hotel during the pandemic. The staff and management of this hotel, located in a sleek residential area on the edge of the town, have worked tirelessly to provide the best service possible to their guests.
This high-class hotel has a brand new General Manager. Mr. Patrick U. Buder is a foreign specialist who’s views on the future of Georgia’s hospitality industry, which is a vital sector for the local economy.
He was appointed the new cluster general manger for Georgia in February 2019. Before his arrival in Georgia Mr. Buder was Director of Projects & Operation at BTL Hospitality Group in China. He launched ‘BTL Collections,’ oversaw the expansion of the BTL brand, and supported the existing portfolio in operational issues.
After graduating in 1998 from the Hotel & Restaurant Management School HGF Thun, Switzerland, he began his career as a Chef in a 5-star Swiss hotel. His career path took him from the Middle East to South East Asia, China, and now Georgia.
Buder has worked in the luxury hotel sector for many years, from Leading Hotel of the World, to Small Luxury Hotels. He then took on the GM role in international hotel management firms like Accor Hilton and IHG.
“I was thrilled to join ‘Hotels & Preference Hotels’ in new and vibrant tourist destinations like Georgia. Mr. Buder said that he and his team aimed to engage the clientele in order to achieve higher levels of hospitality. They wanted to give our guests an experience that only Hotels & Preference By BTL Hospitality Group could offer and create a lasting love for our hotel and Georgia.
GEORGIA TODAY talked to him to learn more about the hotel’s pandemic crises management strategy and business in general, during such challenging times. We also wanted to know what BTL Hospitality is doing now and where it plans to go in the future.
“Because I had worked in Asia before my appointment in Georgia, prior to this, I had experience managing crisis situations, such as smaller pandemics and economic crises. Since my appointment in the corporate office, I have observed both the local business climate and the hotels that I manage. Hotels & Preference Hualing Tbilisi already has a niche and a good reputation on the Georgian market. Tbilisi’s tourism industry was diverse, creative and growing fast before the pandemic. I found this exciting and a pleasant surprise. We are already a major player in the Georgian tourism market. Our priority is to become brand ambassadors for BTL Hospitality Group and its luxury boutique brands such as WEI Retreats & Resorts, YU Boutique Hotels and DU House.
Businesses around the world are experiencing strange times. How difficult has it been for a hotel to run during the pandemic given the lack of financial and human resources?
There have been many challenges, but how you handle them is what matters. I believe our hotels have a strong foothold in Georgia because we have developed a successful planning program in the previous years and therefore, a lot of talent in-house over the last five year. Our managers also have a lot of experience.
Loyalty is also highly valued when you have an Asian-owned company. As such, we appreciate it when our employees stick with us in good times and bad.
We tried to retain as many employees as possible. We made sure to communicate with our staff so they could understand and support all of our decisions.
As a management firm, we are responsible for ensuring that fiscal management is strong and proven in good and bad times. As we monitored our cash flow over the years, our hotels have amassed sufficient resources. We have been able, to date to run our business without any loans or capital injections. Taking care in normal or good times will always pay off when times are bad.
Could you please elaborate on BTL Hospitality’s mission and the projects it is implementing?
The use of the Hotels & Preference brand in Tbilisi, Georgia is an exception. BTL (Bo Tai Lai Hospitality Group) has its own brands. Currently, Mr. Philip Wei Li founded and manages the following hotel brands: luxury range WEI Retreat, YU, luxury 5* star hotel BOLUN and French fashion hotel FAUCHON. Theme hotel DU HOUSE and DOMUS are also part of this list.
BTL Hospitality Group has offices in Beijing and Shanghai. The hotels are located in Japan, Georgia and China. Projects are also underway in the Philippines, Laos and the Middle East. The international pipeline has slowed down due to the pandemic. However, BTL Hospitality Group has five hotels in China that are currently under construction and due to open shortly. Our property in Japan’s Hokkaido is called WE TOYA, and was designed by star architect Kengokuma, who also designed Tokyo’s stadium for the 2020 Olympics. BTL hotels are known to be very design-oriented with a vision that “From the Orient, providing Global Hospitality Service”.
We are also building a luxury boutique-hotel with 120 rooms for the Georgian market. It is called YU Boutique Hotel. The opening date is 2023. Construction was slowed down by the pandemic but is now on track. The rooftop will feature a garden, a rooftop bar and unique, spectacular recreational facilities.
What do you think the future holds for BTL Hospitality Group?
BTL Hospitality Group has a presence both internationally and in Georgia. They are active in attracting investors and providing technical service and management to provide quality service to customers. We may be a small group, but we have the advantage of being able to adapt and react more quickly to new and upcoming trends, or individual preferences, and are more flexible than large operators. Our experience in the luxury industry and in Asia also allows us to better understand Asian tourism segments, markets and niches than our competitors. I believe Georgia should and can attract these markets and we are actively planning in this direction. The Asian and
Food is one of the most important things that Chinese consumers are looking for. However, it all depends on how you present your products and how well they sell. In Georgian cuisine as well as in Asian culture meat and pork play a major role. Both countries share certain similarities. The same is true for drinks. As Asians are curious about culture and history, they can easily adapt to Georgia.
What do you think the future of the hospitality industry in Georgia will be post-COVID? What should be done to ensure its economic recovery?
Georgia was my first visit in December 2019. It was my first visit to Georgia and the Caucasus and I was very positively surprised. The concept of restaurants and shops is very vibrant.
There are also many people with creative minds. This is my honest opinion. There is talent everywhere, and there are more opportunities for development. We are always focused on the challenges, but rarely see the opportunities. We need to be able to see these opportunities and make the most of them! Georgia is a beautiful, historic, cultural and historical country. It has much to offer. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic I haven’t seen much of Georgia yet, but I will definitely explore it once the situation improves. I visited the Kakheti area recently and was pleasantly amazed by its incredible landscapes and nature. The locals are very friendly and nice.
I would say that there are many similarities between nations. We may look and talk differently, but we always have basic similarities. We just need to look at the fundamental values.
The pandemic has had a devastating effect on the world, and recovery will take some time. Georgia is no exception, since it has a smaller population than China or Japan. It cannot rely on domestic tourism. Georgia must decide what kind of tourism it wants, as not every type of tourism is suitable for the country. To create sustainable growth, they need to focus on a few segments. Summer and winter tourism are both possible in the country, but the summer season is better known regionally. The winter season is a niche market from an international perspective. Medical tourism is still a relatively new segment, and its volume is small. It has a great potential with the correct infrastructure. Airline issues are also a concern, even though the air traffic is increasing, which is a good thing. We need to discuss this more in order to create a sustainable, long-term strategy that will benefit the entire tourism industry.
Interview with Ana Dumbadze
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