Hospitality wisdom from Pullman GM
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DANNY J. C. Yeo
Nationality: Malaysia
Profession/title: General manager of Pullman Oceanview Sanya Bay Resort & Spa, Sanya
How often do you travel?
A few times a year
Favorite traveling style?
I usually pick the best, or the most “value-for-money,” whether it is by air or by train.
Q: What do you usually do after returning from a trip?
A: After returning from a trip, I usually write reviews of the places I have been to, especially on TripAdvisor and my personal Facebook page. I feel it is good to contribute, so we can help others find the best and most value-added way to travel. It will help save time and make the most of their trips, as much as it helps me when I get traveling tips from other TripAdvisor contributors. Besides, the very scenic photos taken during the trips will be developed and hung on the wall of our house to remind us of the beautiful feelings during the trip.
Q: What do you always search for during a trip?
A: During my trips, I usually search for central city locations for accommodation, so that it is easy to move around, and also we like to search for what is famous in that place. When we were in Kobe, Japan, we were searching for a good restaurant that serves the famous Kobe beef that really melts in your mouth. This was really an unforgettable experience.
Q: What do you always pack?
A: We pack our clothing based on the place we are going to, but most of the time we travel light. Most importantly, I will bring my Sony camera and zoom lens, and a tripod because most of the time we need to take photos together ... I also bring Malaysia’s famous Old Town white coffee — which is really a “luxury” drink for us — to have some nice “home coffee” in a foreign land.
Q: What is your preferred airline?
A: We usually take Emirates, and also Air Asia or Malaysian Airlines, depending on the timing, as well as what special offers they are promoting.
Q: Do you have any tips about seating on a flight?
A: I know most people would like a window seat, but my preference is always the aisle seat near the front rows, due to the convenience of being near the toilets as well as being the first to get meals.
Q: Best in-flight meal or activity?
A: The best is Emirates for Western dishes, but for Asian dishes it is Air Asia ... Emirates has many in-flight movies and games, so if you are going on a long-haul, choose Emirates.
Q: How do you get over jet lag?
A: Normally I time myself to sleep so that if the plane is to arrive in the morning, I will try to sleep before touchdown. And if the arrival is at night, I will try not to sleep until I reach the destination and only sleep when I reach the hotel.
Q: What are your favorite hotels? What makes these hotels so memorable?
A: Of course, the Accor hotels and resorts are my favorites. These hotels always adopt the group motto “Feel Welcome” and you do really feel at home when you go to any Accor hotel, as they provide you basically the same welcoming reception (and) all first-class service.
Q: What do you value most when choosing a hotel?
A: When I choose a hotel, what I value most is friendly, efficient reception, genuine care as well as cleanliness and reliable basic hardware in the hotel room. Good Wi-Fi service is very important too when traveling as we need to research places to go.
Q: What hotels do you look forward to staying at in the future?
A: I suppose nowadays there is a trend of staying at apartments. There is the so-called Airbnb hype all over the world. However, given a choice, I would still prefer staying at AccorHotels as they provide many different brands in every location. In the future, it will be even better as AccorHotels has just acquired the luxury brands Fairmont, Raffles and Swisshotel; so many more choices of brands and locations are coming from the AccorHotels group.
Q: Recommend one of your favorite destinations. Why is it so special?
A: One of my favorite destinations is Rome, as it is not only a historical destination with so many famous old relics to see and admire; it also has nice Italian food and, furthermore, it is a very romantic place.
Q: What do you do upon arriving in Rome?
A: Go to all the famous historical sites like the Coliseum, St Peter’s Basilica, the Pantheon and the famous Trevi Fountain (which the romantic 1960s movie “Three Coins in the Fountain” famously featured). And, of course, the Vatican city too; although technically, it is not part of Rome, but it is just within the city.
Q: What’s the strangest request that a guest has made at your hotel?
A: At my hotel at the Pullman Oceanview Sanya Bay, one of the strangest requests that a guest asked was if we could get rid of the sea flies that were biting them while they were swimming in the sea.
Of course, we told them this was nature, and it’s pretty difficult to challenge the order of nature especially during certain warm seasons. However, we provided them with some medical ointment and also mosquito repellants for free and they were very happy with the “extra-mile” service coming from our hearts. At Pullman, we serve our guests with our hearts to ensure that their stay with us is really an unforgettable experience.
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