An eye for detail

Located at the center of Shanghai, Hotel Equatorial Shanghai offers convenient access to almost everywhere in the city. Provided to China Daily

Hotel Equatorial Shanghai's new manager brings a surgeon's precision to service standards. Yang Yijun reports.

Hotel Equatorial Shanghai has already completed 20 years in the business, catering to business travelers and high-end guests, and now its newly appointed general manager believes it's time to move to the next level.

David Ji has probably the most unique background in the city's hospitality industry. Before embarking on his 22-year career with hotels, of which 14 have been as general manager, he was a cardiac surgeon for six years.

"My experience as a doctor benefits my work in the hospitality industry, as it makes me very careful and good at logical thinking and integrating information," the scholarly-looking Ji says.

Having served on the hotel star-rating panel of Shanghai Hengshan (Group) Corp for nine years, Ji, who is a certified Hotel Administrator, is well aware of standards and puts this knowledge to good use.

As the general manager of Yangtze Hotel, today's Langham Yangtze Boutique Shanghai, he oversaw its double-digit growth in gross operating profit for seven consecutive years.

And as general manager of the Hengshan Moller Villa Hotel, the historic fairy tale-like boutique hotel, he upgraded it to a high-end gathering place for celebrities.

Ji says a hotel's culture is crucial to making it stand out, especially in a city like Shanghai.

When Ji was with the Moller Villa, he created a unique six-course tea banquet, which paired tea and classic music, with different dishes, perfectly.

"I was inspired by a trip to Sri Lanka during which I tasted some premier teas. I decided to create this banquet, because China is a country with a strong tea culture," he says.

The banquet's first course matches chamomile tea with ma lan tou, a kind of vegetable. The mild relaxing tea and the fragrant vegetables make for a perfect starter. This first course is served to the accompaniment of a well-known piece of classic Chinese folk music called Moonlit Night by the Spring River, in an area filled with the scent of bergamot oil.

Ji says he plans to launch a traditional English afternoon tea at the hotel soon and has already invited professionals to train the staff.

"The staff must understand afternoon tea before they start to serve the guests," he says.

"I love the hotel industry, as I get to learn something every day."

Although he's been on board for just three weeks, Ji so likes Hotel Equatorial Shanghai that he constantly takes photos of the hotel and posts them on his micro blog, which has attracted more than 1,500 followers within a year.

Located at the center of the city near the Jing'an Temple, the hotel offers convenient access to almost everywhere including exhibition venues, major tourist attractions and airports. In addition, the 507-room hotel has 19 types of guest rooms to cater to a range of needs.

"I have very high expectation of the hotel. I'm confident that we will present a brand new image of the hotel next year," he says.