In an interview made possible through the good offices of Allen Wong, Member of the Conseil d’Administration and Bailli Délégué of China, the Chaîne News Online has learned about the background, thoughts and insights of Professional member, Stephan Krause. Stephan joined the Chaîne as a Maître Hôtelier in December 2012. Six years later he was promoted to be an Officier Maître Hôtelier.

Growing up on the south side of Berlin in Germany Stephan went through an apprenticeship to become a Chef. At 19 years old he began his career working abroad. A highflyer he moved into management when he was 24. Promotion followed swiftly to Assistant Director of Food and Beverage working with Princess Cruiseline P&O. His MBA (Master of Business Administration) qualification was achieved aged 29.

Exciting industry experiences followed, notably:
- Switzerland - Badrutt’s Palace St. Moritz – one of most famous family-owned establishments in Europe
- Cairo - at first Assistant Director of Food and Beverage at JW Marriott Cairo, followed by member of the Middle East and Africa taskforce
- China - Director of Food and Beverage at the Guoman Hotel in Shanghai
- China - promoted to Director of Operations at the Renaissance YuGarden Shanghai at age 36

He then participated in an AsiaPacific Development Programme becoming a General Manager at 39, first in Shenyang at the Pullman for two years after which he transferred to the famous Sofitel Hyland Shanghai.

Currently, Stephan is General Manager of the Accor Group’s Pullman Suzhou Zhonghui.

When asked have you always wanted to work in the hotel industry Stephan replied yes. During the summer of his first internship he was fascinated by the culinary experience and by how a guest’s memory was created.

In Stephan’s opinion the biggest challenge managing a luxury hotel in China is consistency. He said, “It is important to stay relevant for today’s travellers. Guest demands have shifted over the last 20 years. Keeping up with latest trends is one thing, creating a personal and unique experience for guests is what makes the difference. Whilst China set its own trends compared to other regions, fine tuning on what international guests desire is essential.”

Stephan’s leadership style is hands on, detail orientated, supportive on team matters. The passion of being a hotelier drives him each day. He believes that the smile of the staff is as important as that of the guest.

His biggest contribution since joining his current hotel is complex. He described it thus:
- forming the strategy and listening to the team on the execution and guest feedback
- be there to support team needs and demonstrate flexibility
- create memorable experience while appreciate especially the efforts of the team
- commitment is what makes the difference as most efforts and long hours go un-noticed by the guests.

The highlight of being part of the team was described thus by Stephan: be able to listen, support and lead by example, passing on my working experience to each team member then see them grow and succeed.

He added perceptively that with the new generation of upcoming hoteliers it’s important to remember to teach the philosophy of the hospitality industry (sometimes forgotten). Especially the details of fine dining, backgrounds of certain etiquette, equipment, service sequence. This is what makes a truly memorable event as we promote the excellence in all areas of hospitality arts and the pleasure of the table.

Stephan has been a member of the Chaȋne for nine years having discovered the organisation during his apprenticeship at the Hilton Berlin, Germany. During preparation for Chaȋne events an immense effort was placed on planning and drafting the menu, matching themes and focusing on each detail of the evening.

He chose to join the Chaîne because it’s a great way to meet people from all over the world whilst sharing the same passion for culinary discoveries. He believes that the social network within the Chaîne has an amazing camaraderie from various industries not only related to food and beverage, you can easily observe guest demands and desires that helps to tailor various clients in your own hotel.

Stephan and his wife love that the Chaȋne is a family sharing the same passion for food and wine. They like the diversity of events from local and national level, the discovery of new talents within different cities and regions around the world, the creativity and elegance of new places matching in cuisine, wine and fine dining.