ID HOTELIER - To get better understanding the trend on hotel industry in Indonesia we have conducted an exclusive interview with Mr. Gavin Imanuel Siswadi who is now in charge as Hotel General Manager at Voxstay Karawang by Prasanthi Hotels & Resorts.
Would you please telling us more about your story with Hospitality Industry
Actually I started my career in Hospitality Industry since I was in Tourism High School (1998), I have chosen Hotel and Administration major at that time. I fully completed my education in Hospitality Industry in Sekolah Tinggi Pariwisata (STP) Bandung in 2005 for Diploma IV of Tourism Management.
Then, I became a Flight Attendant for Lion Air for a year ahead (2004 - 2005). After resigning from the company, I work for Public Relations and Information Bureau for Ministry of Culture and Tourism (this name given at that time, 2005).
These two positions open my mind to see the world, since I love traveling, In 2006 - 2012, I join a Production House & Event Organizers and work closely with multi dimensional sector of Tourism such as Airlines, Hotels, Travel Agents, Government, NGOs, etc. We collaborated to promote Indonesia both in Domestic and International market in Sales Mission, Participated in International Tourism Events, etc.
Times flies so fast, In 2012 the Online Company and much Start-Ups growth and I have been trusted to work there as Business Development. My Clients are mostly Hotel Owners, HM/GM of the , Revenue Fighters, and Marketing People, this is my quantum leap to learn fast about Hotel Industry while I work as their mutual partners in Online Travel Agents side.
In 2017, I started my career with closely relationship with Hotel Owner as Hotel Manager in The Gloria Suites Jakarta. Then, In 2018 and 2019 I worked for Topotels Hotels & Resorts and Sotis Hospitality Management as Corporate Key Account & Revenue Manager to handle more than 25 Hotels undersigned to maintain their revenue strategy development in earning the high productivity and profitability.
n 2020, I have been trusted by Prasanthi Hotels and Resort to run Voxstay Karawang as Hotel Manager. This is an unique, compact, and smart hotel. The concept is about Lodge Hotel. It has 100 rooms with 9M² Size. Do you believe it? YES, you should do.
Please mention few technologies support that you have for your hotel business ?
Talking about Technology is a way to develop our business and it walks and runs with our speed and needs. I always put the common technology in my way, but I always push this technology to the end, because technology made by Human and in hospitality industry such hotel, human cannot be changed by technology, both in personal touch or in private service.
Phone, Email, Social Media (IG, FB, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Google Business) and so on, As long as it does not cost us much and we are able to work with it , we use it.
How brave, how good, how hi-tech, and how bombastic the technology it is, it depends on human who organizing, using, and delivering this.
Please describe major changes in the hospitality industry in Indonesia and what is your suggestion to others about it?
Major Changes in Tourism industry faced by mostly hoteliers are the fright to be changed by technology.
Let's back to my opinion in previous at point #2. Technology is made by people, it must have guidelines and the most important thing, technology have to be humanized not human to be technologized.
Please Describe major challenges in the hospitality industry which need to be addressed
Major challenges in tourism is people mindset, movement become so fast, work become overwork, flow become overflow, and so on. People always look something from negative side.
It is the most hoteliers way. Stand and Guard are must, but there are some strategies to move forward.
For example, I always speed out my Sales Person not to shy about the price that they offer sometimes higher. offers value inside of it. IT will be come affordable.
EXAMPLE
Clients need 6 room for 2 nights, in OTAs room rate is IDR 125,000/room/nights. The sales person made a wrong offer, they offered IDR 135,000.
If we calculate:
6 Room x IDR 125,000 x 2 = IDR 1,500,000
6 Room x IDR 135,000 x 2 = IDR 1,620,000
In calculation, clients will choose number one scenario. But, after sales person explain well, the clients has chosen the second options. Why? the sales person has no way to use the entertainment permission from me as HM. The sales person didn't cheat on numbers. The sales person just tell the clients we will move their room close to each other in 1 roof unit. So the clients will have a communal space to use for FREE during their stay in our Hotel. The good one, the room rates for this package is only IDR 700 000. The sales person has closed his deal for 2 nights with IDR 170,000 exceed profitability per night.
Everybody Happy, right?