In-conversation: Dino Anthonio, GM, Royal Tulip Springhill Resort Jimbaran
“If I had today’s technology back in the day, my goodness, every hotel in Indonesia would have been a superstar... ”
Dino Anthonio, who worked for over 25 years in various hotels, embodies the ever-evolving hospitality landscape. He’s worked in Vietnam and Myanmar, before returning to Indonesia where he is now the General Manager, Royal Tulip Springhill Resort Jimbaran, Bali.
Throughout his career, Dino’s consistent refrain has been to deliver wow moments with a personal touch. Today, he uses technology to augment his innate hospitable nature to exceed guest expectations. Customer centricity and operating responsibly to build reputation is a hallmark of his operating method. Dino encapsulates the timeless essence of hospitality.
Indelible childhood memories sparked a career in hospitality.
“My childhood experiences with my family where we’d go to places like Borobudur and Hotel Indonesia were what first drew me to the hospitality industry. Back in the 80s, going to these hotels was a treat. I recall the bubur ayam (chicken porridge) [at Borobudur]. It was a fantastic experience.
At the time, I did not of course yet know that I wanted to work in the hospitality industry. But these memories get instilled in your mind. For some reason, you start wanting to know about it and somehow you get involved without knowing it, unconsciously."
The basics of hospitality: creating wow moments.
"I come from a very old school period in the hospitality industry. Skills and knowledge that are taken for granted today were absolutely important. Let’s say I see you sitting here and I think you’re a good customer. I’d walk behind the counter, make [paper] flowers, come up to you and wow you. Whether you were a general manager or regular staff, you had to know how to create a flower.
Old school hospitality was all about wowing guests with your personal touch. There was no template whatsoever.
These days, of course, there is still the wow factor, but it's more about style over matter. The first thing that guests want to see from a hotel is whether it is Instagrammable or not. It's not good or bad. It’s just what the market demands today.
What has changed? Not much. I think the basics of hospitality is simply ‘what can I do to wow you today?’ ”
The new luxury is sustainable travel.
“Luxury has been redefined. It’s more about experiences now.
Long time ago, only certain people with a certain financial background could travel in luxury. Today, luxury is more accessible. You can go to any boutique or any resort and people pamper you, look you in the eye, and call you by name.
Today it's more about sustainability for example. Young people will travel, and think, ‘You know what, I'm going to bring my own toothpaste. I'm not going to use your own toothpaste because I want to leave zero waste.’ A few years ago, people would think instead, ‘I want to have your amenities and I’ll take your amenities home’
It's a new mindset which I really like. I think young people are really driving this. I'm excited about this because leaving zero waste is the way to go. You cannot imagine how much money we spend on amenities yearly. If guests bring their own, I can use the budget for something more meaningful than a plastic toothbrush.”
Using technology to give guests what they want, better.
“Technology is very important.
How to use technology really depends on guests' expectations. At the end of the day, hospitality is not about me or the hotel. It's about you. So what is it that you want? You want things to be fast.
Technology can help us provide something that we couldn't a long time ago, which is to provide immediate service and follow-ups. Imagine technology that lets you track every guest's every request.
In a bigger resort where luxury experience is expected, perhaps you use more humans and less technology. But in a very fast-moving environment like in city hotels, you need technology.
If I had today’s technology back in the day, my goodness, every hotel in Indonesia would have been a superstar. We had the people, we were all very hospitable.”
OTAs as a reputation management tool.
“OTAs are partners. I know they cost us money, but you use them as a tool to build reputation.
Let's say you have 200 rooms. You fill 100 rooms with contracted rates, which are not as high, illustratively less than 150 dollars. You then sell the remaining 100 rooms on OTAs for 200 dollars. Reputationally, people think that your hotel is expensive. The offline business is always cheaper than whatever you put on the OTAs.
You use OTAs to compare yourself with similar hotels, so you know where to position yourselves. Are we punching above our weight?”
Software helps with revenue and customer management.
“Our revenue management tool is very important for us. It helps us know what the rate is next door, or what it might be in 30 days. We base our tactics, plans and strategies on that.
We also use a third-party CRM and reputation management software. We use algorithms to understand our guests, such as the preferences of different segments.”
Risk management as a new strategic imperative after Covid-19.
“Covid-19 taught us a lot of things.
I think one of the things that we had always taken for granted was risk management. Hoteliers always thought that we didn’t need to do risk management. We provide services, and risk management is done by the owners. Covid-19 changed everything because it impacted everybody globally.
Today, guests no longer ask for masks and for plastic amenities, but we have to prepare ourselves for that contingency. We also need to understand potential risk of business disruptions.
What are the risks moving forward? The world keeps on changing, things are happening. I think the next big thing would be risk management studies”
Operating with safety and integrity as priorities in 2024.
“Number one operating priority in 2024 is to have safety in mind. No compromise. For example, physical safety requirements and food safety. We need to help owners understand that safety is an investment. Yes, it costs money, but there's a return. The return is reputation.
Number two is integrity. Wherever revenue comes from, it has to be generated in a manner that emphasises integrity and accountability. I always tell the whole team how we really appreciate accountability. Again, this goes back to your reputation.”
