AFTER enjoying his morning run along the famed West Lake for more than three years, Australia’s Mark Foxwell, a 21-year veteran with Hyatt Hotels Corp, recently relocated to Shanghai and has now made the Bund his regular jogging path.

The Adelaide-born hotelier, who is at the helm of a nearby five-star luxury hotel under the Hyatt banner since late March, is getting accustomed to the vibrant skyline of Pudong that broadly underscores the dynamics of Shanghai — quite a contrast to the quintessential laid-back flair of Hangzhou, often dubbed the backyard of the city.

“I’m truly excited to be in Shanghai, a city with a strong sense of possibility and dynamics,” said the new general manager of Hyatt on the Bund, a 620-room property that sits on the western bank of the Huangpu River and not far from the famous Waibaidu Bridge.

“It is a place where you can feel the momentum to move and a place for anyone who can only thrive.”

Foxwell, who joined Hyatt in 1996 in his hometown, has had stints in a number of key Asia Pacific cities, including Melbourne, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Osaka. Most recently, he was the general manager of Hyatt Regency Hangzhou. The property boasts extreme proximity to West Lake, a local landmark, which sits just “50 steps from the West Lake, and you will be in the lake on the 51st step,” the Australian quotes his predecessor as saying.

With his first appointment in Shanghai, Foxwell seems to be “lucky” again.

“We are blessed with the location,” the bell attendant-turned-general manager said, referring to the hotel’s supreme locale at the northern end of the Bund. Most of the hotel’s guestrooms boast a spectacular view of either the famed architecture along the Bund or skyscraper-lined Lujiazui across the river.

“What has always excited me about this hotel is the sense of openness, the creative approach to developing the product and the elements of warmth that I think are rare to the hotel of this size, that really lead to very strong bonds and relationships with our guests.”

The prime location of the hotel makes it a destination of choice, and the key to that is the hotel’s food and beverage outlets.

“We’re very proud and excited about our restaurants because we’ve taken traditional dining concepts and completely rethought them to create something innovative and inventive,” Foxwell said. “We feel we’ve created restaurants that are destinations and talking points in themselves.”

VUE, a stylish, multi-concept restaurant and bar occupying the hotel’s top four floors with a breathtaking 270-degree view of the Huangpu River, is absolutely a highlight.

Created by acclaimed Japanese interior design firm Super Potato and conceived with the concept of a bachelor’s penthouse, home-style dining spreads over in an open space comprising a “kitchen,” a “library” and a “living room” that are merged seamlessly from one space to another. The culinary art of tableside cooking is resurrected at VUE.

For those in love of Chinese food, Xindalu on the ground floor is a venue that they would regret to miss. The restaurant taps into the humble roots of Chinese cooking, serving authentic Shanghai and Hangzhou cuisine in an unconventional casual setting. Regional specialities as well as Peking Roast Duck, one of China’s national dishes, are among those that tempt the guests’ taste bud.

Food and beverage aside, the hotel’s over 1,800 square meters of meeting and banquet space is also making it a highly sought after MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) address. Two ballrooms with outdoor terraces that have a capacity of 700 and 300 respectively, a circular glasshouse with an outdoor courtyard and nine versatile function rooms, all equipped with state-of-art technologies, allow the hotel to cater to various needs and occasions, both business and social.

“Understanding the market you can appeal to is very important,” Foxwell said. “We are looking at that between 70 and 80 percent of our corporate business is made up of MICE while 40 percent of our total business comes from leisure guests.”

Embarking on his hospitality career in the front office helping guests with luggage and parking, Foxwell said it was some kind of magic — a bit of excitement arising from the sense of being part of a show, a great sense of teamwork and friendships with the guests — that helped drive his career forward.

“I came to my role with Hyatt just by accident but something about it just clicked for me at an early stage and in a small level,” he said. “As time moves on, you start to learn that you can contribute to the people around you, support the team you work with, help them to grow and become stronger and better and enable them to fulfill some potential within themselves. That translates into what I enjoy most about my work and eventually has taken me to become a general manager.”

A valued ambassador for Hyatt, Foxwell believes it is the humanity of the company that makes the brand. “We really care about guests’ experience and that is deep in our culture and DNA. At Hyatt, we always seek to appreciate and embrace differences in people and help them to be in their best situation.”

A values-driven and forward-looking person, Foxwell is confident that the hotel should be able to maintain very organic and sustainable growth this year following a record performing 2016 as demand continues to be robust and overall market scenario remains healthy despite growing competition from new players around.

“The opening of new hotels in our proximity is good because it helps to create a strong sense of focus for the area in general as a destination,” said the seasoned hotelier. “We challenge one another to be better.”

Best Deals

Don’t miss out on this special deal when you stay at Hyatt on the Bund. Book your reservations seven days in advance and enjoy a 20% discount off Hyatt Daily Rates. Experience the breathtaking views from your room with our trailblazing dining facilities, and build a memory to last a lifetime.

GM’s Favorite

Why not wake up to a sophisticated Sunday brunch and savor gourmet delicacies along with free-flowing Perrier Jouet Champagne at VUE Restaurant. Featuring gourmet cuisine and stunning river views of the Bund and Pudong, several cooking stations are set up throughout the restaurant, presenting diners with cold selections and cheeses, fresh seafood, meats and desserts.

VUE Restaurant is also a fabulous place for a light business lunch on every weekday. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

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