Changing of the guard

THIS IS Life

In its historic position beside the Chao Phraya River, The Oriental, since last year named the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, has always had the air of one of the great ocean liners of the years between the World Wars, when transcontinental travel was the height of glamour and exclusivity.

It's never lost that atmosphere, and however cutting edge it may be as an outstanding modern hotel, it was never hard to imagine general manager Kurt Wachtveitl as Captain Kurt welcoming the guests aboard for the voyage of a lifetime. And now, to pursue the image, the skipper has moved on and handed over the ship to its new captain, Jan D. Goessing, who has been piped aboard and is now on the bridge.

That's it for nautical similes; now for some facts. Jan Goessing is married with two sons aged 20 and 19. Prior to joining the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, he held senior management positions with Mandarin Oriental Hotels in the USA, in Chicago, Boston, Beverly Hills and Washington DC, and was general manager of its flagship hotel, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong. Earlier in his career he was with Intercontinental and Kempinski Hotels in Luxembourg and Germany. He was born in Bonn, educated in Munich and spent quite a lot of his youth travelling with his family, developing a special interest in Asia.

When the time came to think about choosing a career, opportunities to travel were a prime consideration, and the hospitality industry was an obvious choice. He knew that a hotel company would support his desire, and one day would eventually lead him to Asia.

There was no family connection with the hospitality industry, but he applied to the best hotel in Munich, which happened to be one of the best in Germany, and served a three-year apprenticeship there. He could not have known that this was his first step to becoming general manager of the Mandarin Oriental, but the picture of the future that he held dear at the time would have been somewhere in that direction.

How were you able to do so much travelling when you were young?

My father was very active in equestrian sports and in later life he was a judge at international events. My brothers and sisters and I used to go with him and we got to see many international competitions including the Olympics.

Where did your interest in Asia come from?

My older brother had a company in Hong Kong and I went out to stay with him. I loved the life I saw there, and promised myself I would come back one day. Southeast Asia became a kind of dream destination for me.

How did you approach your career in the hospitality industry?

Even as a young man I was very single-minded. I had three career objectives: I wanted to be a general manager; I wanted to work for one of the best hotel companies; and I wanted to be a GM by the time I was 35. I was determined that I'd fulfill all three objectives.

Well, I started with Kempinski, a very good company and our hotel was rated number 13 in the world when the Mandarin Oriental was at number 1. But I was three years out on my plan to be general manager. I didn't make it until I was 38. But by the time I was with the Mandarin.

How did you make the move to Asia?

It took quite a long time. I came out here to try and find a job 25 years ago. I went to Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok and just walked into the best hotels, introduced myself and asked if they had a place for me. Luck was not on my side though. I was just a junior manager at that time and I knew this would limit my chances. However, something significant did happen: one of the hotels I walked into was The Oriental.

How was that significant?

Although I didn't get to meet Kurt Wachtveitl - he was travelling at the time - I did see the resident manager, Greg Meadows. He came out to meet me himself, which was very kind of him. I told him who I was and that I wanted to work at The Oriental, and he promised he'd mention me to Kurt when he returned.

And he was as good as his word?

He was. Three weeks later I was back in Germany and I received a letter from Kurt. He regretted that he couldn't take me on at the time due to my lack of experience and work permit problems. But the contact had been made and the door was not closed. I still have that letter today. In fact, I'm having it framed right now to hang in my office.

When did you join Mandarin?

Exactly 10 years later, and that's when I got to know Kurt. Then, five years ago, when I was general manager of the Mandarin Hong Kong, I was approached by the company to see whether I'd be interested in a possible move to the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. There was no talk of Kurt considering retirement and no schedule for him to do so; the time for that would be of his own choosing. But there's no need to tell you what my answer was. I was getting closer to my dream.

What was your next move with Mandarin?

To Washington DC, and I stayed for three momentous years. Momentous because during that time, senator Obama was conducting his presidential campaign, and when he was in Washington, he stayed with us. We saw him from the time he began his campaign to when he was president elect. One of the campaign managers said that when he is in Washington this would be his home. I remember him coming in from the airport one evening with his hand luggage and just two advisers and stopping to chat with the people behind the front desk. It impressed me that he took the time to hear what the ordinary people had to say.

What is life like in Washington?

It's dominated by politics and that certainly makes it exciting. In the hotel you see how politics is played. You're almost participating in the lunches, the meetings in private function rooms and the lobbying. Diplomatic visits, too, with huge security - they always create a buzz. But that's not all of Washington. It's a city with so much history, so many concert halls, theatres, parks, museums. It never gets the credit for the cultural side of its life. The media always play up the politics and ignore the rest.

When did you know that you'd be coming to the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok?

That was in September 2008. I was told that I'd be appointed to the general manager's job when it became available. Remember, it's a post that hadn't been vacant for 41 years and there were a lot of candidates for it, because this is no ordinary hotel. For me, it was like reaching the summit of Mount Everest.

What was your reception like?

Usually when you take up a new post you're more or less pushed in at the deep end to swim for yourself. Not here, though. Kurt spent a lot of time taking me round, introducing me to management, staff, customers, friends of the hotel. It showed me how much he cared about continuity and the future of the hotel. It's all a great learning curve at the moment, and although I have plenty of ideas, I want to understand the past before I start looking at the future. So much has been done here to form the hotel and create its personality, and I want to try to build on that.

Do you have any specific plans you can mention?

I think it's too early for that, but one thing I can tell you is that I'll be looking for ways to make a new generation of young people appreciate the hotel. A lot of loyal guests have brought their children here who are now customers themselves; there's been a kind of generational handover.

Can you pinpoint one characteristic of the hotel that's especially impressed you since you arrived?

I'd say the staff, its greatest asset. You can buy crystal chandeliers, beautiful china, wonderful new buildings but the one thing you can't buy is the kind of service experience that has been built up in this hotel over the years. All the guests I've met point out how great their visit is because of the staff. I think the average length of time they stay with us is more than 15 years.

This connects with another area of interest for me. It's a difficult time for all of us. We are dependent on tourism and at the same time responsible to the families of the 1,100 people who work here. I want to pursue ways of enhancing facilities for them, and support systems that allow them to continue the high standards they've become known for.

Do you think there is something special you can bring to the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok?

To tell you truth, I've been so excited about being here - and it's my dream so I should be excited - but it wasn't the same for me as it was for Kurt. He came here as a young man, fell in love with it and never left. For me, this is my fifth Mandarin hotel and I've gained from being in each one of them. I think because of this difference in our experience, I may be able to add a different dimension while I'm here.

Would you like to speculate on how long that might be?

I said to Kurt, I've no way of knowing how long I'll stay, but he told me to be sure I stayed for at least 17 years. That will take us up to the hotel's 150th birthday, he said, and I'd certainly want to be here to be part of the celebrations.