Yang Mei

yangmei_szdaily@163.com

MR. Scott Murray, who has recently been appointed as general manager of The Langham, Shenzhen, is confident he can lead his team to tide over the difficulties caused by the coronavirus outbreak and get well-prepared for a brighter future.

“I took over the hotel in a period of closure, which was a very challenging time. My first job was to get the hotel reopen and now we’ve seen very good results coming,” the general manager told Shenzhen Daily, adding that “the hotel’s occupancy rate is growing and the food and beverage department is also bouncing back.”

A seasoned hotelier, Murray has over 20 years’ experience working with hotels in Asia and the Middle East. Over the past few months since Murray took the helm, he has been focusing on instilling confidence in customers through a range of preventive measures as he stressed that “the safety and well-being of guests and staff is our top priority.”

“What the world is experiencing now is unprecedented. The confidence of travelers has been shattered and people are afraid to go out. So our hotel has been very vigilant and precautionary with all sorts of measures including body temperature checks, sanitization and requirements of green health QR codes so as to ease the concerns for our guests,” said Murray. He thinks highly of Shenzhen’s control and prevention measures, saying that “Shenzhen is probably one of the safest places right now.”

Murray’s life motto is “Good enough is never good enough,” which drives him to push harder and to strive for the best as the industry evolves. “As a successful leader, you have to be passionate, relentless and resilient and always have a positive attitude and be ready to make a difference,” the general manager said.

These qualities that Murray attributes to his success turned out to be particularly important during the pandemic. “I believe crisis presents opportunities. This difficult period gives us an opportunity to rethink and review everything we are doing, to reenergize and reestablish ourselves so that we can be well-grounded for a better future,” he said.

To keep business going, the luxury hotel, under the leadership of Murray, is also turning to digital platforms in order to stay connected with their customers amid the outbreak. For example, the hotel has been live streaming on Fliggy, a popular online travel platform owned by Alibaba, to promote its signature afternoon tea. Recently the hotel has also launched an online food delivery platform to reach as many diners as possible. In addition, it has also created a video account on WeChat to promote packages and programs such as the “Staycation,” which enables local guests to enjoy getaways from their homes in Shenzhen.