In-conversation: John Nielsen, GM, Fivelements Retreat Bali
“Companies that find the balance between the service DNA and technology will be successful”
John Nielsen’s rich background in hospitality is evident the moment you sit down with him. A charismatic storyteller, he pulls you into his world of hospitality with one personal anecdote after another.
He’s the General Manager at Fivelements Retreat Bali and Director of Sustainability at the Bali Hotels Association. He’s also an active wellness advocate. Across a wide gamut of topics from technology to wellness, he preaches the importance of being balanced in this conversation.
A love for travel and working with people.
“I was lucky as a kid to always be travelling. I spent my childhood in Copenhagen, but we would always go on holidays. My mother lived in Malta during the Second World War when my grandfather was Head of the Royal Marines, and so we used to go quite often, always staying at Dragonara Palace. I loved Malta, and what made me love it was the people. From the waiters, to pool boys, to the staff that checks you in - it was all about that environment. I guess I just naturally fell into hospitality. It suited my personality, and I have been quite lucky with languages.
I could have gone into sports. After finishing hotel school I was invited to do sports management by world-class squash players. I could have easily ended up going down that track, because I enjoy handling people. I chose to go the hospitality route, and have no regrets.”
Hospitality is all about building a service DNA.
“Hospitality is very much about creating a DNA. You want to create a service culture. When you teach in hotel schools, it’s ultimately all about practical contact hours. That's how we learn to make cappuccinos, learn to cook, learn to clean etc. It's all about practice.
We can learn all the theories. At the end of the day, if we can't serve a cup of hot tea, then good luck. That's how the customer is going to remember you. He or she is not going to be interested that you were very good at maths. That’s one of the strengths of the bigger companies, like Accor. They're very good with their [training] systems because the human factor is ultimately what gets them there.
Some people have it more innately than others. In Asia, we still kind of have it. Thailand and Indonesia, in general, have the hospitality DNA. In the United States, service is challenging. In Saudi Arabia, that’s also their biggest challenge.
I recall I was told by someone in Australia that the problem with Australian hospitality is that it's a part-time job. This always stuck in the back of my brain. I used to run a catering company. He always used to say ‘use all the university students as your part-time staff because they will become your clients.’ It’s actually a problem though, the attitude is different.”
Balancing technology with the human touch and inclusivity.
“Technology is great in terms of what we can do with it, how it helps with accounting and reporting. There’s so many positive things.
It’s still important to remember the human aspect though. We cannot lose sight of the 70 year old guest who may struggle with technology. Imagine that person struggling to pay a bill online because he can’t really use a computer. Then that same person goes to check into the hotel and struggles with a long check-in queue because the hotel is so big.
The Australian ‘national’ airlines introduced a new check-in kiosk system in 2022. They changed it from what was a pretty easy-to-use system to a system that required your unique airline reservations number to retrieve your booking. Previously, travellers could use their frequent flyer card or number or just their surname. To complete it all, they had cut regular check-in desks, causing long lines of people who could not work the new ‘upgraded’ system and leaving a complete mess for staff to deal with! Needless to say, the airline faced huge complaints and delays. Why on earth would an airline implement something new without rolling it out gradually and having customers test it. Classic case of forgetting who the customer is! Again, it’s about a balance.
We need to use technology for the right purposes. Companies that find the balance between the service DNA and technology will be successful in the future.”
Focusing on getting the basics right, rather than chasing trends.
“Trends are fads. Fads are short term. It’s usually something hatched 20 years ago that somebody’s reading about today. I'm not huge on trends because getting caught up in it always backfires. Focus on the basics and get them right instead.
For many years there was a trend around sensor-activated lighting and audio. There were cases where you’re trying to go to bed and you can’t turn the music or lights off, because there’s a blown fuse or the iPad is turned off. You end up having to go all the way down to the reception to get help when all you want to do is sleep.
When I started at Fivelements, the founders had done a wonderful job with the concept and the vision of the place, but the lighting was out of control. The concept was low voltage lighting, but that doesn’t work. I couldn't see where I was walking. Guests would trip over. Staff couldn’t see where they were going.
It's so important to find that balance. Yes, you want to have sustainable lighting. Ultimately though, you have to be realistic that the customer is paying money for that light, and you have to think about their perspective. Staff have to be able to do their work without falling over. You have to find the balance.”
Acting as an ambassador for wellness, and making wellness accessible for all.
“The wellness business has massive growth. There's tons of opportunity. Today it’s still a niche market.
I joined the World Wellness Weekend in 2019. The global movement was founded by Jean-Guy Gabriac in 2017, and I joined as the Indonesia Ambassador. I love being part of this movement. My job is to spread the word about wellness, and work with hotels to organize 3-4 events a year about different forms of wellness. In 2023, we had over 7000 active venues and cities join in the movement.
We've got to be really careful with wellness so that we don't put up barriers. The danger of wellness now is that it’s becoming the new term for luxury [which is exclusive]. It's not about me going to the gym or going for marathons. Wellness is ultimately about us as human beings looking after ourselves, looking after each other and having a philosophy around that. Wellness has to be for all.”
The importance of sustainability, including in hospitality.
“I lead sustainability at the Bali Hotel Association. Sustainability and wellness are actually interrelated.
If the planet is not healthy, we aren’t going to do well either. We need to make sure that there's a balance between us. It’s sad when you see poisoned rivers with huge amounts of plastic.
It's not a niche market, it's a global thing. And we have got to keep looking at big corporations and governments to urge them to think more sustainably .
For example, we should reconsider if we need more hotels here in Bali. We do not need more people coming in. We need to pull back. We need to become more like Bhutan, where there’s less people visiting, but each one spends more, and people have a better time.
If we don’t do this, we’ll stuff things up. And the problem is, we won’t be here to tell our children.”
